Book

High religion: a cultural and political history of Sherpa Buddhism

Princeton University PressPrinceton, N.J. • Published In 1989 • Pages:

By: Ortner, Sherry B..

Abstract
This work is a detailed description of the establishment of the first celibate Buddhist monasteries among the Sherpas of Nepal in the early 20th century. Using a combination of ethnographic and oral-history methods, the author attempts to answer the questions of how, by whom, and why these monasteries were founded. Ortner employs the technique of 'practice' anthropology to study the relationship between human intentions and actions on one hand and those structures of culture and society on the other which feed back and emerge from the intentions and actions of others. Ortner's work constitutes a major advance in the knowledge of Sherpa Buddhism as well as in the integration of anthropological and historical modes of analysis.
Subjects
Theoretical orientation in research and its results
Traditional history
History
Real property
Inheritance
Literary texts
Status, role, and prestige
Ingroup antagonisms
Arranging a marriage
Family relationships
Sacred objects and places
Prayers and sacrifices
Purification and atonement
Prophets and ascetics
Organized ceremonial
culture
Sherpa
HRAF PubDate
2004
Region
Asia
Sub Region
Central Asia
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
John Beierle ; 1991
Field Date
1966-1976
Coverage Date
not specified
Coverage Place
Khumbu region, northeastern Nepal
Notes
[by] Sherry B. Ortner
Includes bibliographical references (p.225-236)
LCCN
89030337
LCSH
Sherpa (Nepalese people)