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ForumReflectionandResponse3BuddhismandTibetanDancePowerPoint.pptx

Buddhism and Tibetan Dance

Forum Reflection and Response #3

Is Buddhism a Monotheistic Religion?

Excerpt from Buddhism and Monotheism

Buddhism is a religion lacking the idea of a unique creator God. It is a kind of trans-polytheism that accepts many long-lived gods, but sees ultimate reality, Nirvana, as beyond these. It does, though, see Dhamma/Dharma as a Basic Pattern encompassing everything, with karma as a law-like principle ensuring that good and bad actions have appropriate natural results. This Element explores these ideas, along with overlaps in Buddhist and monotheist ideas and practices, the development of more theist-like ideas in Mahāyāna Buddhism, Buddhist critiques of the idea of a creator God, and some contemporary Buddhist views and appreciations of monotheisms.

(Resource: Harvey, P. (2019). Buddhism and Monotheism (Elements in Religion and Monotheism). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781108758390)

How Buddhism Spread Through Asia

Dances of Tantric Buddhist Monks Of Tibet

Dances have been performed for centuries

Origin of the Tibetan dances: “To divert and entertain evil spirits, so they would not interfere with Tibetan’s work

Monks form a circle

Monks spin as an “act of cleansing and preparation”

HempisGonpa Festival Festival:

Tantric Buddhist Monk Dance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qABKMIPS8WM

Tibetan Monastic Dance - ‘Cham’

Video by Asian Culture Vulture at the 2018 Edinburgh Festival:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOjzMvlT7nw

Characteristics of Tibetan Dance: The Hemis Gonpa Festival

Performed in June to commemorate Guru Padmasambhava, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism

Performed at the annual festival to “give thanks to the protective deities”

Elaborate masks

Costumed rituals

National Geographic: The Buddhist Science Of The Mind

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBVvvWP2a-c

This is a wonderful video. If you have the time, I recommend watching it in its entirety. Otherwise, for your Forum Reflection and Response, watch from this point:

Video: Start at 19:30