The Biographies of Rechungpa: The Evolution of a Tibetan Hagiography

By Peter Alan Roberts

Book Overview

This book traces the lifestory of Rechungpa (1084-1161) - the student of the famous teacher Milarepa - using rare and little-known manuscripts, and discovers how the image of both Milarepa and Rechungpa underwent fundamental transformations over a period of over three centuries.

Peter Alan Roberts compares significant episodes in the life of Rechungpa as portrayed in a succession of texts, and thus demonstrates the evolution of Rechungpa's biography. This is the first survey of the surviving literature which includes a detailed analysis of their dates, authorship and interrelationships. It shows how Rechungpa was increasingly portrayed as a rebellious, volatile and difficult pupil, as a lineage from a fellow-pupil prospered to become dominant in Tibet.

Written in a style that makes it accessible to broad readership, Roberts' book will be of great value to anyone with an interest in the fields of Tibetan literature, history or religion.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 041559622X
• ISBN13: 9780415596220
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 294 Pages
• Weight: 0.96 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.2"