Abstract
Stories of encounter with Buddhist vajra-yoginīs as the inhabhitants of this earthy domain flourish in connection with sites located around the Kathmandu Valley and throughout the swath of the Himalayan range and Tibet where Vajrayāna Buddhism is practiced. It is notable that descriptions of encounter are crucial in the formation of these sites, and yet there seem to be some key differences in how these interactions happened in Indic tantricism as compared to Buddhism practiced in the Himalayan regions. In light of recent discussions on the nature and location of Uddiyāna in the context of the homeland of Padmasambhava, this paper examines the question, “What exactly is a pītha?," and looks at how this phenomena and the knowledge of Padmasambhava as a figure changes across geographic and cultural landscapes. This paper looks at Newar sources and interpretations on this subject as compared to Indic and Tibetan views, which I hope will spur on further discussions surrounding the soteriological, epistemic, and ontological views behind the idea and the purpose of a pītha across Vajrayāna Buddhism.
About the Speaker
Amber Marie Moore is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto, specialising in Buddhist Philosophy, Tibetan, Newar, and Nepalese Buddhist manuscripts and narratives, Caryā dance, and the intersection of philosophy and Buddhist tantra. Her research looks at the idea of philosophy as a practice and draws on Vajrayāna Buddhist sources to envision new positions on the nature of being, the self, and the idea of liberation. Her forthcoming book is tentatively titled “The Legend of Vajrayoginī: The Vaṃśavalī of Samkhapura in the Maṇiśaila-mahāvadāna.”
