Numerous ethnographic and historical studies have shown that cultural practices relating to treasure concealment and discovery exist all over the world, and that such cultures typically overlap with the religious or other ideological recovery of empowered or sacred texts and objects. It is also generally agreed that the development of the gter ma traditions of Tibet can only be understood through the interactions over time of indigenous Tibetan treasure traditions with parallel Indian, Chinese, and Mongolian treasure traditions, both Buddhist and non-Buddhist. The Treasure Seminar therefore seeks to understand the rich and varied treasure cultures of India, China, Mongolia, and Tibet, and then to analyse how these interacted to produce the mature gter and gter ma traditions of today. In addition, we always value interdisciplinary comparative studies, to enrich and deepen our understanding. Our approach is eclectic and multidisciplinary.
Convenors:
Cathy Cantwell, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oxford
Yegor Grebnev, Sinology, Beijing Normal University (Zhuhai) and BNU-HKBU United International College
Robert Mayer, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oxford
Anna Sehnalova, Institute of Social & Cultural Anthropology, University of Oxford
Video recordings:
Daniel Wojahn, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oxford
