Illness and Enlightenment
Exploring Tibetan Perspectives on Madness in Text and Everyday Life

By (author) Susannah Deane

ISBN13: 9781805398400

Imprint: Berghahn Books

Publisher: Berghahn Books

Format: Hardback

Published: 01/02/2025

Availability: Available

Description
Tibetan understandings of nyoné — ‘madness’— encompass a broad range of concepts. Perspectives on the causation and treatment of madness as an illness are informed by Tantric and medical understandings of mind-body structure and (dys)functioning, as well as people’s relationships with non-human entities. In addition, ‘madness’ may be seen as a sign of enlightenment in the case of some Tantric practitioners. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in the Tibetan region of Amdo in northwest China, as well as examination of Tibetan medical and religious texts, Illness and Enlightenment explores the multi-faceted concept of nyoné through key Tibetan concepts of wind, heart, and mind, as well as human-spirit relationships.
List of Figures Acknowledgements A Note on Terminology, Transliterations, and Translations Introduction Part I Chapter 1. Heart, Wind and Mind: Discussions on Nyonéin Contemporary Amdo Chapter 2. Heart, Mind or Wind? Tibetan Medical Conceptions of Mind, Mental Health and Nyoné Chapter 3. Wind, Mind and Nyonéin Tibetan Tantra Part II Chapter 4. Madness-Causing Spirits, Tantric Deities and ‘Impurities’ in Contemporary Amdo Chapter 5. Uninvited: Spirits, Deities and ‘Pollution’ in Everyday Life and Illness Chapter 6. Invoking the Gods: Spirits and Deities in Tantric Practice Conclusion Glossary References Index
  • Social & cultural anthropology, ethnography
  • Care of the mentally ill
  • Professional & Vocational
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List Price: £104.00