Dreaming the Great Brahmin explores how a Buddhist saint is created and recreated through narratives, poetry, art, ritual, and even dream visions. Kurtis Sch'ffer offers the first comprehensive cultural and literary history of the well-known Indian Buddhist poet saint Saraha, known as the Great Brahmin. He argues that Saraha should be seen not as the founder of a tradition, but rather as its product. Images, tales, and teachings of Saraha were transmitted, transformed, and created by members of diverse Buddhist traditions in Tibet, India, Nepal, and Mongolia. The result, Sch'ffer shows, is that there is not one Great Brahmin, but many. More broadly, he argues that the immense importance of saints for Buddhism is best understood by looking at the creative adaptations that perpetuated their fame. The book traces the complex history of Saraha's most important work, a collection of tantric poetry entitled the Treasury of Doha Verses. Sch'ffer shows that the poetic and philosophical literature attributed to Saraha represents centuries of transmission and adaptation by scribes, translators, commentators, and Tibetan poets. The book is accompanied by a full translation of the Treasury of Doha Verses and a rare Tibetan commentary-the first commentary on Saraha's work to be translated into any Western language. Dreaming the Great Brahmin offers the most comprehensive treatment of a central Buddhist saint, poet, and philosopher, and will engage anyone interested in Buddhism.


Dreaming the Great Brahmin, Kurtis R. Sch'ffer, Oxford University, Hardcover, 227 Pages, 2005, $94.00

Kurtis R. Schaeffer is Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Alabama. He is the author of Himalayan Hermitess: The Life of a Tibetan Buddhist Nun.

Abbreviations. xi
Introduction: Stories and Songs of the Great Brahmin Saraha. 3
PART I. TRADITIONS OF SARAHA IN TIBET
1. Tales of the Great Brahmin. 13
2. Meeting the Great Brahmin in Rituals, Paintings, and Dreams. 35
3. Contesting the Great Brahmin: Saraha as Abbot and Adept. 49
PART II. TRADITIONS OF SARAHA’S SONGS IN TIBET
4. Bringing the Treasury of Doha Verses to Tibet. 59
5. Commentary and Controversy on the Treasury of Doha Verses in Tibet. 71
6. Creating the Treasury of Doha Verses. 79
7. Recreating the Treasury of Doha Verses. 101
PART III. THE TREASURY OF DOHA VERSES AND ORNAMENTAL FLOWER FOR THE DOHAS
Introduction to the Commentary. 123
Ornamental Flower for the Dohas. 129
Epilogue: In Praise of the Great Brahmin. 175
Appendix 1. Compositional Features in the Anthologies of Phadampa Sangye. 179
Appendix 2. Adepts in the Anthologies of Phadampa Sangye. 183
Appendix 3. Outline of Ling Repa’s Commentary on the Treasury of Doha Verses. 187
Notes. 191
Bibliography. 209
Index. 225