| Chapter | Page |
| | | Acknowledgments | ix |
| | | Note on Translation, Critical Apparatus, and Transliteration | xii |
| | | Map: Places Important in the Life and Legacy of Sokdokpa Lodr� Gyeltsen (1552-1624) | xiv |
| | | Introduction | 1 |
| | | Objects That Matter | 7 |
| | | Object-Person Interactions in Theory and Practice | 15 |
| | Part 1 | Objects in Narrative | |
| | | Introduction to Part 1 | 35 |
| | | 1. | In the Vicinity of Things-Substance, Violence, and Power in the Milieu of Sokdokpa Lodr� Gyeltsen (1552-1624) | 37 |
| | | Introduction | 37 |
| | | The Shifting Tides of Clerical Influence and Authority: Religion, Policies, and Materiality in the Time of Sokdokpa | 37 |
| | | Sokdokpa's Influences and Milieu: Violent Rites, Brahmin Flesh, mid Other Object-oriented Bonds | 56 |
| | | Treasure Revealer Zhikpo Lingpa: Political Leader of Nangts� and Guru of Sokdokpa | 56 |
| | | Sokdokpa's Influences from the Frontier: The M�n Treasure Revealers Yongdzin Ngawung Drakpa and Tuk� Dawa Gyeltsen | 75 |
| | | Reflections on the Convergence of Political Power, Ritual, and Substance in Sokdokpa's Milieu | 86 |
| | | 2. | Prowess and Persona in the Wielding of Things-Exorcisms, Objects, and Insights in the Life and Literary Career of a Mongol-repelling Scholar-Adept | 90 |
| | | The Spiritual and Material Life of an Exorcist Yogi | 90 |
| | | A Literature of Precedent, Protection, and Perfection: The Writings of Sokdokpa Lodr� Gyeltsen | 133 |
| | | Apologia and Theory | 137 |
| | | Narrative | 138 |
| | | Liturgy and Ritual Commentary | 139 |
| | | Rhetoric of an Exorcist: The Construction of Sokdokpa's Public Identity | 140 |
| | | Persuasion, Cynicism, and Deceit in Sokdokpa's Use of Prophecy | 143 |
| | | Righteousness, Infamy, and Authority in Ritual Prowess | 152 |
| | | Personal Qualifications for Ritual Prowess | 160 |
| | | Final Reflections on Sokdokpa's Rhetoric in the 'History' | 165 |
| | Part 2 | Objects in Theory and Practice | |
| | | 3. | Controversies over Things-Drawing, Blurring, and Crossing Boundaries | 171 |
| | | Introduction | 171 |
| | | Visionary Glimpses | 186 |
| | | Powerful Speech | 216 |
| | | Amulet Practice | 236 |
| | | Brahmin Flesh and Other "Liberating" Edibles | 259 |
| | | Concluding Remarks | 284 |
| | | 4. | Things in Action and the Actions of Things-A Dynamic Ontology of Ritual Objects | 291 |
| | | Introduction | 291 |
| | | Sokdokpa's Matters of Concern | 293 |
| | | Incorporation, Contact, and Ingestion in Pill Practices | 296 |
| | | Brahmin Flesh: Discourse, Performance, and Consumption | 296 |
| | | Mediated Origins, Hybrid Ingredients | 296 |
| | | Multimedia Ritual Accomplishment | 303 |
| | | Deity Yoga in the Creation of Self and Other | 305 |
| | | Pills as "Catalysts" and "Vehicles" | 310 |
| | | Ambrosia: Medicinal Concoction and Tantric Sacrament | 316 |
| | | Edible Concoctions of Power: Common Patterns | 318 |
| | | The Efficacy of Ambrosia Ingredients: Categories and Homologies | 322 |
| | | The Orthopraxy of Aesthetic Criteria | 327 |
| | | Knowledge and its Consequences | 331 |
| | | Artifacts of Violence, Substances of Danger | 332 |
| | | The Contagion of Danger and Death | 333 |
| | | The Orthopraxy of Violence | 336 |
| | | Materializing and Mastering Unseen Forces | 341 |
| | | Violent Outbursts, the Call to Collective Action, and Other Publicly Observable Aspects of Efficacy | 345 |
| | | "Signs" of Success and Their Signified Outcomes | 347 |
| | | Creating the Self through Killing the Other | 349 |
| | | Concluding Remarks on Enemy-oriented Rites | 354 |
| | | Vision, Exegesis, and Touch in the Use of Initiation Substances and Introduction Props | 356 |
| | | Materiality and Meaning in the Nine-Vehicle Initiation Ritual | 357 |
| | | The Visual and Tactile Reception of Objects | 358 |
| | | The Communicative Competency of Things | 360 |
| | | Substance and Sign in the Complex Semiotics of Objects | 361 |
| | | In the Mirror of Mind: Sense and Semiosis in a Mind-Nature introduction Liturgy | 363 |
| | | Materiality and Meaning in the Use of Initiation Substance | 364 |
| | | Artifacts in the Rapprochement of Subject-Object Duality | 366 |
| | | Iconicity and Exegesis in the Semiosis of Props | 369 |
| | | Final Reflections on Sokdokpa's Ritual Ethos | 371 |
| | Part 3 | Aftereffects | |
| | | 5. | Continuities and Contentions over Things-The Legacy of Sokdokpa and the Material Links of Political Authority | 379 |
| | | Introduction | 379 |
| | | The Legacy of Sokdokpa and His Milieu in the Writings of the Fifth Dalai Lama | 384 |
| | | The Legacy of Sokdokpa and His Milieu Among Tibet's Old School Lineages | 408 |
| | | The Legacy of Sokdokpa and His Milieu in the "Hidden Land" of Sikkim | 415 |
| | | Vase Water That Liberates upon Tasting | 418 |
| | | The Black King Kang Yamantaka Effigy Burial Rite | 422 |
| | | Contemporary Sikkimese Scholarship | 425 |
| | | Final Reflections | 428 |
| | | Final Considerations | 431 |
| | | Appendix | 443 |
| | | Bibliography | 464 |
| | | Index | 494 |
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