ALEXANDRA DAVID-NEEL'S INFLUENCE IN DEVELOPING THE FIELD OF BUDDHIST STUDIES ...

343 Pages·2014·15.42 MB·English

by  Carol Abrahamson

ABSTRACT
OUTSIDE UNIVERSITY WALLS: ALEXANDRA DAVID-NEEL’S INFLUENCE
IN DEVELOPING THE FIELD OF BUDDHIST STUDIES
Mary Michele, Ed.D.
Department of Counseling, Adult and Higher Education
Northern Illinois University, 2014
Amy D. Rose, Co-Director
Jorge Jeria, Co-Director
Alexandra David-Neel (1868-1969) was a Frenchwoman who is known primarily as
an adventurer, explorer, and travel writer because she walked across the Himalayan Mountains
into the city of Lhasa in 1924 when foreigners were prohibited from entering Tibet. She
returned to Europe to write about her experiences in two famous books: My Journey to Lhasa
(1993) and Magic and Mystery in Tibet (1971).
David-Neel wrote twenty more books about mystical, philosophical, sociological,
political, and historical themes (published on five continents) that reflect discourses that
changed over time within different cultures. The discourses about Orientalism and colonialism
along with feminist and gender studies intersect in the discussion about the historical context in
which David-Neel lived, the cultural milieus of Western Europe and Asia where she wrote her
books, and the reception of her books by the public. One must read a combination of travel
books and autobiographical narratives in order to understand David-Neel as a person, the
influence of her writings on the general population, and the difficulty in categorizing those
writings.
The thesis of this dissertation is that David-Neel should be recognized as an educator
who occupied a position as an independent writer outside university walls at the beginning
of the field of Buddhist studies. She was a bridge between academic and popular education
through her lectures, articles, and books about comparative religion in Asian cultures. She
stimulated the interest and curiosity of the Western public in spiritual ways of knowing, in
Buddhism as a viable way of life, in Tibet as a country, and in Tibetans as a unique ethnic
group. The Fourteenth Dalai Lama credited David-Neel with “preserving” the Tibetan culture
as it existed before the Chinese invasion through photographs and descriptions of the Tibetan
people based upon her own experiences.
The five chapters in this dissertation discuss David-Neel’s life (early influences,
educational background, obstacles and turning points that prompted her decisions), her works
as a travel writer, her analysis of European and Asian cultures, her influence on the field of
Buddhist and Tibetan studies, her innovative educational practices, and directions for future
research.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
DEKALB, ILLINOIS

DECEMBER 2014

OUTSIDE UNIVERSITY WALLS: ALEXANDRA DAVID-NEEL’S INFLUENCE
IN DEVELOPING THE FIELD OF BUDDHIST STUDIES

BY
MARY MICHELE
© 2014 Mary Michele

A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE DEGREE
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

DEPARTMENT OF COUNSELING, ADULT AND HIGHER EDUCATION

Doctoral Co-Directors:
Amy D. Rose
Jorge Jeria
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author wishes to express sincere appreciation to Professors Amy D. Rose,
Jorge Jeria, Catherine Raymond, and editor Carol Abrahamson for their assistance in the
preparation of this manuscript. Thanks are due to Marie-Madeleine Peyronnet and Frank
Tréguier of the Alexandra David-Néel Foundation in Digne, France for granting the use
of the photographs and a map.
I also thank Professor Richard A. Orem who stimulated my interest in culture
through his classes at Northern Illinois University and the friends and colleagues who
encouraged me throughout the years.
DEDICATION

To the memory of my former professors at Northern Illinois University:

Sherman M. Stanage, Phyllis M. Cunningham, and Robert M. Smith
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
LIST OF APPENDICES………………...…………………………………………..….…… vii
PREFACE………...………………………………………...………………………..….…… viii
Chapter

1. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: ALEXANDRA DAVID-NEEL………………………….. 1

Introduction and Purpose of the Chapter ……………………………………………. 1

Heritage and Formative Years: 1869-1886…………………………......…….……... 2

Young Adulthood: 1886-1893………………………………………….……………. 12

Adulthood: 1893-1911………………………………………………………....…….. 29

Travels and Returns: 1911-1945…………………………………………………...... 40

Yongden: David-Neel’s Travel Companion …………………………………............ 53

Return to Asia: 1937-1946……………………………….…………….………....…. 57

Second Return to Europe: 1946……………………………….……………..…....…. 62

David-Neel’s Legacy ……………………………….……………………….…....…. 64

Summary……………………………….…………….…………………………....…. 65

2. ALEXANDRA DAVID-NEEL: TRAVEL WRITER……………………...……...……… 71

Introduction and Purpose of the Chapter...................................................................... 71

Travel Writing as a Genre…….…………….…………………………………....….. 72

Alexandra David-Neel as a Travel Writer……………………..………….….……... 84
v

Chapter Page

Travel Narratives as Autobiographical Accounts………………...……....…..…….... 91

Travel Narratives Combined with Autobiographical Accounts …………….………. 91
David-Neel’s Competency as a Travel Writer ………….……………………....…. 109
Summary………….………………………….………………………...……...……. 114
3. DAVID-NEEL’S PERCEPTION OF TIBETAN CULTURE ………………….....…… 117

Introduction and Purpose of the Chapter..…………………………………...……... 117

The Importance of Culture………………………………………………….....….... 117

David-Neel’s Interpretation of Culture ………………………………....……..…... 118

An Early Ethnographer………………...……....………………………..…..…….... 122

Shifts in Cultural Perspectives …………….……………………………..……...…. 127

Literary Works about Tibetan Culture …………….……………………..…..……. 137
Lessons about the Tibetan Culture ………….……………………………....…..…. 143
The Question of Tibet……………..…...……....………………………..…..…….... 147
Summary………….………………………….………………………...……...……. 150
4. AT THE THRESHOLD OF B!N AND BUDDHIST STUDIES ……………….....….. 155

Introduction and Purpose of the Chapter..……………………………………...…... 155

David-Neel’s Place in the Field of Buddhist Studies …………………………........ 156

Entering the Stream of Buddhist Studies……………………………………....…… 157

A So-Called Insider in the Buddhist Faith………………………………..……...… 170

A Cultural Hybrid’s Description of Tibetan Buddhism…………………...……….. 174

A Reawakened Interest in the B"n Religion ……………………………..……....... 176
vi

Chapter Page

Personal Encounters with the B"npos …………………………………..…………. 184

David-Neel’s Appeal to the Audience ……..……………………………………….. 194

Summary………….………………………….………………………...……………. 195
5. CONCLUSIONS AND DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH……………...….... 199

Introduction and Purpose of the Chapter..…………………………………………... 199

Discussion….…………………………..……………………..……..………….…… 200

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………... 228

Directions for Future Research…………………………….………………………... 229

BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………...……………………..…….……. 232

APPENDICES…………………………………………………………………...…….……. 252
LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix Page
A. PHOTOGRAPHS OF ALEXANDRA DAVID-NEEL AND LAMA
YONGDEN…………………………………..……………………...……………….…. 253

B. MAP OF THE KHAM REGION IN TIBET……………………………….…………… 259
C. DOCUMENTS IN THE LIFE OF SRI AUROBINDO—VISITORS IN PONDICHERRY
1911-1912: ALEXANDRA DAVID-NEEL……………………………………….…… 261

D. POLITICAL AND SECRET ANNUAL FILES—INDIA OFFICE RECORDS: SIR
GEORGE PEREIRA …………………………………………………………….…….. 266

E. POLITICAL AND SECRET ANNUAL FILES—INDIA OFFICE RECORDS:
ALEXANDRA DAVID-NEEL ………………………...………………………………. 280
PREFACE

This introduction highlights David-Neel’s role as a travel writer and the impact that her
writing had on the formation of the Western public’s perception of Tibet and its people. Public
perception, in turn, affected the way that pioneers in the field of Tibetan studies approached
their subject. David-Neel was a very influential travel writer. Specialists wrote about Tibet and
the Tibetan culture from the perspective of their own field for select audiences while David-
Neel wrote for a broad audience. She brought her perceptions of the Tibetan culture into the
intellectual commons through lectures, articles, and books. Her two most popular books, My
Journey to Lhasa (1993) and Magic and Mystery in Tibet (1971), were written before the
Chinese invasion of Tibet when the West was very interested in the Oriental way of life,
especially in the spiritual and the occult. David-Neel continued to write articles and books
about life in China and China’s relationship with Tibet before and after the invasion. For
example, David-Neel wrote an article titled “La question du Thibet” for Mercure de France in
1920 and gave a radio interview in Chengtu on the same topic in 1938. 1 One of her books,

1 Alexandra David-Neel, “La question du Thibet,” Mercure de France 140 (May-June 1920): 366-75.
1999), 1122-27.