High Religion: A Cultural and Political History of Sherpa Buddhism

274 Pages·1989·20.431 MB·English

by  Sherry B. Ortner

HIGH RELIGION
PRINCE ION STUDIES IN
CL'LI I'RE/POWER/HIS 1ORY
HIGH RELIGION
A Cultural and Political History
of Sherpa Buddhism
SHERRY B. ORTNER
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY
Copyright © 1989 by Princeton University Press
Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street,
Princeton, New Jersey 08540
In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press,
Chichester, West Sussex
All Rights Reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ortner, Sherry B., 1941 -
High religion : a cultural and political history of Sherpa
Buddhism / Sherry B. Ortner.
p. cm.—(Princeton Studies in culture/power/history)
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-691-09439-X—ISBN 0-691-02843-5
1. Sherpas—Religion. 2. Buddhism—Nepal. 3. Sherpas.
I. Title. II. Series.
BL2034.5.S53078 1989
294.3'923'095496—dcl9 89-30337
CIP
This book has been composed in Linotron Baskerville
Princeton University Press books are printed on acid-free paper
and meet the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on
Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources
Printed in the United States of America
5 7 9 10 8 6 4
•-
In memory of Nyima Chotar
(1927-1982)
Nyima Chotar is getting competitive about this project. [He
asked rhetorically] Did [a certain anthropologist] photo-
graph a particular set of documents as we did? No. Did [an-
other anthropologist] interview [a certain very knowledge-
able informant] at length as we did? No. He is now
referring to "our book" and saying it's going to be good.
—from the field notes, 1979

Contents
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xi
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xiii
NOTE ON ORTHOGRAPHY xvii
DRAMATIS PERSONAE xix
CHRONOLOGY OF SHERPA HISTORY xxiii
CHAPTER I
Introduction: The Project, the People, and the Problem 3
Who Are The Sherpas? 4
Fieldwork 7
Expanding Practice Theory 11
CHAPTER II
The Early History of the Sherpas: Fraternal Contradictions lg
Time Frame 21
The Sources 21
Migration, Settlement, and Subsistence 26
Family and Inheritance 30
EGALITARIANISM AND HIERARCHY: THE CORE
CONTRADICTION 33
INHERITANCE, ECONOMY, AND INEQUALITY 36
Leadership and Power 38
Religion before the Temples 42
CHAPTER III
The Founding of the First Sherpa Temple: Political
Contradictions 45
Time Frame 47
The Novelty of Noncelibate Temples 47
The Stories of the First Founding 4g
The Political Rivalry with Zongnamba 53
Contradictions of the Political Order 55
CHAPTER IV
The Meaning of Temple Founding: Cultural Schemas 59
Cultural Schemas 60
The Founding ofZhung Temple 62
The Schema 67
viii Contents
RITUALS FOR GAINING THE PROTECTION OF THE GODS 7 1
"GROUNDING" THE SCHEMA 74
Merit and Power 76
CHAPTER V
The Sherpas and the State 82
Time Frame 84
The Period before the Temples (1533—1J20) 84
The Further Evil Ways of Zongnamba 85
The Gorkha Conquest and Long-Term State Interference go
THE ENRICHMENT OF THE BIG PEOPLE gi
THE FOUNDING OF KHUMJUNG TEMPLE g2
CONTROLLING THE BIG PEOPLE g4
CHAPTER VI
The Political Economy of Monastery Foundings gg
Time Frame 100
Getting Rich with the Raj and the Ranas 101
THE EFFECTS OF THE BRITISH IN DARJEELING IN THE
SECOND HALF OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 1O1
TRADE AND PROFIT: THE FURTHER ENRICHMENT OF THE BIG
PEOPLE IO5
The Continuing Contradictory Impact of the Nepal State log
THE STATE AS A SOURCE OF WEALTH 1 1O
MORE PEMBU CONFLICT 1 1 1
Further Political Erosion 117
CHAPTER VII
The Big People Found the Monasteries: Legitimation
and Self-Worth 124
Actors and Schemas 126
The Founding of Tengboche, igi6 I2g
KARMA AS HERO 12g
THE LAMAS AND THE SCHEMA 1 30
igi6-igig 134
BUILDING TENGBOCHE:
The Founding of Chiwong, 1923 138
BUILDING CHIWONG (ig23-ig2g) 138
SANGYEASHERO 140
Legitimation from the Big Point of View: Prestige and Merit 143
CHAPTER VIII
The Small People 150
Who Are The Small People'? 153
THE SHERPAS IN THE I.ARGER ECONOMIC CONTEXT OF NEPAL 153
THE GENESIS OF SMALLNESS 155
MIGRATIONS 156