In this lively and visually engaging work on Western conceptions of Tibet, anthropologist Martin Brauen paints a vivid portrait of misinterpretation, trivialization, and political and commercial exploitation of a rich and ancient culture. Starting with romantic notions of 17th-century adventurers in search of a Himalayan Utopia, Brauen discusses misconceptions both amusing and disturbing, such as the distortions of 20th-century neo-Nazis. The author also details the cynical exploitation of Tibetan Buddhism—a fundamental objective of which is the elimination of human greed—to further Western commercial aims.
Nor does Brauen absolve Tibetans themselves in the use of the more benign, even flattering, of these distorted images, as they strive to draw the world's attention to their own politically and socially tenuous situation. Here the author lists the traditionally tolerant nature of Buddhist beliefs, the tendency of Tibetans to submit without question to authority figures, and some inherent naiveté as contributing factors. The book concludes with a caution on the dangers that these misconceptions pose to a mature presentation of the great value that Tibetan culture holds for the world.
The illustrations are a fascinating and diverse collection drawn from movies, comic books, and popular literature. Illustrations of the commercial packaging of Tibet, its spiritual icons and religious leaders, are vivid and at times even shocking, as they portray the promotion of products ranging from cars to cosmetics, T-shirts, ash trays, and even soft pornography. In a world in which the elimination of cultural misunderstanding may be the key to ending human strife, Dreamworld Tibet offers a thoughtful and timely contribution.
Author(s): Martin Brauen; Renate Koller; Markus Vock
Publisher: Orchid Press
Year: 2004
Language: English
Commentary: scantailor+ocr+toc
Pages: 298
City: Bangkok
Tags: tibet;ethnocentrism;colonialism;trivialization;ethno-romanticism;esotericism;nazis;popular culture
Dreamworld Tibet Western Illusions
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Introduction
Part 1. In Search of Utopia? The Tibet images of missionaries, travellers, scholars and colonial officers
First myths
White-headed Lama Ippolito
The strange other
Comparisons and contradictions
The search for the source
Solitude and gold
Forbidden land of mysteries: antithesis of the West
Part 2. In Search of ‘Shambha-la’ and the Aryan Lamas The Tibet images of the Theosophists, occultists, Nazis and neo-Nazis
A. The Theosophists and some of their followers
An Aryan brotherhood
The (fictitious) Tibet journeys of Helena Blavatsky
The mysterious letters
Fascination with Tibet
Alice Bailey and ‘the Tibetan’
The Theosophists’ image of Tibet
Roots of racism
Nicholas Roerich: dualistic Tibet
Was Jesus in Tibet?
Georgei Ivanovitch Gurdjieff and the ‘seven Tibetan beings’
Karl Haushofer: intermediary between Tibetan ‘Yellow-caps’ and Nazis?
Trebitsch-Lincoln, Hitler and the three wise Tibetans
B. The neo-Nazis and Tibet
What has Hitler to do with Tibet?
The lama with green gloves
Tibet-occultism and the Thule Society
The beginnings of the Agarthi myth
The Shambhala and Agarthi myths of the neo-Nazis
Sources of the neo-Nazi caricature of Tibet
Arbitrary concoction of history
C. The real “Tibet-connection’ of the Nazis
Himmler’s interest in Tibet and the ‘Ahnenerbe’
Ernst Schäfer and his SS men
Threatening Tibet
D. Negative assessments of Tibet
Possible borrowings from critical philosophy
Against the ‘Red-caps’: Gustav Meyrink
The Dalai Lama as ‘Antibuddha’
Demythologizing or new myths?
Part 3. In Search of ‘Shangri-La’ and the White Lamas The image of Tibet in literature, comics and films
A. Literature
Where all is guided in wisdom, while the storm rages without
The third eye
The ‘Lobsang Rampa’ story
Rampa’s Tibet image
Critique of Rampa
Sex-obsessed female incarnations
Where extraterrestrials, apes and demons begot humans
Secret knowledge
Instant practices for attaining the fountain of youth: the Five Tibetans
B. Comics
Tibet in comic books
Lamas, monks and tulkus ...
... Shangri-la and yetis ...
... Nazis, Agartha, theosophists and Rampa
Remember ...
C. Films
First documentary films
Early feature films referring to Tibet
Magical religious objects, reincarnations and superhuman powers
The surreal deconstruction of search for meaning
Tibet as a store of miraculous herbal essences
Twin Peaks: the Tibetan method
Part 4. In Search of ‘Dharma-la’ and the Tibetan Lamas: The image of Tibet in feature films of the 90s, advertising and commerce
A. Films
The Tibetan ‘Brothers’ are discovered
The jet set goes (Tibet) mad
B. Advertising
Tibetan monks as regular guys in advertising
Fountain of youth and levitation
The fraternization of modern technology with traditional religion
Rein-Car-nation
Advertising icons
C. Commerce
The commercialization and trivialization of Tibet
Legitimization through history ...
... and exemplars
Misused ritual objects
Part 5. The Foundations of the Dream
A. Introduction
B. The individual periods: From Utopia via ‘Shambha-la’ and ‘Shangri-La’ to ‘Dharma-la’
C. Solving the puzzle of Tibet: the place, the characteristics, the gurus, their knowledge and their mission
The place
The characteristics
The Tibet of secret wisdom
The Tibet of peace
Tibet the fountain of youth
Tibet as a power place
Tibet as a retreat area
The (almost) asexual Tibet
The loathsome, macabre Tibet
The gurus
Tibetan knowledge
The mission: the new man
The search for the foundations of the Tibetan dreamworld
The satisfaction of deep-seated needs
The ladder of nature
The fascination of David in the mountains
Tibetan models as a kernel of truth
The cunning methods of creators of the Tibet dream, or: The axiom of the irrefutability of the absurd
The encouragement of the Tibet myths by those concerned
Beginnings of criticism and the lack of heed to it
E. Postscript
Notes
List of the literature, comics and films used
Sources of illustrations
Index
