The Holy Madmen of Tibet (Paperback) | Released: 06 Jul 2015

Throughout the past millennium, certain Tibetan Buddhist yogins have taken on profoundly norm-overturning modes of dress and behavior, including draping themselves in human remains, consuming filth, provoking others to violence, and even performing sacrilege. They became known far and wide as "madmen" (smyon pa, pronounced nyönpa), achieving a degree of saintliness in the process. This book offers the first comprehensive study of Tibet's "holy madmen" drawing on their biographies and writings, as well as tantric commentaries, later histories, oral traditions, and more.

Much of The Holy Madmen of Tibet is dedicated to examining the lives and legacies of the three most famous "holy madmen" who were all of the Kagyü sect: the Madman of Tsang (author of The Life of Milarepa), the Madman of Ü, and Drukpa Künlé, Madman of the Drukpa Kagyü. Each born in the 1450s, they rose to prominence during a period of civil war and of great shifts in Tibet's religious culture.

By focusing on literature written by and about the "holy madmen" and on the yogins' relationships with their public, this book offers in-depth looks at the narrative and social processes out of which sainthood arises, and at the role biographical literature can play in the formation of sectarian identities. By showing how understandings of the "madmen" have changed over time, this study allows for new insights into current notions of "crazy wisdom." In the end, the "holy madmen" are seen as self-aware and purposeful individuals who were anything but insane.

About the Author:
David M. DiValerio is Assistant Professor of History and Religious Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.


Table of Contents:
List of Maps and Figures; Acknowledgments; Technical Note; Introduction ; Chapter 1: The Lives of the Madmen of U and Tsang ; History and Hagiography; The Life of the Madman of U (1458-1532); The Life of the Madman of Tsang (1452-1507); Chapter 2: Of Scripture and Bone: The Tantric Discipline of the Madmen of U and Tsang ; The Practice of the Observance; The Secret Practice, the Insane Observance; You, the Hero, Glorious Heruka Himself...; Tantric Literalism; Conclusion; Chapter 3: Sainthood in the Making: The Madmen of U and Tsang in Public ; The Drum Sound of Their Fame; The Repertoire of Siddha Behavior; Performing Enlightenment; To Spread and Increase the Teachings of the Kagyu; Tantric Literalism in Context: Competing Models of Buddhist Holiness; Conclusion; Intermezzo: The Relationship between the Madmen of U and Tsang ; Chapter 4: Civil War, Strategic Alliances: The Madmen of U and Tsang in Fifteenth- and Sixteenth-Century Tibet; The Pakmodru-Geluk Partnership; The Rinpungpa Revolt; Priestly Alliances and Sectarian Aggression under the Rinpungpas; Sakya, Kagyu and Rinpungpa Affairs; A Mutual Understanding: The Patrons of the Madmen of U and Tsang; Conclusion; Chapter 5: Making History: The Later Projects of the Madmen of U and Tsang; The Projects of the Madman of U and His Disciples; The Literary School of the Madman of Tsang; Writing and Printing the Life of Milarepa; Milarepa the Madman, the Madman as Milarepa; Putting the Aural Transmission to Paper; Renovating the Swayambhunath Stupa; Conclusion; Chapter 6: Who Was Drukpa Kunle? ; Popular Depictions of Drukpa Kunle; Drukpa Kunle's Miscellaneous Writings; The Trajectory of Drukpa Kunle's Life; Drukpa Kunle's Position in Politics; Drukpa Kunle the Critic; Drukpa Kunle and the Holy Madmen; The Transformation of Drukpa Kunle; Chapter 7: The Enduring Trope of Holy Madness; Other Madmen and Madwomen; The Broader Rhetoric of Madness; Influencing Deed and Representation within the Madman Tradition; The Allure of Holy Madness; Epilogue; Notes; Tibetan Spellings; Works Cited; Tibetan-language Sources; European-language Sources; Interviews; Index