Exploring the Expansion of Philosophical Colleges within and beyond Central Tibet

CGIS-South 050
1730 Cambridge St.
Cambridge
Fri., Oct. 30, 2026, 1:15 – 2:45 p.m.



Examining the historical development of philosophical monastic colleges as they spread the study of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy within and beyond Central Tibet. I will consider the nested networks of local mother and son/branch monasteries and the relations between monasteries (most often expressed through founding lamas and shared textbooks/teaching approaches, and residential houses). While a few monastic colleges in Central Tibet or Amdo have been explored in previous research, these philosophical colleges are vastly understudied institutions. There were over 430 philosophical colleges in Tibetan regions, many in Mongol regions and a few in Manchu-ruled Chinese regions (in Beijing and Chengde). Understanding the nature, development, and impact of these institutions is critical to thinking through the way that Tibetan Buddhist philosophical learning shaped a shared sense of Tibetan culture, while also extending the reach of this culture far beyond the Tibetan Plateau.

Gazette Classification: Lecture
Organization/Sponsor: Committee on Inner Asian and Altaic Studies, Harvard University
Speaker(s): Gray Tuttle, Leila Hadley Luce Professor of Modern Tibetan Studies, Columbia University
Contact Info: [email protected]
Harvard Key Required: No
More info: iaas.fas.harvard.edu…