First International Conference on the Northern Treasures: History, Doctrines and Rituals
The project For a Critical History of the Northern Treasures (FCHNT) is a four-year (2022-2026) research project funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR) to document the history of the Northern Treasures (Byang gter), a branch of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism founded by Rigdzin Gödem (1337-1408/9).
It is organizing its first international conference from October 17-19, 2024.
Organizers: Stéphane Arguillère & Cécile Ducher (IFRAE), Jean-Luc Achard & Tenpa Tsering Batsang (CRCAO), Jay Valentine (Troy University).
To register, please contact this adress.
Thursday 17 October, 2024
9h00: Welcoming of participants
9h15: Welcome Address by Stéphane Arguillère and Jay Valentine
History: Early Days of the Northern Treasures
9h30: Stéphane Arguillère, What Rig ’dzin rGod ldem's revelations tell us about his personality and life
10h15: Roberto Vitali, Rig ’dzin rGod ldem, La stod Byang and the historical context in which he operated
11h00: Tea/Coffee Break
11h15: Jay Valentine, The Visionary Dreams of Rigdzin Gödem
12h00: Tenpa Tsering, Gödem’s Final Years and the Place of his Death
12:45-14:00: Lunch break
14h00: Cécile Ducher, Gödem’s Exploration of Hidden Lands
14h45: Tulku Ngawang Tenzin Bhutia, Exploring the Legacy of Rigdzin Gödemchen in Sikkim: His Impact on Sikkim's Sacred Landscape
15:30: Tea Break
History: Expanding the Tradition
15h45: Tsewang Topla, ང་བདག་བ་ཤིས་ོབས་ས་ི་མཛད་མ་ད་འཚལ་དང་དད་ཞིབ།
16h30: Zsóka Gelle, Prophecies, legends, and histories concerning the life of the great treasure master, Ngachang Shākya Zangpo
17h15: Charles Taylor, Sprul sku Sgam smyon Phyag rdor nor bu: Insights from the Recently Released Byang gter bla brgyud kyi rnam thar bsam ’phel ma Ni ka’i ’phreng ba and the Biography Penned by the Third Yol mo Sprul sku
18h00: Concluding the Day
Friday 18 October, 2024
History: Golden Age of the Northern Treasures
09h00: Alexandra Sukhanova, Zur chen chos dbyings rang grol’s role in the transmission of Byang gter
09h45: Drölma Chökyi Jusal, The Fifth Dalai Lama and Northern Treasures
10h30: Borjigin Giitch, Prince Yunli and the Mongolian Translation of Northern Treasures
11:15: Tea/Coffee Break
History: Contemporary Northern Treasures
11h30: Dylan Esler, A sketch of the life of Baḥ gnas sprul sku Thub bstan mdo sngags bshad sgrub rgyal mtshan (1888–1964)
12:15: Varvara Chatzisavva, The present and future of the Khordong Monastery in Drango, Kham, Tibet and in Siliguri, West Bengal, India.
13:00-14:00: Lunch break
Doctrines & Rituals
14h00: Keynote Lecture: Khenpo Ju Tenkyong, The bKa’ brgyad in the Byang gter Tradition
14h45: Amanda Brown, The Ultimate Repelling Yamāntaka Practice: A Shared Ritual Repertoire Among the Rnying ma Byang gter and the ʼBri gung Bkaʼ brgyud Traditions
15h30: Katia Buffetrille, The Jangter Visual Heritage in Nepal and Tibet
16h00: Tea break
16h15: Kanako Shinga, From Ordinary Mortals to Lofty Parinirvāṇa: A Study of the Tshe sgrub bKa' brgyad, A Longevity Practice Revealed by Rig-'dzin rGod-ldem-can
17h00: Yuewei Wang, The Multiple Identities of gNyan chen Thang lha in Byang gter
17h45: Round Table and conclusion of the day
Saturday 19 October (Morning)
Remote presentations - online
09h00: Heather Stoddard, Who was Gedun Chopel’s prophetic links to the Northern Treasure Tradition of Dorjedrak?
09h30: Katarina Turpeinen, Philosophical contemplations in Rig 'dzin rGod ldem's Great Perfection anthology
10h00: Jean-Luc Achard, The dGongs pa zang thal within the New Bon Tradition
10h30: Round table with Q&A for remote speakers and participants
11h00: Closing of the Conference
Meeting ID: 817 6673 4285
Passcode: jangter