Retracing Tantric Buddhism’s links to Angkor

Interested in learning more about Tantric Buddhism? A seminar this Thursday at the National Museum is a rare opportunity to hear from an expert.

‘‘Tantric Buddhism and its political use during the last period of the Angkorian empire’’ is the topic of a lecture by Jean-Pierre GastonAubert.

His talk is sub-titled: ‘‘Vajrayana Buddhism: From the Salvation of the Monk to the Protection of the Kings; A Case Study: Jayavarman VII’s Reign.’’

Vajrayana, or Tantric Buddhism, with its plethora of deities — sometimes gruesome or erotic in their appearance and secret and outrageous rituals, was considered a ‘‘degenerated form’’ of Sakyamuni’s way to salvation during the first half of the 20th century.

By contrast, for the past 50 years, Westerners have been fascinated by the elaborated symbolism and sharp psychological analysis of Vajrayana.

This has resulted in it becoming one the most popular forms of Buddhism in the West.

However, an aspect that is less known by the Western general public is Vajrayana’s historical implication with the power of the state and worldly rulers throughout Asian history. Its formation in a religious environment simmering with heterogeneous and sometimes obnoxious beliefs, and its association with royal sponsors in need of magic rituals for state protection, resulted in a new conceptual and visual vocabulary.

Gaston-Aubert is an independent researcher in Asian studies.

He has an MA in archaeology, graduated in Chinese and Japanese languages and cultures from the Ecole Nationale des Langues et Civilisations Orientales and is a PhD candidate at the University of ParisSorbonne.

He studied Thai history and ancient literature at Thammasat University and earned a master’s degree in historical archaeology and palaeography at Silpakorn University. In the first part of his lecture he will try to redefine the specificities of Tantric Buddhism and retrace its origins and historical development. The second part of his talk will examine a specific case study, the reign of King Jayavarman VII, the last great ruler of the kingdom of Angkor, who adopted some deities and rituals of Vajrayana within his official Mahayana Buddhism.

The lecture will be delivered this Thursday, between 10am and noon, in the auditorium at the National Museum Bangkok.

Admission for members of the National Museum Volunteers is 100 baht, while the fee for guests is 200 baht.

For more information, email NMVmonthlyprogram@gmail.com.