Buddhists, Catholics, and Communists in a Tibetan Village

Professor Chen Bo  陳波教授
Tibetan Studies, Sichuan University

At the beginning of the 18th century, the Gelupa sect of Tibetan Buddhism built its monastery in Yerkalo, Markham Dzong in the Southeastern part of today’s Tibetan Autonomous Region.   In 1865, Auguste Desgodins (1826-1913), a French Catholic missionary, built the first Catholic Church in the same village.  In 1951, the central government of the New China in Beijing established its working station in this district.  These three agencies have been impacting the villager’s lives ever since, and in equal measure, village traditions have also been influencing them.  This talk will explore their complicated interactions.

Co-Sponsored by the Buddhist Studies Center