Summary
Summary
Dr. Nina Petek from the Department of Philosophy at the Faculty of Arts presented her research on hermitic Buddhism in the remote Himalayan regions of Ladakh — the only part of India where Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayāna) has been preserved. In the monasteries, it is practiced by monks, and their practices are relatively well known. Much more mysterious, however, are the hermits who live in caves, outside institutions, rules, and politics. They withdraw from ordinary life and devote themselves fully and deeply to Buddhist meditation practices. Because hermits resist various influences of globalization more effectively than monasteries, they form a crucial foundation for preserving the original core of Tibetan Buddhism.
The tradition of hermitic Buddhism, which has been continuously maintained in this part of the Himalayas since the 11th century, remains poorly researched. That is why Nina and her colleagues traveled to India to search for hermits in the midst of the region’s remote, steep mountains. It turns out that they are not so difficult to find—and are often open to conversation.
Nina’s team aims to explore the role of the hermitic tradition in the broader history of Buddhism and its future. They are documenting the cultural and spiritual heritage of the hermits: recording the locations and wall paintings of hermit dwellings, which are rapidly deteriorating due to weather, as well as meditation practices and teachings that are mostly passed on orally from teacher to student.
In addition to working with hermits, their ethnographic fieldwork includes conversations with monks and nuns, local residents, and local experts. They supplement their field experiences with the study of chronicles and other historical sources.
Website of their project: https://bhp-web.onrender.com/