W. BLYTHE MILLER 3 Milarepa (mid la ras pa, 1052-1135) accepted a name indicative of these garments. The second part of his name ras pa means "the cotton-clad one". 4 Ascetics of this type are reffered to in Kagyu literature as ras pa...
moreW. BLYTHE MILLER 3 Milarepa (mid la ras pa, 1052-1135) accepted a name indicative of these garments. The second part of his name ras pa means "the cotton-clad one". 4 Ascetics of this type are reffered to in Kagyu literature as ras pa (pronounced "repa"), and their lifestyle and practices are outlined in texts belonging of the ras rgyud, "the lineage of repas" initiated by Milarepa and his disciple Rechungpa (ras chung pa, 1082-1161), but probably formalized by Rechungpa's disciple Zhang Lotsawa (zhang lo tsa ba, 1123-1193). 5 The periodization of the Tibetan Renaissance used by some scholars including Deborah Klimburg-Salter, David Germano, and historian Ronald Davidson, is 950-1238. In support for applying the term "renaissance" to this exhuberant and fecund moment of Tibetan history, Ronald Davidson forwards a model from systems analysis called "punctuated equilibrium". In a renaissance, "civilization can appear to compress phenomenal development into an incredibly short span of time-a veritable burst of sociopolitical, economic, artistic, intellectual, literary, and spiritual activity." For a more complete discussion of the term "renaissance" in this context see Ronald M. Davidson, Tibetan Renaissance: Tantric Buddhism in the rebirth of Tibetan culture (New York: Columbia University Press, 2005), p. 20-21.This period is marked on one end by the approximate beginning of the establishment of the order of Western Vinaya monks (950) and on the other end by the beginning of the Mongol invasions (1238). 6 It would be inaccurate to suggest that these tensions are by any means limited to the Kagyu, the Tibetan or even the Buddhist mileau. As pointed out by Patrick Olivelle, the tension between ideals of asceticism and domestication in India is at least as old as the Upanishadic culture of 600 BCE. See Patrick Olivelle, "Ascetic Withdrawal or Social Engagement" in Religions of Asia in Practice, ed. Donald S. Lopez (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2002), pp. 122-135. Rather, I would suggest that unique styles of expression of this tension emerge from various lineages and traditions. Furthermore, I would propose that (1) patterns of resolution and non-resolution of these tensions are highly variable and (2) the intensity of these tensions is variable.
