Tibetský buddhismus a západní imaginace : slavnost Kálačakry ve Štýrském Hradci

The popularity of Eastern religious traditions in the West has increased since the era of Romanticism, however Tibetan Buddhism occupies an extraordinary place among them. Tibet has been associated with the hidden land of Shangri-la and its religion became a frequent subject of Western imagination or fantasies. Since the second half of the 20th century Westerners have had the opportunity to encounter Tibetan Buddhism in exile. Military occupation of Tibet by Chinese troops in the 1950's has forced hundreds thousands of Tibetans, spiritual teachers and lamas among them, to leave their homeland. They found their refuge in Western countries where they set up centers and schools of Tibetan Buddhism and started to spread their teachings in the West. -- However, Tibetan Buddhism in exile encountered its own virtual double, the product of Western imagination or fantasies which have a long tradition. Western imagination created a rich gallery of images and ideas about Tibet. Products of Western imagination concerning Tibet has become a subject of scientific study in the last several years. Edward Said's concept of Orientalism has been applied in a slightly modified way in the field of Tibetan studies by scholars Donald Lopez, Peter Bishop, Orville Shell and Martin Brauen. ...