SSIUK LECTURE: “Rangjung Dorje, the third Karmapa, his life, times and writing” with Dr. Ruth Gamble

Rangjung Dorje, the third Karmapa, his life, times and writing.

with Dr. Ruth Gamble

ONLINE VIA ZOOM : Saturday March 18th at 10.30 am UK TIME

ABOUT THE LECTURE

Known for his mastery of teachings across sectarian lines, his treatises on medicine and astrology, and his work as spiritual advisor to the last Yuan emperor of China, Rangjung Dorje (1284-1339) is considered one of the most important and influential figures in Tibetan Buddhist history. First recognized as a tulku, or reincarnated Buddhist master, at the age of five, Rangjung Dorje became the Karma Kagyu lineage holder and instituted the reincarnation-based inheritance structure within Tibetan Buddhism that led to the formation of important lineages of tulkus such as the Dalai Lamas.

In this talk, Ruth will trace his life story, contextualise it historically and outline some of his more famous writings. 

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Dr Ruth Gamble is a Senior Lecturer in History at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. She is a historian of Tibet and the Himalaya, with a particular interest in this region’s rapidly changing environment. Her publications include Reincarnation in Tibetan Buddhism: the Third Karmapa and the Invention of a Tradition (OUP, 2018), Master of Mahamudra (Shambhala 2020), and she is currently writing a history of the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) River. She has also published articles on the region’s ecological politics, literature, and histories. Dr Gamble was a post-doctorate fellow at Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich, and a fellow at Yale University’s School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Before coming to La Trobe University, she taught Tibetan language studies and Asian Religions at the Australian National University. She was recently awarded an Australian Research Council DECRA Fellowship.