Launch of Rory Lindsay's "Saving the Dead"

To mark the publication of Saving the Dead: Tibetan Funerary Rituals in the Tradition of the Sarvadurgatipariśodhana Tantra (Vienna Series for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies, 2024).

With remarks by James Gentry (Stanford University) and Julia Hirsch (Stanford University).

The book explores Tibetan funerary manuals based on the Sarvadurgatipariśodhana Tantra (SDP), focusing on the writings of the Sa skya author Rje btsun Grags pa rgyal mtshan (1147–1216) and the diverse forms of agency—human, nonhuman, and material—articulated in his texts. It also examines key points of contention including methodologies for site preparation in funeral rites, visualization practices involving objects representing the deceased, and the relationship between tantric narrative and ritual enactment.

Rory Lindsay is assistant professor in the Department for the Study of Religion and research editor at 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.