Books by Cecile Ducher
Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2019
Building a Tradition: the Lives of Mar-pa the Translator
This is the English, revised edition of my 2011 MA thesis, published September 2017 (downloadable... more This is the English, revised edition of my 2011 MA thesis, published September 2017 (downloadable on the LMU website)
Mar-pa Chos-kyi-blo-gros (1000?–1081?) is the founding figure of the Bka’-brgyud-pa school of Tibetan Buddhism, which still occupies today an important place in the Tibetan religious landscape. He was a translator of many tantric instructions and is a pivotal figure in the later transference of Buddhism to Tibet. Being one of the most well-known Tibetans, both in Tibet and abroad, his statue is present in almost every Bka’-brgyud temple, and his life story is frequently given as an edifying example. Yet, a close scrutiny of the literary sources available to approach his life reveals how little we know about him for certain.
This monograph examines the corpus of Mar-pa’s biographies in order to map out the genesis of this literary tradition, in which more than thirty independent texts are now identified. The first part is an introduction to Mar-pa’s life and to the genre of hagiography. In the second and main part, all biographies available are placed in a chronological and logical order, organized according to the metaphor of a house. This architectural image illustrates the way the biographies have been approached, from the earliest to the latest, in order to place the reader at the place of the writer: what could he know when he wrote, and what did he build on? Each significant biography is thus presented individually and in relation with the other works in order to understand what place it occupies in this biographical tradition. The third part is a selection of a few cornerstones in Mar-pa’s biographies: Mar-pa’s songs; verbs indicative of indirect speech that mark the author’s presence in the biography; Mar-pa’s status as a reincarnation; the practice of entering another’s body (grong ’jug); and Mar-pa’s relationships with Naropa and with Gnyos Lo-tsa-ba. In the appendices, the reader will find translations of two of the earliest biographies of Mar-pa, redacted by Ngam-rdzong ston-pa (12th c.) and Rngog Mdo-sde (1078–1154). These two translations provide fascinating alternatives to the well-known biography of Mar-pa composed by Gtsang-smyon He-ru-ka in the early 16th century and mark the beginnings of Mar-pa’s biographical tradition. Thus the book presents a welcome addition to the growing literature on the early Bka’-brgyud-pas and is the first to deal in detail with this major religious figure of the second spread of Buddhism in Tibet.
To download a free ebook: https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/41307/1/Ducher_2017.pdf
To buy the hardcopy: http://www.indus-verlag.de/books-marpa.html
PhD thesis by Cecile Ducher
The rNgog lineage was a religious hereditary lineage that flourished in Tibet from the 11th to th... more The rNgog lineage was a religious hereditary lineage that flourished in Tibet from the 11th to the 15th century and participated in the efflorescence of several tantric transmissions that remain alive in contemporary Tibetan
Buddhism. This dissertation is the history of the rNgog pa bka’ brgyud religious lineage that takes root in 10th-century India, was acculturated in Tibet through the efforts of the translator Mar pa Chos kyi blo gros (1000?-
1081?) and spans the second millennium. It is also the history of the rNgog hereditary lineage, from its mythic origins, to its blossoming in the
12th century and its silent dispersion in the political transformations of 17th-century Central Tibet. Its core is a pair of twenty-five-folio
narratives composed within the rNgog lineage that are at the crossroads of hagiography, genealogy and records of teachings received.
Its framework are two large collections of tantric exegesis and rituals. The first, the Treasury of bKa’ brgyud Mantras, was compiled in the 19th
century in order to safeguard the Mar rngog traditions and facilitate their transmission. The second one, the Compilation of rNgog Cycles, was published ten years ago but contains ancient material composed by the rNgog and their disciples. The aim of this study is to understand the history of these texts and, more broadly, the history of the rNgog and their position in the religious field of Central Tibet until the 17th century. For this, several
approaches are adopted, including source criticism, textual and socio-historical analysis.
Papers by Cecile Ducher
Revue D'Etudes Tibétaines, 2026
This chapter is part of a monograph on the life, times and works of Rigdzin Gödem, volume 2 of th... more This chapter is part of a monograph on the life, times and works of Rigdzin Gödem, volume 2 of the history of the Northern Treasures lineage conducted by the FCHNT. This chapter 8 especially deal with the concept of sbas yul (beyül), "concealed lands", and Rigdzin Gödem's contribution to it. The volume was largely written and edited by Prof. Jay Hold Valentine.
Revue D'Etudes Tibétaines, 2026
Introduction to the Third Special Issue of the RET on the Northern Treasures (Byang gter): presen... more Introduction to the Third Special Issue of the RET on the Northern Treasures (Byang gter): presentation of the 2024 conference and the papers making up this issue of the Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines, edited by Cécile Ducher, Stéphane Arguillère, Jay Valentine and Jean-Luc Achard.
Oxford research Encyclopedia of Religion, 2021
Marpa Lotsawa Chökyi Lodrö (Mar pa chos kyi blo gros, 1000?-1085?) is one of the most famous intr... more Marpa Lotsawa Chökyi Lodrö (Mar pa chos kyi blo gros, 1000?-1085?) is one of the most famous intrepid translators of the 11th century, who traveled from Tibet to India and brought back to his homeland many of the Buddhist teachings that would decline in India over the following centuries. Marpa is the Tibetan founder of the Kagyü school, one of the main religious orders of Tibetan Buddhism. He was the disciple of some of the greatest luminaries of India such as Nāropa (d. 1040) and Maitrīpa (986-1063), and the master of the yogin and poet Milarepa (1028?-1111?). Marpa lived during the period of the second spread of Buddhism in Tibet, a period of cultural renaissance that followed the collapse of the Tibetan Empire in the 9th and 10th centuries. At that time, many Tibetans traveled south to Nepal and India in order to receive, practice, and translate the various Buddhist traditions, sutra and tantra, that were blossoming in India. Marpa specialized in Highest Yoga tantras (Sanskrit niruttaratantras) and transmitted in Tibet cycles associated with the tantras of Hevajra, Guhyasamāja, Cakrasaṃvara, Mahāmāyā, and Catuṣpīṭha. He is well known for the potency of his key instructions related to the perfection phase of these tantras, known as the Six Doctrines of Nāropa (nā ro chos drug). With the success of his disciples' practice, the Six Doctrines of Nāropa and Mahāmudrā became central teachings in all subdivisions of the Kagyü lineage.
The Treasury of Kagyü Mantra a Nineteenthcentury Collection of Marpas Tantric Teachings
This article was written in honor of Matthew Kapstein. It presents one of Kong sprul Blo gros mth... more This article was written in honor of Matthew Kapstein. It presents one of Kong sprul Blo gros mtha' yas's five treasuries, the Treasury of Kagyü Mantras (bKa' brgyud sngags mdzod).
Structuration d’un lignage religieux au Tibet médiéval : le clan Ngok
Réseaux religieux et spirituels : du Moyen Âge à nos jours, 2016
Dans le bouddhisme tantrique, le « lignage » est un réseau diachronique de religieux réunis autou... more Dans le bouddhisme tantrique, le « lignage » est un réseau diachronique de religieux réunis autour d’un transfert de connaissance ou d’autorité, ayant une identité et un nom spécifique. En adoptant une approche historique et ethnographique, cet article examine les facteurs favorisant le développement ou l’extinction d’un lignage religieux, en prenant l’exemple du lignage Ngokpa Kagyü, associé au clan Ngok, qui a joui d’une grande renommée au Tibet du xie au xve siècle
Le lignage rNgog etait un lignage religieux hereditaire qui s’est epanoui au Tibet entre le XIe e... more Le lignage rNgog etait un lignage religieux hereditaire qui s’est epanoui au Tibet entre le XIe et le XVe siecle et a participe a l’efflorescence de plusieurs transmissions tantriques toujours vivantes dans le bouddhisme tibetain contemporain. Cette these est l’histoire du lignage religieux rNgog pa bKa’ brgyud qui puise ses sources dans le Xe siecle indien, s’est acculture au Tibet grâce aux efforts du traducteur Mar pa Chos kyi blo gros (1000 ?-1081 ?) et a traverse le second millenaire. C’est aussi l’histoire du lignage familial rNgog, depuis ses origines mythiques jusqu’a sa plenitude au XIIe siecle et son extinction silencieuse dans le tumulte des transformations politiques du XVIIe siecle tibetain. Cette etude s’appuie sur deux recits composes au sein du lignage rNgog et qui se trouvent au carrefour de l’hagiographie, de la genealogie et des recueils d’enseignements recus. Elle est encadree par deux volumineuses collections d’exegeses et de rituels tantriques. La premiere, le ...
Mar-pa Chos-kyi-blo-gros (1000?–1081?) is the founding figure of the Bka'-brgyud school of Ti... more Mar-pa Chos-kyi-blo-gros (1000?–1081?) is the founding figure of the Bka'-brgyud school of Tibetan Buddhism, which still occupies today an important place in the Tibetan religious landscape. He was a translator of many tantric instructions and is a pivotal figure in the later transference of Buddhism to Tibet. Being one of the most well-known Tibetans, both in Tibet and abroad, his statue is present in almost every Bka'-brgyud temple, and his life story is frequently given as an edifying example. Yet, a close scrutiny of the literary sources available to approach his life reveals how little we know about him for certain. This monograph examines the corpus of Mar-pa's biographies in order to map out the genesis of this literary tradition, in which more than thirty independent texts are now identified. The first part is an introduction to Mar-pa's life and to the genre of hagiography. In the second and main part, all biographies available are placed in a chronological ...
Life Writing, 2019
This article is a presentation of the literary tradition surrounding the Tibetan eleventh-century... more This article is a presentation of the literary tradition surrounding the Tibetan eleventh-century translator Marpa. It shows that one of the main sources of the more than thirty biographies of Marpa now available are the songs that he is considered to have sung to his disciples, often summarising his life and particularly his journeys to India. The article examines how in the tradition the songs were first used as sources and later as legitimising tools.
The Life of Marpa Lotsawa Chökyi Lodrö
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion, 2021
Article on the life of Marpa Lotsawa Chökyi Lodrö written for the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of... more Article on the life of Marpa Lotsawa Chökyi Lodrö written for the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion, with the most up the date references about Marpa's biography.
Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines, 2020
In recent years, a massive amount of texts has been revealed in Tibet, published in collections m... more In recent years, a massive amount of texts has been revealed in Tibet, published in collections made up of hundreds of volumes. Many of these texts were concealed at the time of upheaval in Central Tibet in the mid-17 th century and revealed in the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution in the Sixteen Arhats Temple (Gnas bcu lha khang) within 'Bras spungs Monastery. The aim of this article is to shed some light on the history of some of the specific collections discovered in 'Bras spungs, especially with regard to their origin and the way they may have been collected, how they were stored in the temple, and how they were revealed in the late 20th century.
Reasons and Lives in Buddhist Traditions: Studies in Honor of Matthew Kapstein. , 127—139, edited by D. Arnold, C. Ducher and P.J. Hartner, 2019
This article was written in honor of Matthew Kapstein. It presents one of Kong sprul Blo gros mth... more This article was written in honor of Matthew Kapstein. It presents one of Kong sprul Blo gros mtha' yas's five treasuries, the Treasury of Kagyü Mantras (bKa' brgyud sngags mdzod).
From Song to Biography and from Biography to Song: The Use of gur in Marpa's namthar Cécile Ducher
Life Writing, 2019
This article is a presentation of the literary tradition surrounding the Tibetan eleventh-century... more This article is a presentation of the literary tradition surrounding the Tibetan eleventh-century translator Marpa. It shows that one of the main sources of the more than thirty biographies of Marpa now available are the songs that he is considered to have sung to his disciples, often summarising his life and particularly his journeys to India. The article examines how in the tradition the songs were first used as sources and later as legitimising tools.
For a free copy of the article, please follow this link: https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/8CJBPJ8TBGCDHETUY7IX/full?target=10.1080/14484528.2019.1621444 (only a few are available!)
Dans le bouddhisme tantrique, le « lignage » est un réseau diachronique de religieux réunis autou... more Dans le bouddhisme tantrique, le « lignage » est un réseau diachronique de religieux réunis autour d’un transfert de connaissance ou d’autorité, ayant une identité et un nom spécifique. En adoptant une approche historique et ethnographique, cet article examine les facteurs favorisant le développement ou l’extinction d’un lignage religieux, en prenant l’exemple du lignage Ngokpa Kagyü, associé au clan Ngok, qui a joui d’une grande
renommée au Tibet du XIe au XVe siècle.
Cécile Ducher, " bKa' brgyud Treasure and rNying ma Revealer: The Sras mkhar ma of Mar pa Lo tsā ... more Cécile Ducher, " bKa' brgyud Treasure and rNying ma Revealer: The Sras mkhar ma of Mar pa Lo tsā ba " , Revue d'Etudes Tibétaines, no. 37, December 2016, pp. 98–126.
This article deals with the Sras mkhar ma, a collection of fifteen texts found in the Rin chen gter mdzod and attributed to Marpa. They offer an intriguing journey into the early history of the Kagyü and Terma traditions, as these Kagyü key-instructions were revealed by the famous 13th-century Treasure Revealer Guru Chöwang.
From song to biography and from biography to song: the use of mgur in Mar-pa's rnam thar
Études mongoles et sibériennes, centrasiatiques et tibétaines, 42 | 2011, Dec 2011
Construction de la tradition biographique de Mar-pa Chos-kyi-blo-gros
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Books by Cecile Ducher
Mar-pa Chos-kyi-blo-gros (1000?–1081?) is the founding figure of the Bka’-brgyud-pa school of Tibetan Buddhism, which still occupies today an important place in the Tibetan religious landscape. He was a translator of many tantric instructions and is a pivotal figure in the later transference of Buddhism to Tibet. Being one of the most well-known Tibetans, both in Tibet and abroad, his statue is present in almost every Bka’-brgyud temple, and his life story is frequently given as an edifying example. Yet, a close scrutiny of the literary sources available to approach his life reveals how little we know about him for certain.
This monograph examines the corpus of Mar-pa’s biographies in order to map out the genesis of this literary tradition, in which more than thirty independent texts are now identified. The first part is an introduction to Mar-pa’s life and to the genre of hagiography. In the second and main part, all biographies available are placed in a chronological and logical order, organized according to the metaphor of a house. This architectural image illustrates the way the biographies have been approached, from the earliest to the latest, in order to place the reader at the place of the writer: what could he know when he wrote, and what did he build on? Each significant biography is thus presented individually and in relation with the other works in order to understand what place it occupies in this biographical tradition. The third part is a selection of a few cornerstones in Mar-pa’s biographies: Mar-pa’s songs; verbs indicative of indirect speech that mark the author’s presence in the biography; Mar-pa’s status as a reincarnation; the practice of entering another’s body (grong ’jug); and Mar-pa’s relationships with Naropa and with Gnyos Lo-tsa-ba. In the appendices, the reader will find translations of two of the earliest biographies of Mar-pa, redacted by Ngam-rdzong ston-pa (12th c.) and Rngog Mdo-sde (1078–1154). These two translations provide fascinating alternatives to the well-known biography of Mar-pa composed by Gtsang-smyon He-ru-ka in the early 16th century and mark the beginnings of Mar-pa’s biographical tradition. Thus the book presents a welcome addition to the growing literature on the early Bka’-brgyud-pas and is the first to deal in detail with this major religious figure of the second spread of Buddhism in Tibet.
To download a free ebook: https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/41307/1/Ducher_2017.pdf
To buy the hardcopy: http://www.indus-verlag.de/books-marpa.html
PhD thesis by Cecile Ducher
Buddhism. This dissertation is the history of the rNgog pa bka’ brgyud religious lineage that takes root in 10th-century India, was acculturated in Tibet through the efforts of the translator Mar pa Chos kyi blo gros (1000?-
1081?) and spans the second millennium. It is also the history of the rNgog hereditary lineage, from its mythic origins, to its blossoming in the
12th century and its silent dispersion in the political transformations of 17th-century Central Tibet. Its core is a pair of twenty-five-folio
narratives composed within the rNgog lineage that are at the crossroads of hagiography, genealogy and records of teachings received.
Its framework are two large collections of tantric exegesis and rituals. The first, the Treasury of bKa’ brgyud Mantras, was compiled in the 19th
century in order to safeguard the Mar rngog traditions and facilitate their transmission. The second one, the Compilation of rNgog Cycles, was published ten years ago but contains ancient material composed by the rNgog and their disciples. The aim of this study is to understand the history of these texts and, more broadly, the history of the rNgog and their position in the religious field of Central Tibet until the 17th century. For this, several
approaches are adopted, including source criticism, textual and socio-historical analysis.
Papers by Cecile Ducher
For a free copy of the article, please follow this link: https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/8CJBPJ8TBGCDHETUY7IX/full?target=10.1080/14484528.2019.1621444 (only a few are available!)
renommée au Tibet du XIe au XVe siècle.
This article deals with the Sras mkhar ma, a collection of fifteen texts found in the Rin chen gter mdzod and attributed to Marpa. They offer an intriguing journey into the early history of the Kagyü and Terma traditions, as these Kagyü key-instructions were revealed by the famous 13th-century Treasure Revealer Guru Chöwang.