A Horse Contracting with Man: Horses in Old Tibetan Funeral Rituals

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  • 人と契約を交わした馬──古代チベットの葬儀における馬
  • ヒトトケイヤクヲカワシタウマ──コダイチベットノソウギニオケルウマ

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This study focused on Dunhuang Tibetan manuscripts written roughly in the 8th to 10th centuries. By investigating the documents related to indigenous Tibetan beliefs and rituals, I discuss the role of animals, especially horses, in ancient funerary rituals by analyzing their character and structure. I also discuss the intent of the authors of these documents. In conducting rituals for funerary and therapeutic purposes in ancient Tibet, origin tales or ritual antecedent tales, called rabs, were narrated. To ensure the effectiveness and legitimacy of the ritual in progress by turning past successes into the present, they were presented to the dead, the funeral attendees, and the animals that were needed for the funeral. This study aimed to elucidate some of the specific roles of animals in ancient Tibetan funerals, confirm the relationship between men and horses through a careful examination of multiple rabs across the board, and decipher the significance of the rabs based on a common model structure.

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