"Verum est, certum et verissimum, quod est, superius naturam habet inferioram et ascendens naturam descendentis."  
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"Verum est, certum et verissimum, quod est, superius naturam habet inferioram et ascendens naturam descendentis."

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Field Work

Home Up India Tibet Nepal Tunisia
Details of Field Works
I have been on two expeditions to the Himalayas and North India both carrying interests for Buddhist research and cultural anthropology and I have also studied some of the oasis in the Sahara.
Documentation My first journey took me through Kashmir, Western Tibet, and North India in 1995.
Backups   My second journey took me to Northern Africa to the Chott el Jerid in Tunisia in 1996.
My third journey took me to Western Tibet again and to Nepal in 1998.

 

Please check out the details of

Field Work 1.

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North-India

Field Work 2.

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Tibet

Field Work 3.

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Nepal

Field Work 4.

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The Sahara

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Documentation

My research involved documentation (film and photo) of a number of Hindu and Buddhist topics such as:

    Ladakh & Zanskar & Lahaul and Spiti (Tibet)  

- Tibetan Buddhist monasteries
- Buddhist tantric ceremonies (Mahăkăla puja, fire ritual, etc.)
- Tibetan Buddhist Festivals - The festivities at Shashur (Mask-dance (csham))
- Festivals in Ladakh (folk dances and costumes of Ladakh)
- Everyday life of a ladakhi family

    Kathmandu-valley (Nepal)

- Kathmandu - The holy city on the top of the world
- Animal Sacrifices for the God of Death [Kathmandu & Daksinkăli]
- Ascetics and hermits – sădhu tantric practices
- The burning of the dead in Pashupatinathban [Nepal]  

Documented Hindu tantric forms:

·         Asceticism: - Ascetics (sadhus)

- Ascetic practices (yoga, tapasya)

- Fire-keeper ascetic (dhúni-wálá)

- The home of a Saiva ascetic (kuti)

·         Magic: - Gatekeeper-gods & protective signs
·         Ritual: - Various rituals & offerings  

- The burning of the dead

- Vedic fire-ritual

- Offerings (Vedic offering)

- Preparation of food-mandala

- Offerings to the gods (puja)

·         Fertility cults: - Phallic worship (lingam-cult)

- Full Moon Animal Sacrifice

- Káli Shrine – Animal Sacrifices

·         Animist items: - Holy Monkeys

- Holy Cows  

- Snake-charming

Documented Buddhist tantric forms:

·         Magic: - Evocation – masked lama-dance (Csham)

- Banishing (Mahákála puja (2.))

- The preparation of prayer-flags

- Various prayer-wheels and prayer-stones (mani-walls)

- The use of magic syllables (mantra)

·         Ritual: - Various rituals (drumming, singing, dancing, etc.)

- Ritual offerings (Mahákála puja (1.))

- Butter-sculptures (torma)

- The creation of a sand-mandala

·         Fertility cults: - Phallic worship

- Fertility fire-offerings

·         Animist items: - Bone heaps (obo), chortens and stupas

- Mummies – mummification

- Ghost- and Demon-traps

- Shamanic elements (Worship of trees, fountains, etc.)

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Backups