I have studied Cultural Anthropology at the Eötvös Lóránd University of Sciences, Faculty of Arts in Budapest. Due to my deep involvement in Eastern philosophy I have specialized in the anthropology of religion, studying religious human behavior. As my area of research I have specialized on Indian and Tibetan culture. My major field of interest is the Tantric tradition - especially the cross-cultural interference of Hindu and Buddhist religious practice.

Before finishing my MA, I have been on two expeditions to India, Nepal and Tibet, doing my own research on Hindu saiva sects in Northern India. I wrote my thesis on the Cult of Siva. 

In my thesis I carry out an extended analyses of the Cult of Siva and the followers and practices of the sadhu sects following the shaiva lineage of tantric Hinduism. The thesis consists of four major chapters:

The first chapter consists of the detailed description of my two fieldworks to Northern-India and Nepal, where I had a chance of meeting with a large number of sadhus. I also give a brief introduction to Hindu-Buddhist culture in the Himalayan region and the special cross-cultural Hindu-Buddhist phenomena called Tantrism. I briefly talk about the differences of Buddhist tantra (Tibetan Buddhism) and Hindu tantra (Sadhu practice). For detailed reference on my anthropological field work please follow this link to»Fieldwork.

The second chapter deals with Shaivism – the Hindu religious philosophical doctrine concerning the god Siva. In the first part I give a brief analyses of the development of the cult of Siva and trace the tantric tradition back to pre-aryan times to the dravida people of the Indus Civilization. I argue that the tantric tradition might be older than Vedic Hinduism and constitutes the basic teachings of both the Puranic Hindu culture and folk religions especially on the side of fertility cults. I than argue that Indian ascetics, widely known as sadhus, are the living representatives and followers of the tantric tradition. I also emphasize that orthodox Hinduism based on the teachings of the Vedas and represented by the priest cast of brahmins; and non-orthodox Hinduism based on tantric practice and represented by the cast of sadhus strongly differ and have their own ways and are entirely two separate traditions...

The second part of the second chapter deals with the mythic representations of Siva drawing a complex picture of the infinitely multiple nature of the deity. I give a short description of the mythic background of all aspects of Siva starting from the Vedic representations of Rudra, Agni, Indra, Mahadeva, Mahesvara, Isvara, Mahesa and Jalamurti to the Brahmanic representations of Siva; Trilocana, Bhutesvara, Bhairava, Ugra, Ummat, Aghora, Sambhu, Sankara, Pasupati, Gangadhara, Candrasekhara, Nilakantha, Mahayaogi, Nataraja, Natesa, Ardhinisvara and Kamesvara. I also talk about the mythic representations of the various energies (sakti) connected to Siva in forms of his female consorts, both positive – Devi (Jaganmata, Annapurna, Mata, Amman, etc.), Sakti, Kamesvari, Sati, Parvati, Haimavati – and negative – Durga (Kotravai, Elamma), Kali, Kalaratri, Bhajravi, Candi, mahesvari, Camunda and Cinnamasta. Then I give an enumeration of the forces unfolding from the siva-sakti intercourse, the children of Siva – Skandha, Kumara, Muruhan, Ganesh and Ajjappan – and the animal consorts: the cobra (Naga, Mucilinda, Dharanendra, Ananta, Sesa, Taksaka, Vasuki) and the cow (Nandi).

The third part of the second chapter describes briefly the major philosophical schools and religious movements relating to Shaivism, looking at their historical background major figures and most important philosophical doctrines. The schools discussed here are the early monistic shaivism of Ramanuja and the dualist shaivism of Madhava, the philosophies of the Kashmir Saiva (Pratyabhijna), the Saiva Siddhanta, the Lingayat (Vira Saiva) and the Dasnami Sannyasi.

To end the third chapter, I give an anthropological evaluation of the ascetic tradition. I argue that sadhus are indeed the representatives of universal principles and are not only acting like living gods, but are also treated as such by their own cultural environment. I also analyze the phenomenon in respect to various anthropological views like the totemism of Durkheim or Marett – where I see sadhus as living totems – or the fetishism of Brosses – where I see sadhus as living idols of cultic worship – or the symbolism of Eliade – where I see sadhus as living hierophanies (emanations of sacredness). Altogether I can only treat the sadhu phenomenon as the original human effort of becoming one with God and participating in and acting on its power.

The fourth chapter is a short one briefly describing the various aspects of lingam worship in India . I describe the different forms of lingam worship and the major centers in India pointing out the relationship to kundalini-yoga and sadhu mortifications as well as the bhaktanta worship of the lingam. I talk about how lingam worship is a part of the cult of Siva – how fertility rites and phallic and vaginal worship relates to the cosmic dance of Siva-Sakti energies recreating the universe in their passionate creative intercourse.

Code

Name of Course

Teacher

Grade

KA-001

László Borsányi

A level (5)

KA-002

Lajos Boglár

A level (5)

KA-003

A level (5)

KA-004

A level (5)

I have been on two expeditions to the Himalayas and North India both carrying interests for Buddhist research and cultural anthropology.

• My first journey took me through Kashmir, Ladakh (Western Tibet), and North India in 1995.  

• My second journey took me to Ladakh & Zanskar (Western Tibet) again and to Nepal in 1998.  

• I have also studied some of the oasis in the Sahara in Northern Africa near the Chott el Jerid in Tunisia in 1996.