Études tantriques

Programme de l’année 2016-2017 : I. Le shivaîsme ancien (atimārga) en Inde et Asie du Sud-Est. – II. Séminaire de troisième heure (cours de master) : « Initiation aux traditions tantriques 

Birds, Bards, Buffoons and Brahmans : (Re-)Tracing the Indic Roots of some Ancient and Modern Performing Characters from Java and Bali

On the basis of evidence gathered from Old Javanese textual sources and Central Javanese temple reliefs, I proposed to identify some figures of itinerant ascetics-cum-performers—the vidus—as localised Javanese counterparts of Indic prototypes, namely low-status and antinomian Śaiva practitioners (Acri 2011). Building on the work of Stutterheim, Becker, and Coldiron, here I take up additional textual, art historical, and ethnographic evidence from Java and Bali that suggests a premodern, and ultimately Indic, origin of some performances and their specific performers—viz. the ancient Javanese pirus, the modern Javanese canthang balung and talèdhèk, and the contemporary Balinese topeng Sidha Karya. In pinpointing certain striking analogies between Śaiva traditions of itinerant practitioners known from the Indian Subcontinent and their hypothesised Archipelagic ‘relatives’, I aim to ‘historicize’ those figures, and trace their origins to related figures and milieux—at once performative, ritual, and/or ascetic—known from the Sanskritic tradition. Having briefly discussed the philosophical and/or ritual rationale underpinning many of the performances presented here, I will venture to sketch the socio-cultural factors that affected their Javanese and Balinese performers, who adapted to changing circumstances and external influences (e.g. Islamization and/or Western ‘modernization’) by adopting new modes of engagement with audiences, patrons, and prevalent religious and/or ritual fashions.À partir d’éléments recueillis dans des sources textuelles en vieux-javanais et sur des reliefs de temples de Java Central, je propose d’identifier certains personnages d’ascètes/acteurs itinérants – les vidu – comme des homologues javanais localisés de prototypes indiens, à savoir individus de basse condition et adeptes antinomiens de Śiva (Acri 2011). S’appuyant sur les travaux de Stutterheim, Becker et Coldiron, je livre ici des données supplémentaires tirées de textes, de l’histoire de l’art et de descriptions ethnographiques de Java et de Bali, qui suggèrent une origine pré-moderne, et en fin de compte indienne, de certains spectacles et de leurs acteurs spécifiques, à savoir le pirus de l’ancienne Java, les canthang balung et talèdhèk du Java moderne et le topeng balinais contemporain Sidha Karya. En montrant certaines analogies frappantes entre traditions sivaïtes de praticiens itinérants connues dans le sous-continent indien et leurs hypothétiques « parents » dans l’Archipel, mon but est « d’historiciser » ces personnages, et de tracer leurs origines dans des personnages et milieux – à la fois liés au spectacle, au rituel et/ou à l’ascétisme- de la tradition sanskrite. Après une brève discussion sur les raisons philosophiques et/ou rituelles qui sous-tendent nombre de spectacles présentés ici, je me risquerai à aborder les facteurs socio-culturels qui ont influencé leurs interprètes javanais et balinais, qui se sont adaptés aux circonstances changeantes ainsi qu’à des influences externes (par exemple l’islamisation et/ou la « modernisation » occidentale) en adoptant de nouvelles façons d’interagir avec les publics, les mécènes, ainsi qu’avec les modes religieuses et/ou rituelles répandues

Sources du shivaïsme tantrique en sanskrit‑vieux‑javanais : lecture du Bhuvanakośa (suite)

Les conférences de l’année 2018-2019 ont été consacrées à la poursuite de la lecture et analyse du Bhuvanakośa (« Florilège des mondes »), un texte du shivaïsme tantrique en sanskrit‑vieux‑javanais survécu jusqu’à nous grâce à une dizaine de manuscrits balinais en feuilles de palmier (lontar)

Études tantriques

I. Sources du Shivaïsme tantrique en sanskrit-vieux-javanais : lecture du Bhuvanakośa Les conférences de l’année académique 2017-2018 ont été entièrement consacrées à la lecture d’un texte du shivaïsme tantrique en sanskrit-vieux-javanais, le Bhuvanakośa (« Florilège des mondes »). Cette source textuelle de datation incertaine mais probablement composée en plusieurs étapes entre le viiie et le xvie siècle après J.-C., a survécu jusqu’à nous grâce à une dizaine de manuscrits balinais en feuil..

VIAJANDO POR LOS «CAMINOS DEL SUR»: EL BUDISMO ESOTÉRICO EN EL ASIA MARÍTIMA, SIGLOS VII-XIII D.C.

This article presents a historical overview covering the networks of places and agents that were instrumental to the rise and spread of the different varieties of Esoteric (or: Tantric) Buddhism between the 7th and 13th centuries until near vanishing point. The author approaches the study of Esoteric Buddhism from a broad geographical perspective, emphasizing the maritime interactions that took place through the so-called “Maritime Silk Routes” over the course of several centuries, and provides with a supporting historical narrative based on maritime linking. On the basis of textual, material, and archaeological evidence disseminated throughout all Maritime Asia, the author shows how Tantric Buddhist masters of the « first wave » migrated to different Asian locations, where the new Tantric paradigm was developed and consolidated thanks to the sponsorship of dynasties such as the Śailendras, the Yarlungs, and the Tangs. During the « second wave » of expansion, Tantric cults revolving around highly esoteric and martial aspects of deities (such as Heruka and Hevajra) were followed by Kublai Khan in China, Kṛtanagara in East Java, and Jayavarman the VII in Cambodia, among others, until they eventually disappeared. This work argues that beyond socio-political contingencies, paradigm changes may have occurred as a result of religious “reforms” which promoted a shift towards non-esoteric varieties —that is, mystical-magical variants— of Buddhist traditions (as happened, for example, in Sri Lanka and, at a later date, in Myanmar and Cambodia as regards the prevalence of Theravāda Buddhism over Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna, or even different religions as happened, for example, in Central Java). Finally, the article sets a starting point to pursue further research to identify networks of non-institutionalized practitioners who contributed to the spread of forms of Tantrism across Maritime Asia.Este artículo presenta un panorama histórico de las redes de sitios y agentes que fueron instrumentales en la creación y circulación de las diferentes variedades de budismo esotérico (o tántrico) entre los siglos VII y XIII hasta su casi desaparición. El autor aborda el estudio del budismo esotérico desde una perspectiva geográfica amplia, hace hincapié en las interacciones marítimas que se produjeron a través de las llamadas «Rutas Marítimas de la Seda» en el curso de varios siglos y avanza en una narrativa histórica complementaria que toma las conexiones marítimas. Basado en evidencias textuales, materiales y arqueológicas diseminadas en toda el Asia marítima, muestra cómo migraron los maestros budistas tántricos de la «primera ola» a distintos puntos del Asia, donde evolucionaba y se consolidaba el nuevo paradigma tántrico gracias al patrocinio de dinastías como las de los Śailendras, Yarlung y Tang. Durante la expansión de la «segunda ola», los cultos tántricos que giraban en torno a aspectos sumamente esotéricos y militares de las deidades (como Heruka y Hevajra) tuvieron como seguidores al Kublai Kan en la China, a Kṛtanagara en Java oriental y a Jayavarman VII en Camboya, entre otros, hasta su posterior desaparición. El trabajo sostiene que aparte de las contingencias sociopolíticas, tales cambios de paradigma pueden haber ocurrido como resultado de «reformas» religiosas que promovieron un giro hacia las variedades no esotéricas -es decir, variantes mágicomísticas- de las tradiciones budistas (como sucedió, por ejemplo, en Sri Lanka y, en una fecha posterior, en Myanmar y Camboya con respecto a la prevalencia del budismo Therāvada sobre el Mahāyāna y Vajrayāna o incluso diferentes religiones como sucedió, por ejemplo, en Java Central). Finalmente el artículo sienta las bases para continuar los estudios académicos para identificar las redes de practicantes no institucionalizados que contribuyeron a la difusión de las formas del tantrismo en el Asia marítima

Theory vs. Philology in the Study of Balinese Culture, Religion, and Ritual

More than Words: Transforming Script, Agency, and Collective Life in Bali. Richard FoxCornell University Press, 2018. xviii + 239 pp., ISBN13/ 9781501725357, ISBN10/ 1501725351 This review essay is devoted to the latest book by Richard Fox on the fascinating and little-investigated subject of non-textual uses of letters (aksara) in contemporary Bali. It takes this wide-ranging publication as a point of departure for contributing to the ongoing debate between the “theorists” and the “philologi..

A new perspective for 'Balinese Hinduism' in the light of the pre-modern religious discourse: a textual-historical approach

A significant amount of scholarly literature on Balinese religion has been published so far. Several of these studies, mostly written by anthropologists, have focused on the process of normalization and universalization of Balinese religion promoted by various reform movements since the early twentieth century. According to the most influential theories, the reformers sought to promote a shift from orthopraxy (adat) to an abstract religion (agama), the allegiance to a single deity and the �scripturalization� of traditional beliefs. This process has been regarded as one of discontinuity, witnessing a (self-) superimposition of foreign concepts on the local pre-existing framework. In other words, Balinese Hinduism has been viewed as a construction or �invention� of local leaders and intellectuals in their attempt to establish a form of religion which could be reconciled with both Indian Hinduism and Balinese traditions. While this approach has offered a substantial contribution to the analysis of the process of �Hinduization� as it unfolded in modern times, scholars have often paid too little attention to the historical perspective, with the consequence that it is still difficult to discern features that are the result of reformist influence from those that took shape in the pre-colonial past. The emphasis has tended to be on sociological issues connected with ritual and hierarchy, rather than doctrinal and philosophical ones. In particular, scholars have largely ignored an important source of data on the latter aspect of Balinese religion, i.e. the extensive corpus of S�aiva texts known as Tutur, representing a body of didactic literature contextualizing materials of South Asian provenance into a Javano-Balinese doctrinal framework.1 Furthermore, very little attention has been paid so far to the comparison with features of ancient Indian religion(s), which since the first millennium CE have contributed to shaping the Balinese religious tradition. Following an approach inspired by the ground-breaking research on Bali- nese mysticism by Stephen (2005),2 I argue in this chapter that several widely accepted statements in studies on Balinese religion could be questioned in the light of the most recent research on the Tutur literature.3 Drawing upon Tutur texts, this chapter tries to show that several of the characterizing features of modern Balinese religious discourse can be traced back to the pre-modern past, being ultimately based on Indic ideas. This testifies to the existence of a complex mystical and philosophical tradition that predates twentieth-century reformist efforts and which existed alongside the ritual dimension of the everyday local religious practices described by anthropologists. In presenting my analysis, the chapter focuses on three characteristic features of modern Balinese religion, arguing that they represent, at least in part, elements of continuity rather than being uniquely the result of the normative influence of Christianity, Islam and (Neo-)Hinduism. These features include: the scripturalization of Balinese religion, the theological-philosophical dimension as reflected in the traditional literature, and its monotheistic character. Rather than denying the important role played by external elements in polarizing certain aspects of Balinese religion, I aim to show that a careful text-oriented analysis is required in order to better understand the dynamics of the religious discourse in its historical dimension

Nina Mirnig, Marion Rastelli & Vincent Eltschinger (éd.), Tantric Communities in Context, Vienne, Austrian Academy of Sciences Press (Philosophisch-Historische Klasse Sitzungsberichte, 899 Band; Beiträge zur Kultur- und Geistesgeschichte Asiens, 99), 2019.

Acri Andrea. Nina Mirnig, Marion Rastelli & Vincent Eltschinger (éd.), Tantric Communities in Context, Vienne, Austrian Academy of Sciences Press (Philosophisch-Historische Klasse Sitzungsberichte, 899 Band; Beiträge zur Kultur- und Geistesgeschichte Asiens, 99), 2019.. In: Bulletin de l'Ecole française d'Extrême-Orient. Tome 106, 2020. pp. 504-510

Horror, Transgression, and Power: The “Demonic Numinous” in the Tantra-Influenced Literatures and Visual Arts of Java and Bali

This article discusses the theme of the “demonic numinous” and its association with horror, transgression, and power in the Tantra-influenced literatures and visual arts of Java and Bali from the premodern to the modern period. Emphasizing continuities, it surveys the instantiations of those motifs in artistic and textual vestiges from Central Java (ca. 8th–10th century CE), East Java (ca. 11th–15th century CE, with an aperçu on 1960s’ New Order Indonesia), and premodern and contemporary Bali. The material presented in the article is discussed and contextualized in the light of a comparative analysis of analogous motifs attested in the literatures and arts of the Indian subcontinent and Tibet. Arguing that literary and artistic religio-cultural motifs associated with fierce or demonic deities in Java and Bali can be traced back to specific “hard-core” Śaiva and Buddhist tantric traditions permeated by a “charnel ground culture”, the article re-evaluates previous interpretations stressing the indigenous origin and local character of these motifs. In the conclusion, it tentatively proposes that the pervasiveness, resilience, and significance of the “demonic numinous complex” in the Javanese and Balinese imaginaries could be explained as a cross-fertilisation and convergence between Indic and non-Indic elements.Cet article porte sur le « numineux démoniaque » et son association avec l’horreur, la transgression et le pouvoir dans la littérature et les arts visuels de Java et de Bali influencés par le tantrisme, de la période prémoderne jusqu’à nos jours. En mettant l’accent sur les continuités historiques, il examine les manifestations de ces motifs dans les vestiges artistiques et textuels de Java Centre (du VIIIe au Xe siècle de notre ère), de Java Est (du XIe au XVe siècle de notre ère, avec un aperçu de l’Indonésie du « Nouvel Ordre » des années 1960), ainsi que de Bali à l’époque prémoderne et contemporaine. Les données présentées dans cet article sont discutées et mises en contexte à l’aide d’une analyse comparative des motifs analogues attestés dans la littérature et les arts du sous-continent indien et du Tibet. L’article suggère que les motifs religieux, culturels, littéraires et artistiques associés aux divinités féroces ou démoniaques à Java et à Bali pourraient être dérivés des traditions tantriques hindoues et bouddhiques « hard-core » imprégnées d’une « culture du charnier », et il réinterroge les interprétations soulignant l’origine indigène et le caractère local de ces motifs. En conclusion, il propose que la diffusion, la résilience et l’importance du « complexe numineux démoniaque » dans l’imaginaire javanais et balinais puissent s’expliquer par une fertilisation croisée et une convergence entre des éléments indiens et non indiens.Acri Andrea. Horror, Transgression, and Power: The “Demonic Numinous” in the Tantra-Influenced Literatures and Visual Arts of Java and Bali. In: Bulletin de l'Ecole française d'Extrême-Orient. Tome 107, 2021. pp. 137-206