Quarantine and Expulsion in Early Tibet: Reflections on the Padmasambhava Legend in the Age of the Coronavirus

Authors

William A. McGrath, Manhattan College
Society For Cultural Anthropology

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-23-2020

Capture Date

6-24-2020

URL

https://culanth.org/fieldsights/quarantine-and-expulsion-in-early-tibet-reflections-on-the-padmasambhava-legend-in-the-age-of-the-coronavirus

Abstract

This article from the Society of Cultural Anthropology compares the contemporary response to COVID-19, specifically social distancing, to Tibetan responses towards foreign monks in the 7th through 9th centuries (600-850). Issues of fear and quarantining are discussed. Indian monk Śāntarakṣita (725–788) and his arrival to Tibet, the Testament of Wa, the History of Religion in Khotan, and the Chinese Princess Jincheng (698–739) are featured in the article. The issue of past and contemporary xenophobia is discussed.

WMU ScholarWorks Citation

McGrath, William A. and Society For Cultural Anthropology, "Quarantine and Expulsion in Early Tibet: Reflections on the Padmasambhava Legend in the Age of the Coronavirus" (2020). Pandemic Response and Religion in the USA: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender. 17.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/religion-pandemic-race/17