Paper short abstract:

In the post-59 period of Tibetan religion, digital media has become a significant tool in the documentation of endangered traditions and rituals. The Bodongpa tradition has embraced the digitisation of texts, images, memories and rituals, highlighting both significant possibilities and pitfalls.

Paper long abstract:

The Bodongpa tradition, already in a parlous position by the mid-20th century, seemed destined to disappear following the Chinese annexation of Tibet and the destruction of religious centres during the Cultural Revolution.

However, their willingness to utilise digital media has been one of the factors in the ongoing revival of the tradition. It has also exposed limitations and potential hazards, and this presentation will explore how this process has been, and continues to be, negotiated.

Digital imagery, both still and video, has focussed on the following:

• ritual texts;

• artwork, especially murals;

• performance of rituals;

• memories.

The ease of this media has enabled material to be shared across scattered communities, both inside Tibet and in exile. This has inevitably raised contentious issues, including:

• ensuring the safety of the material and those who access it;

• how the issue of permission and access is negotiated, particularly with ritual material that requires prior initiation;

• determining who is ultimately responsible for the material, both now and in perpetuity.

However, it has also facilitated:

• a cohesive body of standardised texts for use in all Bodongpa monasteries;

• a record of rituals, especially largescale monastic rituals;

• an effective aide-mémoire to trigger memories amongst elders within the broader Bodongpa community, both lay and religious.

Significantly, digitisation also raises hope for the eventual deciphering of the scattered texts of the founder of the tradition, which the Bodongpas believe will ensure their future standing within the broader Tibetan religious firmament.