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Papers by Karma Phuntsho
Druk Journal, 2020
Discussing new urban life in Bhutan
This publication has been supported by Open Society Foundations.
EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo
A scholarly bi-annual publication on the social, cultural and economic aspects of Bhutan.
Mipham's Dialectics and the Debates on Emptiness, 2005
Introduction 1. Emptiness: Its Soteriological, Doctrinal, Ontological and Historical Significance... more Introduction 1. Emptiness: Its Soteriological, Doctrinal, Ontological and Historical Significance in Buddhism 2. The Big Fuss about Emptiness: An Outline of the History of Debates on Emptiness 3. What is Negated by Ultimate Analysis? Debates on the Delimitation of the Mahyamika Negandum 4. The Fully Empty: Mipham's Theory of the Ultimate Reality 5. Is Emptiness Knowable and Effable? Conclusion
Religious Studies Review, 2007
Journal of Indian Philosophy, 2005
Gombrich, Prof. Kvaerne and Prof. Isaacson for their corrections and comments and the ESA8047, CN... more Gombrich, Prof. Kvaerne and Prof. Isaacson for their corrections and comments and the ESA8047, CNRS for the research post during which I revised it for publication. 1 The dates given here are from RR, pp. xvi-vii.
A scholarly bi-annual publication on the social, cultural and economic aspects of Bhutan.
Geophysical Research Letters, 2016
The region of Bhutan is thought to be the only segment of the Himalayas not having experienced a ... more The region of Bhutan is thought to be the only segment of the Himalayas not having experienced a major earthquake over the past half millennium. A proposed explanation for this apparent seismic gap is partial accommodation of the India-Asia convergence further south across the Shillong Plateau, yet the seismic behavior of the Himalayan megathrust in Bhutan is unknown. Here we present historical documents from the region reporting on an earthquake in 1714 A.D. and geological evidence of surface rupture to constrain the latest large event in this area. We compute various earthquake scenarios using empirical scaling relationships relating magnitude with intensity, source location and rupture geometry. Our results constrain the 1714 A.D. earthquake to have ruptured the megathrust in Bhutan, most likely during a M7.5-8.5 event. This finding reclassifies the apparent seismic gap to a former information gap and implies that the entire Himalayan arc has a high level of earthquake potential.
few years ago, a man was interviewed on radio asking why he became a soldier. He replied: “To ser... more few years ago, a man was interviewed on radio asking why he became a soldier. He replied: “To serve the Tsawasum with tha damtshig”. When asked what the Tsawasum are, he enumerated army, bodyguards and police force. Similarly, teacher-trainees at the National Institute of Education were asked in an exam to name the Tsawasum. Some wrote the names of their three best friends. These anecdotes amply show (1) that concepts such as Tsawasum and tha damtshig are very profusely bandied about in Bhutan and (2) that most people take them for granted without any accurate knowledge of their significance. Even among those who grasp their significance, their frequency and ubiquity have rendered the weighty concepts meaningless catchphrases. It is these socio-political concepts – Tsawasum, tha damtshig, le judre, driglam namzha, and Gyalyong gakyi palzom – their historical origins, significance, usage, implications and underlying assumptions which I shall attempt to explore briefly.
... I also owe much gratitude to John Pettit whose help in the initial days of my research enable... more ... I also owe much gratitude to John Pettit whose help in the initial days of my research enabled me to embark on the doctoral research full of hope, and to Alak Zengkar Rinpoche and KarmaGelek for sharing their vast knowledge ... Plate 1 Ju Mipham Namgyal Gyatsho (1846–1912 ...
This paper briefly explores the 'relationship' between Buddhist spirituality and the va... more This paper briefly explores the 'relationship' between Buddhist spirituality and the various forms of media during the 2500 years of Buddhist history. In doing so, it highlights the flexibility of Buddhism in taking the multiple forms of media as useful means for a spiritual end that culminates in ...
Druk Journal, 2020
Discussing new urban life in Bhutan
This publication has been supported by Open Society Foundations.
EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo
A scholarly bi-annual publication on the social, cultural and economic aspects of Bhutan.
Mipham's Dialectics and the Debates on Emptiness, 2005
Introduction 1. Emptiness: Its Soteriological, Doctrinal, Ontological and Historical Significance... more Introduction 1. Emptiness: Its Soteriological, Doctrinal, Ontological and Historical Significance in Buddhism 2. The Big Fuss about Emptiness: An Outline of the History of Debates on Emptiness 3. What is Negated by Ultimate Analysis? Debates on the Delimitation of the Mahyamika Negandum 4. The Fully Empty: Mipham's Theory of the Ultimate Reality 5. Is Emptiness Knowable and Effable? Conclusion
Religious Studies Review, 2007
Journal of Indian Philosophy, 2005
Gombrich, Prof. Kvaerne and Prof. Isaacson for their corrections and comments and the ESA8047, CN... more Gombrich, Prof. Kvaerne and Prof. Isaacson for their corrections and comments and the ESA8047, CNRS for the research post during which I revised it for publication. 1 The dates given here are from RR, pp. xvi-vii.
A scholarly bi-annual publication on the social, cultural and economic aspects of Bhutan.
Geophysical Research Letters, 2016
The region of Bhutan is thought to be the only segment of the Himalayas not having experienced a ... more The region of Bhutan is thought to be the only segment of the Himalayas not having experienced a major earthquake over the past half millennium. A proposed explanation for this apparent seismic gap is partial accommodation of the India-Asia convergence further south across the Shillong Plateau, yet the seismic behavior of the Himalayan megathrust in Bhutan is unknown. Here we present historical documents from the region reporting on an earthquake in 1714 A.D. and geological evidence of surface rupture to constrain the latest large event in this area. We compute various earthquake scenarios using empirical scaling relationships relating magnitude with intensity, source location and rupture geometry. Our results constrain the 1714 A.D. earthquake to have ruptured the megathrust in Bhutan, most likely during a M7.5-8.5 event. This finding reclassifies the apparent seismic gap to a former information gap and implies that the entire Himalayan arc has a high level of earthquake potential.
few years ago, a man was interviewed on radio asking why he became a soldier. He replied: “To ser... more few years ago, a man was interviewed on radio asking why he became a soldier. He replied: “To serve the Tsawasum with tha damtshig”. When asked what the Tsawasum are, he enumerated army, bodyguards and police force. Similarly, teacher-trainees at the National Institute of Education were asked in an exam to name the Tsawasum. Some wrote the names of their three best friends. These anecdotes amply show (1) that concepts such as Tsawasum and tha damtshig are very profusely bandied about in Bhutan and (2) that most people take them for granted without any accurate knowledge of their significance. Even among those who grasp their significance, their frequency and ubiquity have rendered the weighty concepts meaningless catchphrases. It is these socio-political concepts – Tsawasum, tha damtshig, le judre, driglam namzha, and Gyalyong gakyi palzom – their historical origins, significance, usage, implications and underlying assumptions which I shall attempt to explore briefly.
... I also owe much gratitude to John Pettit whose help in the initial days of my research enable... more ... I also owe much gratitude to John Pettit whose help in the initial days of my research enabled me to embark on the doctoral research full of hope, and to Alak Zengkar Rinpoche and KarmaGelek for sharing their vast knowledge ... Plate 1 Ju Mipham Namgyal Gyatsho (1846–1912 ...
This paper briefly explores the 'relationship' between Buddhist spirituality and the va... more This paper briefly explores the 'relationship' between Buddhist spirituality and the various forms of media during the 2500 years of Buddhist history. In doing so, it highlights the flexibility of Buddhism in taking the multiple forms of media as useful means for a spiritual end that culminates in ...
Mi-pham rNam-rgyal rGya-mtsho presents the strengths and weaknesses of the four major Tibetan Bud... more Mi-pham rNam-rgyal rGya-mtsho presents the strengths and weaknesses of the four major Tibetan Buddhist traditions in his short satirical and humourous pieces written for a friend.