Research On The Culture

Ngakpa is a common figure in Tibet society through history to contemporary time. Ngakpa is the short term of SangNgakpa in Tibetan language; it means one who practices secrete mantra, some times also called Tantric practitioner. Although each of Tibetan Buddhism schools have Tantric practitioner, but this paper mainly focus on the one whom practice the old Tantras in Gannan area in Amdo region of Tibet. Ngakpa culture is the essence of Tibetan folk culture and it is an important part of Tibetan culture. In this paper, I first proposed the concept of "Ngakpa Culture", to raise awareness of the importance of Ngakpa culture, this is the original intention and starting point of this paper. The original faith and culture of Bon in Tibet is the foundation of Ngakpa Culture. Later when Buddhism come to Tibet, it has been going through a lot of struggle, integration, innovaton for a long historical process, the fusion of two cultures was promoted the Ngakpa culture to today’s scale. This paper attempts to sketch out the overview of Tibetan Ngakpa culture from the perspective of cultural studies, anthropology of religion. This paper contains three parts:introduction, body, conclusion. Namely. Introduction includes Research Significance, Research Status, The field Situation and the Research Methods, the body consists of four chapters.The first chapter discusses historical development and evolution of Ngakpa Culture. Analysis the name of Ngakpa, explores the origins of the Ngakpa. Ganan Ngakpa cultural was experienced several consolidation to development of the seventeenth century, the fifth Dalai Lama NgaWang Gyatso respected Nyingma and strongly support mindrolling monastery and other major Nyingma monastery. Fifth Dalai Lama’s disciples, the first Jamyang Sheba back to Amdo area of Gannan, Gannan have started to build Ngakpa organization, and several people went Mindrolling Monastery to study religious rituals and heritage activities and bring them back to home. These social activities is social reaction and feedback to the Fifth Dalai Lama’s support Nyingma policies. Moreover, some of Ngakpa went to Kam district to study another lineage of tantra. Since then, There are two rituals tradition in Gannan:Mindrolling and NyingTi traditions. Seventy percent of Gannan Ngakpa practice Mindrolling ritual tradition. However, a small number of Ngakpa organizations practice NyingTi heritage. Later, Mindrolling monastery was hit, followed by the Ngakpas are suffered a spate of social unrest, Ngakpa culture unprecedented heavy blow. The older generation of Ngakpa did not have time to deliver the entire heritage to the next generation, the younger generation have no chance to growth in the traditional cultural atmosphere, cultural heritage suffered faults in the old generation and the young generation. Restoring freedom of religious belief, many Ngakpa rituals heritage did not fully restore the original tradition.The second chapter discusses the types and functions of Ngakpa, and organizational forms. Ngakpa is the smallest individual, Ngakmang is the organizations of Ngakpa. There are many diferent dimension of Ngakmang. Villages based organization and tribue based organization, even tribal alliance based organization. There are hundreds of Ngakpa in Gannan, dozens of Ngakpa organizations,three large tribal alliance Ngakpa organization. The Ngakpa organization form can be divided into two types,village Ngakpa and monastery Ngakpa. Both organizations have Tripa, Gegei, wozain, Dorje zingba, both of then have thire own internal organizational structure and the appointment and removal system. But generally speaking, rural Ngakpa are loosely organized, one play multiple roles. Monastery Ngakpa have compact organization, each person carry out their own duties. From rural Ngakpa development to the temple monastery Ngakpa demonstrated under the influence of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and cultural systems, Ngakpa was devoleped from unorganized single family lineage to organized monastery organizations. Depending on the level of Ngakpa practice and focus can be divided into white Ngakpa, Hua Ngakpa, black Ngakpa three types. These three types of Ngakpa in Gannan has a very clear distinction. White Ngakpa, Hua Ngakpa, black Ngakpa shows three important steps Ngakpa cultural development. In Tibetan society, Ngakpa not only a religious person, but also a social experts on the wedding ceremony, military campaign, worship god, agricultural harvest, fortune teller, the matter for the people to solve problems. Ngakpa in early societies should be counted as social intellectuals and experts who specialize religious rituals, rituals of life programs, divination fortune-teller, mathematical astronomy, medicine, psychology, agriculture, animal husbandry, architecture, poetry, dance and sound many social scientific knowledge.The third chapter discusses Ngakpa education and life. Ngakpa heritage and education mainly in the way of maintaining family hereditary transmission now, mostly from father to son, the grandfather to grandson, uncle and nephew, etc. its maily on paternal lineage hereditary transmission. Ngakpa can start their families, raising children, support for the elderly. The village Ngakpa generally involved in labor work, thier knowledge mainly comes from their elder genetations. But Monastery Ngakpa can not participate in productive labor, they acquire the necessary knowledge through class system at the monastery. Gannan Ngakpa showing part-time, semi-professional and full-time and professional pattern.The fourth chapter focuses on the Ngakpa rituals and symbolic system. The discussion of Ngakpa’s religious rituals will inevitably turn to the gods systems and religouse instruments and sacred objects, dresses and other symbolic systems. In god system, the gods of heaven and earth nature spirits was dominated at the very beginning, then late shift to Tantric mandala deity. There are three the most important and fundamental deities in Ngakpa Tantric practice, namely the Guru, Yidam deity, Dakini. The three most important protective deities are Lhamo, Za, Damchen. Rural Ngakpa and monastery Ngakpa have some differences in dressed attire.In this paper, I try to draw attention and understanding by discussing Ngakpa culture. Trying to communicate and exchange Tibetan Buddhist culture and folk Ngakpa culture.