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The Lifespans of Lamas: Mining Biographical Data to Examine Tibetan Longevity

November 5, 2021

12:00 pm

Up to now, we have had little sense of Tibetan lifespans before the 20th century. The Buddhist Digital Resource Center hosts the largest online biographical database on Tibet and includes data on the lifespans of some 2000 famous Tibetan lamas. Working with a research assistant, I have sorted this data by time periods and found interesting patterns in longevity in relation to historic events. Most surprising, over the centuries, average lifespan in Tibet significantly declined from the mid-10th to the mid-20th century. I also make comparisons to the data available on the Dharma Drug Digital Database of some 6000 Chinese monks. I will discuss the implications of the patterns discerned through analysis of this data, asking what this data tells us about the lives of lamas and what the lives of lamas tell us about Tibetan society and history.

Additional Information

Program

East Asia Program

South Asia Program