Rimé

The 19th century Rimé (non-sectarian) movement played a major role in shaping modern Tibetan Buddhism. This book provides an overview of the movement, the major figures within it, its background context, and why it has exerted such an enduring influence. The central figures in the Rimé movement opposed the solidification and political rivalries of the various Buddhist lineages and schools while encouraging the study and practice of them all. The movement played an important role in reviving marginalized traditions and saving others on the point of extinction. The majority of Tibetan lamas teaching in the West, including His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, have been influenced by the Rimé movement, and a number of important present-day lineages are directly connected to it. An appreciation of this movement is therefore invaluable for understanding Tibetan Buddhism as it is currently practiced.

Peter Oldmeadow is retired Head of the Department of Indian Subcontinental Studies in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Sydney, where he taught Sanskrit language and Indian and Buddhist Philosophy. He has a long-standing interest in Buddhist theory and practice which he has pursued both through the study of the classical languages of India and Tibet and personally through contact with living traditions of Buddhism in Australia and Asia.