Textual Transmission and Visual Transfer: Tangut Appropriation of Buddhism

The research examines the presence of Tibetan Buddhist teachings and ideologies in the Xixia kingdom (1038-1227, mostly overlapping with today's Ningxia, China) through the lens of the expanding influence of the Tibetan Buddhist revival which started from the end of the 10th century, with special attentions devoted to textual transmission and visual transfer. I intend to explore the inner fabric of the Tangut collection of Tibetan Buddhist sources by connecting at textual and visual levels with the indigenous Tibetan program, and reveal how the Tangut appropriation diverges from the continuing Tibetan endeavor and transforms the religious landscape of Central Asia and China proper.