Hats - Religious Traditions
Subjects, Topics & Types:
- Description (below)
- Pandita Hat
- Jonang
- Bodong
- Bulug
- Shangpa Kagyu
- Confusions
- Others...
Video: Jonang, Bodong, Bulug & Shangpa Hats
The principal hat of many of the dominant religious traditions of the Tsang province is the pandita hat. These include the Sakya along with the principal branch traditions of Ngor, Tsar and Dzongpa. The other principal traditions based in the Tsang province are the Jonang, Bodong, Bulug (Shalu) & Shangpa Kagyu. All of these traditions are administratively independent from each other. All of the named traditions except for the Shangpa Kagyu are also all doctrinally aligned and share philosophical views, tantric cycles, protector deities and have intertwined lineages.
The Shangpa Kagyu was an independent tradition founded by Kedrub Khyunpo Naljor. Located in Tsang, it shares in the use of the red pandita hat along with many of the other traditions of the region. In the 16th century the Shangpa ceased to be an independent tradition and was absorbed into the Sakya, Jonang, Gelug and Kagyu traditions to a greater or lesser degree. In the 19th century Jamgon Kongtrul promoted the Shangpa Kagyu based on the stream of practice originating with the Jonang tradition of Central Tibet.
The Bulug tradition is named for Buton Rinchen Drub (1290-1364), an important teacher of the 14th century. The Shalu monastery claims to be the originator of the dark or light yellow pandita hat that was later adopted by the Gelug tradition.
The Jonang tradition founded by Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen uses a red coloured pandita hat, sometimes round, and sometimes with a pointed peak. In recent centuries the hat can also be orange in colour in painted compositions. Cap style hats are also occasionally found in art but rarely.
Jeff Watt 10-2020
(The images below are only a selection of examples from the links above).