Une relation initiatique paradoxale

Autor(en)

Samuel Thévoz

Abstrakt

Jacques Tasset, an original personality who is now largely forgotten and never mentioned by name in Alexandra David-Neel's publications, nonetheless played a major role in her life path. On the basis of archival documents, I first shed light on Tasset as a significant figure, his links with artistic and esoteric circles, his commitment to modern Buddhism and his vision of scientific activity. By commenting on and contextualizing the two letters from Tasset to David-Neel preserved in the archives of the writer's estate, I then analyze how these, together with David-Neel's responses, shed retrospective light on Alexandra David's triple initiation into occultist, orientalist and scholarly circles at the end of the 19th century. By bringing to life a dense network of figures crucial to ADN's career and work, these letters, written at key moments in the respective careers of the two letter-writers, also prove a further instance of David-Neel’s paradoxical approach to her initiators and initiations. Ultimately, they provide a deeper understanding of the Tibetan turn in David-Neel's writing program.

Organisation(en)

Institut für Religionswissenschaft

Journal

Revue de l'Association Alexandra David-Neel

Band

4

Seiten

48-67

Anzahl der Seiten

19

Publikationsdatum

06-2024

ÖFOS 2012

603909 Religionswissenschaft

Link zum Portal

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/une-relation-initiatique-paradoxale(579d83c5-bedb-44b0-9df2-0a916718dcb0).html