Raising the Dead and Saving Them: Transformations in funerary manuals of the Sarvadurgatipariśodhana Tantra

The Sarvadurgatipariśodhana Tantra (hereafter SDP), or Purification of All Negative Rebirths, is a Buddhist yoga tantra that has long been associated with funerary practices in multiple Buddhist cultures. However, when it comes to ritual practice, the tantra itself, as with most canonical tantras, gives no practical guidance. Instead, this task falls to the genres of local ritual manuals and handbooks that have emerged around the text and evolved over the centuries. This dissertation examines...