The data were collected during fieldwork conducted in Zangskar (Ladakh, India) in 2019 and 2022 as part of the research programme Philosophical Research (P6-0252). Since 2023, the research has continued within the framework of the project Buddhism in the Himalayan Deserts: The Tradition of Yogis and Yoginīs in Ladakh (J6-50211), funded by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARiS). The research is based on a qualitative ethnographic approach combining in-depth semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and contextual analysis. Fieldwork was carried out in monasteries, hermitages, meditation caves, and villages throughout Zangskar. The principal interlocutors were Buddhist yogis and yoginīs belonging to the southern Bhutanese Drukpa Kagyu tradition and the Shangpa Kagyu tradition. The interviews were complemented by conversations with monks, nuns, local residents, and caretakers of meditation centres, as well as by extensive photographic documentation and detailed field notes. Given the nature of the research, the fieldwork was conducted in accordance with religious protocols, the long-term meditation retreats of the participants, and established ethical principles of research. Owing to the sensitive nature of parts of the material and the need to protect the privacy of the participants, a portion of the collected data will remain inaccessible until the completion of the project in 2027. The interviews were conducted and documented by Dr Nina Petek and Dr Jan Ciglenečki of the Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana.
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