Geluk
The
Geluk or
Gelug (
Wylie transliteration:
Dge-lugs,
Tibetan:དགེ་ལུགས་à½"་)school of
Buddhism was founded by
Tsongkhapa(1357-1419), a
philosopher and
Tibetan religious leader. The first
monastery he established was at Ganden, and to this day the
Ganden Tripa (Dga'-ldan Khri-pa) is the nominal head of the school, though its most influential figure is the
Dalai Lama.
A great admirer of the
Kadampa (Bka'-gdams-pa) teachings, Tsongkhapa was an enthusiastic promoter of the Kadam School's emphasis on the
Mahayana principles of universal compassion as the fundamental
spiritual orientation. He combined this with a strong emphasis on the cultivation of in-depth insight into thedoctrine of
emptiness as propounded by the
Indian masters
Nagarjuna (2nd century) and
Candrakirti (7th century). Tsongkhapa said that these two aspects of the spiritual path, compassion and insight into wisdom, must be rooted in a wholehearted wish for liberation, all impelled by a genuine sense of renunciation. He called these the "Three Principal Aspects of the Path", and suggested that it is on the basis of these three that one must embark on the profound path of
Vajrayana Buddhism.
The central teachings of the Geluk School are
Lamrim, or the "Stages of the Path", based on the teachings of the Indian master
Atisa (circa 11th century) and the systematic cultivation of the view of emptiness. This is combined with the
deity yogas of
Highest Yoga Tantra deities such as
Guhyasamaja,
Cakrasamvara,
Yamantaka and
Kalacakra, where the key focus is the realization of the indivisible union of bliss and emptiness.
Although each Gelug monastery has an own set of texts for studying written by different authors the six scriptures of
Je Tsongkhapa, the Gelugs' founder
The Great Exposition of the Stages of the Path (Lam-rim chen-mo),
The Great Exposition of Tantras (sNgag-rim chenmo),
The Essence of Eloquence on the Interpretive and Definitive Teachings (Drnng-nges legs-bshad snying-po),
The Praise of Relativity (rTen-'brel bstodpa),
The Clear Exposition of the Five Stages of Guhyasamaja (gSang-'dus rim-lnga gsal-sgron) and
The Golden Rosary (gSer-phreng).
are the prime source for the studies of the Gelugpa (Dge-lugs-pa) tradition and these and other teachings of Tsongkhapa endured into the modern age and are seen as a protection against misconceptions in
Mahayana and
Vajrayana Buddhism. It is said that his followers take Tsongkhapas text
The Great Exposition of the Stages of the Path (Lam-rim chen-mo) as their heart teaching.
Tsongkhapa founded the monastery of
Ganden in 1409, and it became his main seat. He had many students, his two main disciples being
Gyaltsab Je (1364-1431) and
Khedrub Je (1385-1438). Other outstanding disciples were Togden Jampal Gyatso, Jamyang Choje, Jamchenpa Sherap Senge and
Gyalwa Gendün Drup, the first
Dalai Lama (1391-1474). After Tsongkhapa's passing, his teachings were held and kept by
Gyaltsab Je and
Khedrub Je who were the next abbots of Ganden monastery. The lineage has been held by the
Ganden Tripas, the throne-holders of
Ganden Monastery among the present is Khensur Lungri Namgyal, the 101st Ganden Tripa.
Drepung Monastery was founded by Jamyang Choje,
Sera Monastery was founded by Chöje Shakya Yeshe and the
Gyalwa Gendün Drup founded
Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. Many Gelug monasteries were built throughout Tibet but also in China and Mongolia.
Among the many lineage holders of the Yellow Hat Tradition (Gelugpas) there are the successive incarnations of the Gyalwa Rinpoche (commonly known as the
Dalai Lama), and the succession of the
Panchen Lama as well as the Chagkya Dorje Chang, Ngachen Könchok Gyaltsen, Kyishö Tulku Tenzin Thrinly, Jamyang Shepa, Phurchok Jampa Rinpoche, Jamyang Dewe Dorje, Takphu Rinpoche, Khachen Yeshe Gyaltsen and many others.
By the end of 16th century, Geluk had become the most dominant school of
Tibetan Buddhism, amidst strife amongst sects of Buddhism, (and particularly the forcible converting to Gelug of the
Jonang branch of the
Sakya school), and from the period of
"The Great Fifth" in the 17th century until the Chinese takeover in 1949, the
Dalai Lamas held political control over central Tibet.
*The Ri-Me Philosophy of Jamgon Kongtrul the Great: A Study of the Buddhist Lineages of Tibet by Ringu Tulku, ISBN 1590302869, Shambhala Publications
*
Zaya Pandita
