Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of religious
Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of
Tibet, the
Himalayan region (including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and Sikkim),
Mongolia,
Buryatia,
Tuva and
Kalmykia (
Russia), and northeastern China (
Manchuria:
Heilongjiang,
Jilin). It is a multifaceted and integrated teaching, naturally implementing methods for all human-condition levels:
Hinayana,
Mahayana,
Vajrayana (
Tantric Path) and
Ati Yoga (
Dzogchen). In the past, Tibetan Buddhism was referred to by some as "Lamaism" but this is now considered inappropriate. (See
Lama)
Tibetan Buddhism may be distinguished from other schools of
Tantric Buddhism by a number of unique traits including:
* belief that some
skandhas (identity) of high lamas are preserved through
rebirth (known as
tulkus) such as the
Dalai Lama* a practice wherein lost or hidden ancient scriptures (
termas) are recovered by spiritual masters (cf.
tertons)
* belief that a
Buddha can manifest in human form, such as in the person of
Padmasambhava, the saint who brought Tibetan Buddhism to the Himalayas.In common with other Tantric schools (primarily
Shingon Buddhism in
Japan), Tibetan Buddhism is
esoteric and
tantric. It is esoteric because it requires an
empowerment (dbang) for practice. It is tantric because it emphasizes the tantric methods of transformation as the path.It is mainly in Tibetan Buddhism that Buddhist Tantra (
Tibetan:
rgyud) has been transmitted to our time.
 |
Tibetan Buddhist monks at a monastery in Sikkim |
In common with Mahayana schools, Tibetan Buddhism believes in a
Pantheon of
Buddhas,
bodhisattvas, and
Dharmapala, also known as Dharma protectors. Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who themselves are able to escape the cycle of
death and rebirth but compassionately choose to remain here in this world to assist others in reaching
nirvana or Buddhahood. Dharma protectors are mythic and often fearsome figures incorporated into Tibetan Buddhism from various sources including
Hinduism and the
Bön religion. They are pledged to protecting and upholding the
Dharma. A town or district may have its own Dharma protector with its own local
mythology. This pantheon is variously interpreted as representations of functions of the psyche, reminiscent of Jungian dream theory, or taken literally by, for instance, Tibetan peasants.
Tantric practitioners make use of special rituals and objects.
Meditation is an important function which may be aided by the use of certain hand gestures (
mudras) and
chanted mantras (such as the famous mantra of
Chenrezig: "
om mani padme hum"). A number of meditation techniques are employed by different traditions, including
mahamudra,
dzogchen, and in the
Kagyu school the
Six yogas of Naropa. Qualified practitioners may also study or construct special cosmic diagrams known as
mandalas which assist in inner spiritual development. A lama may make use of a
dorje, a small five- or nine-pronged dumbbell-like object representing a diamond-strong
sceptre which represents method or
compassion, along with a
handbell known as a
drilbu which represents wisdom. A ritual dagger or
phurpa is symbolically used to kill demons, thus releasing them to a better rebirth.
Non-initiates in Tibetan Buddhism may gain merit by performing rituals such as food and flower offerings, water offerings (performed with a set of bowls), religious pilgrimages, or
chanting prayers (see also
prayer wheel and
prayer flag). They may also light
butter lamps at the local temple or fund monks to do so on their behalf.
Villagers may also gain blessings by observing or participating in
cham dances. Energetic dancers wearing masks and richly ornamented costumes perform each sacred dance while accompanied by monks playing traditional
Tibetan musical instruments. The dances offer moral instruction such as non-harm to sentient beings and are said to bring merit to all who observe them. In
Bhutan the dances are performed during an annual religious festival known as
Tsechu, which is held in each district. At certain festivals a large painting known as a
thongdrol is also briefly unfurled — the mere glimpsing of the
thongdrol is believed to carry such merit as to free the observer from all present sin (see
Culture of Bhutan). Cham dances are prohibited in Tibet by the
PRC government.
Tibetan Buddhism has four main traditions (the suffix
pa is comparable to "er" in English):
*
Nyingma(pa),
The Ancient Ones, the oldest and original order founded by
Padmasambhava himself
*
Kagyu(pa),
Oral Lineage, has one major subsect and one minor subsect. The first, the
Dagpo Kagyu, encompasses those Kagyu schools that trace back to
Gampopa. In turn, the Dagpo Kagyu consists of four major sub-sects: the
Karma Kagyu, headed by the
Karmapa, the
Tsalpa Kagyu, the
Barom Kagyu, and
Pagtru Kagyu; as well as eight minor sub-sects, all of which trace their root to Pagtru Kagyu. Among the eight sub-sects the most notable of are the
Drikung Kagyu and the
Drukpa Kagyu. The once-obscure
Shangpa Kagyu, which was famously represented by the 20th century teacher
Kalu Rinpoche, traces it history back to the Indian master
Niguma, sister of Kagyu lineage holder
Naropa.
*
Sakya(pa),
Grey Earth, headed by the Sakya Trizin, founded by Khon Konchog Gyalpo, a disciple of the great translator Drokmi Lotsawa. Sakya Pandita 1182"1251CE was the great grand-son of Khon Konchog Gyalpo.
*
Geluk(pa),
Way of Virtue, also known as
Yellow Hats, whose spiritual head is the
Ganden Tripa and whose temporal head is the
Dalai Lama, who was ruler of
Tibet from the mid-17th to mid-20th centuries. It was founded in the 14th to 15th century by
Je Tsongkhapa, based on the foundations of the
Kadampa tradition.
Besides the above main schools, there are a number of minor ones like Jonang, Zhije, Bodong and Buton. And one minor one:
*
Jonang(pa), suppressed by the rival Gelukpas in the 1600s and once thought extinct, but now known to survive in Eastern Tibet.
There is also an
ecumenical movement known as
Rime (alternative spelling
Rimed).
The
Bön religion, which predated Buddhism in Tibet, is often counted as a school of Tibetan Buddhism because it has assimilated Buddhist doctrine almost entirely over the last thousand years. Bön practitioners claim that their mythical founder,
Tönpa Shenrab, simply taught a doctrine nearly identical to that of
Shakyamuni Buddha, and that earlier
animist practices by Bönpos were aberrations.
See
Tibetan Buddhist canon for a list of important tantric texts recognized by different sects.
Tibetan Buddhists divide Buddhist philosophy as transmitted from India into four main streams of philosophical tenets:
Two belong to the older
Hinayana path (Skt.
Lesser Vehicle) (Tib. theg-dman). (
Hinayana is sometimes referred to as
Śravakayāna (Skt.
Vehicle of Hearers) because "lesser" may be considered derogatory):
*
Vaibhasika (Tib. bye-brag smra-ba)
*
Sautrantika (Tib. mdo-sde-pa)Primary source for the former is the
Abhidharmakosha by
Vasubandhu and commentaries. The
Abhidharmakosha is also an important source for the Sautrantikas,
Dignaga and
Dharmakirti are their most prominent exponents.
The other two are
Mahayana (Skt.
Greater Vehicle) (Tib. theg-chen):
*
Yogacara, also called
Cittamatra (Tib. sems-tsam-pa),
Mind-Only*
Madhyamaka (Tib. dbu-ma-pa)Yogacarin base their views on texts from
Maitreya,
Asanga and
Vasubandhu, Madhyamikas on
Nagarjuna and
Aryadeva. There is a further classification of Madhyamaka into Svatantrika-Madhyamaka and Prasangika-Madhyamaka. The former stems from
Bhavaviveka,
Santaraksita and
Kamalashila and the latter from
Buddhapalita and
Chandrakirti.
It is not clear, if these four streams ever actually existed as distinct traditions in India or if this classification was introduced by Tibetan Scholars only after the transmission to Tibet.
The tenet system is used in the monasteries and colleges to teach buddhist philosophy in a systematic way. Therein the four schools can be seen as a gradual path from a rather easy to grasp, "realistic" philosophical point of view to more and more complex and more subtle views on the ultimate nature of reality, that is on
emptiness and
dependent arising, culminating in the philosophy of the Madhyamikas, which is widely believed to present the most sophisticated point of view.
Although there were many householder-
yogis in Tibet, monasticism was the foundation of Buddhism in Tibet. It's estimated that as much as 25% of the population of Tibet was monastic from the 16th century through the Chinese invasion. There were thousands of
monasteries in Tibet, and nearly all were ransacked and destoyed by the Chinese communists. Most of the major ones have been at least partially reestablished.
Monasteries generally adhere to one particular school. Some of the major centers in each tradition are as follows:
Bön*
Menri Monastery*
Yungdrung Ling Monastery*
Tritan Norbutse MonasteryGelugThe three most important centers of the Gelugpa lineage are Sera, Drepung and Ganden Monasteries.
*
Drepung Monastery " the home monastery of H.H. the
Dalai Lama*
Jokhang Monastery " said to have been King
Songtsen Gampo in
647 AD, a major pilgrimage site
*
Ganden Monastery " the seat of the
Ganden Tripa*
Sera Monastery " the largest monastery in Tibet, containing numerous colleges
*
Tashi Lhunpo Monastery " the seat of the
Panchen LamaKagyuMany Kagyu monasteries are in Kham, eastern Tibet. Tsurphu, one of the most important, is in central Tibet, as is Ralung.
*
Palpung Monastery " the seat of the
Tai Situpa and
Jamgon Kongtrul*
Ralung Monastery -- the seat of the
Gyalwang Drukpa*
Surmang Monastery " the seat of the
Trungpa tülkus*
Tsurphu Monastery " the seat of H.H. the
Gyalwa KarmapaNyingmaThe Nyingma lineage is said to have "six mother monasteries," although the composition of the six has changed over time:
*
Dorje Drak*
Dzogchen*
Kathok*
Mindroling*
Palyul*
ShechenAlso of note is
*
Samye " the first monastery in Tibet, established by
Padmasambhava and
ShantarakshitaSakya*
Sakya Monastery " the seat of H.H. the
Sakya TrizinCertain Buddhist scriptures arrived in southern Tibet from
India as early as 173 CE during the reign of
Thothori Nyantsen, the 28th king of Tibet. During the
third century the scriptures were disseminated to northern Tibet (which was not part of the same kingdom at the time). The influence of Buddhism was not great, however, and the form was certainly not tantric, as the earliest tantric scripture texts (
tantras) had only just then begun to be codified in
India.
The most important event in Tibetan Buddhist history, however, was the arrival of the great tantric mystic
Padmasambhava in Tibet in 774 at the invitation of King
Trisong Detsen. It was Padmasambhava (more commonly known in the region as
Guru Rinpoche) who merged tantric Buddhism with the local Bön religion to form what we now recognize as Tibetan Buddhism. In addition to writing a number of important scriptures (some of which he hid for future
tertons to find), Padmasambhava established the
Nyingma school from which all schools of Tibetan Buddhism are derived.
Tibetan Buddhism exerted a strong influence from the 11th century CE among the peoples of
Central Asia, especially in
Mongolia and
Manchuria. It was adopted as an official state religion by the
Mongol Yuan dynasty and the
Manchu Qing dynasty of
China.
Today, Tibetan Buddhism is adhered to widely in the
Tibetan Plateau,
Bhutan,
Mongolia,
Kalmykia (the Russian north Caucasus),
Siberia (central Russia), and the
Russian Far East. In the wake of the Tibetan diaspora, Tibetan Buddhism has gained adherents in the West and throughout the world; there are estimated to be thousands of practitioners in Europe and the Americas. Western celebrity Tibetan Buddhism practitioners include
Richard Gere,
Adam Yauch,
Allen Ginsberg;
Philip Glass, and
Steven Seagal, who has been proclaimed a
tulku [
1].
Seagal's tulku status and martial arts skill positioned him to be chosen as godfather to
Yabshi Pan Rinzinwangmo. Rinzinwangmo, or "Renji," is the only child of the
10th Panchen Lama of
Tibet. Renji studied in the United States for a brief period, and her family relied on Seagal for her safekeeping. [
2]
*
Dzogchen*
Mo-ho-yen*
Bardo* Coleman, Graham, ed. (1993).
A Handbook of Tibetan Culture. Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc.. ISBN 1-57062-002-4.
*The Ri-Me Philosophy of Jamgon Kongtrul the Great: A Study of the Buddhist Lineages of Tibet by Ringu Tulku, ISBN 1590302869, Shambhala Publications
*
Dalai Lama dot com, the official web site of the
Dalai Lama )
* The
Office of Tibet, the official agency of the
Dalai Lama in London (The
Government of Tibet in Exile)
*
Tibetan Buddhism " ReligionFacts.com Overview of history, texts, beliefs, practices, schools and leaders.
*
A View of (mostly Tibetan) Buddhism*
E-Sangha Buddhism Portal*
Blue Neon Alley " Tibet and Buddhism directory*
The Tibetan and Himalayan Digital Library*
Photo Buddhism in Mongolia* Traditions
**
Tibetan Buddhism: History and the Four Traditions**
The Sakya Tradition**
The Karma Kagyu Order**
The Jonangpa Order**
Drikung Kagyu Order**
The Nyingma Order * Teaching Archives
**
The extensive archives of teachings from Alexander Berzin**
Rime-Page with lots of Kagyu Information**
The Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive (LYWA) " the collected works of Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche
**
AudioDharma.com " Dharma Talks from a variety of teachers, in mp3 format. There are some teachers from Tibetan traditions included.
**
Lotsawa House " Featuring translations of many important texts of Tibetan Buddhism.
**
Siddhartha´s Intent Publications Many teachings by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche and other Masters.
**
Shechen web site - Teachings H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Rabjam RInpoche, Matthieu Ricard.
**
Teachings by Mingyur Dorje Rinpoche **
Byoma Kusuma - Articles by Ācārya Dharma Vajra (Sridhar SJB Rana).
* Centers
**
Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT)**
Karma Kagyu Centers**
Jewel Heart**
Shambhala Mountain Center " Location of
The Great Stupa**
Siddhartha´s Intent Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche
**
Shechen Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche, Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, Matthieu Ricard.
**
Songtsen France **
Songtsen UK **
Mingyur Dorje Rinpoche Centers India, USA, Wales/UK, Indonesia.
**
Drikung Kagyu Centers " worldwide list of monasteries, schools and meditation centers.
**
Rigpa International " Sogyal Rinpoche's worldwide centers of teaching and meditation.
**
Sunray Meditation Society - Joining of Tibetan Buddhism and Native American Indian/Indigenous Spiritual Practice
**
Rime Foundation " A foundation dedicated to the preservation and translation of Tibetan Buddhist literature
**
Dzogchen Lineage " Website of Dzogchen Shri Shingha International with links to local Dharma centers, under the guidance of Dzogchen Khenpo Choga Rinpoche
**
Emaho Foundation - Spiritual director is 6th ZaChoeje Rinpoche. Not-for-profit organization in Scottsdale, Arizona. Emaho was founded to bring more happiness into the community and the world.
* Reception of Tibetan Buddhism in the West
**
Tibetan Buddhism in the West by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche " Website with a selfcritical approach pointing out some problems
