Geshe (Tib. ''dge bshes'', short for ''dge-ba'i bshes-gnyen'', "virtuous friend"; translation of Skt. ''kalyāņamitra'') or geshema is a

Tibetan Buddhist Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...

academic degree An academic degree is a qualification awarded to students upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions commonly offer degrees at various levels, usually including unde ...

for

monks A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedicat ...

and

nuns A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

. The degree is emphasized primarily by the

Gelug file:DalaiLama0054 tiny.jpg, 240px, 14th Dalai Lama, The 14th Dalai Lama (center), the most influential figure of the contemporary Gelug tradition, at the 2003 Kalachakra ceremony, Bodh Gaya, Bodhgaya (India). The Gelug (, also Geluk; "virtuous ...

lineage, but is also awarded in the

Sakya The ''Sakya'' (, 'pale earth') school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug. It is one of the Red Hat Orders along with the Nyingma and Kagyu. Origins Virūpa, 16th century. It depict ...

and

Bön ''Bon'', also spelled Bön () and also known as Yungdrung Bon (, "eternal Bon"), is a Tibetan culture, Tibetan religious tradition with many similarities to Tibetan Buddhism and also many unique features.Samuel 2012, pp. 220-221. Bon initiall ...

traditions.Quotation: The ''geshe'' degree in the Gelug school is comparable to a western doctorate in Buddhist philosophy. The difference is that it usually takes more than twenty years to complete. The equivalent ''geshema'' degree is awarded to women.

History

The title ''Geshe'' was first applied to esteemed

Kadampa 300px, Tibetan Portrait of Atiśa The Kadam school () of Tibetan Buddhism was an 11th century Buddhist tradition founded by the great Bengali master Atiśa (982-1054) and his students like Dromtön (1005–1064), a Tibetan Buddhist lay master. ...

masters such as Geshe

Chekawa Yeshe Dorje Geshe Chekhawa (or Chekawa Yeshe Dorje) (1102–1176) was a prolific Kadampa Buddhist meditation master who was the author of the celebrated root text ''Training the Mind in Seven Points'', which is an explanation of Buddha's instructions on train ...

(1102-1176), who composed an important text called ''Seven Points of Mind Training'' and Geshe

Langri Tangpa Geshe Langri Thangpa (གླང་རི་ཐང་པ། ; wylie: glang ri thang pa) (1054–1123) is an important figure in the lineage of the Kadampa and Gelug schools of Tibetan Buddhism. He was born in Phenpo, as Dorje Senge (རྡོ་ར ...

(, 1054–1123). The ''geshe'' curriculum represents an adaptation of subjects studied at Indian Buddhist monastic universities such as

Nālandā Nalanda (, ) was a renowned ''mahavihara'' (Buddhist monastic university) in ancient Magadha (modern-day Bihar), India.Sakya The ''Sakya'' (, 'pale earth') school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug. It is one of the Red Hat Orders along with the Nyingma and Kagyu. Origins Virūpa, 16th century. It depict ...

monastic lineage, where it was known as ''ka-shi'' ("four subjects") or ''ka-chu'' ("ten subjects"). The Sakyas also granted degrees at the conclusion of these studies, on the basis of proficiency in

dialectical Dialectic ( grc-gre, διαλεκτική, ''dialektikḗ''; related to dialogue; german: Dialektik), also known as the dialectical method, is a discourse between two or more people holding different points of view about a subject but wishing to ...

ritualized Ritualization is a behavior that occurs typically in a member of a given species in a highly Stereotypy, stereotyped fashion and independent of any direct physiological significance. It is found, in differing forms, both in non-human animals and in ...

debate Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, a ...

. In

Tsongkhapa Tsongkhapa ('','' meaning: "the man from Tsongkha" or "the Man from Onion Valley", c. 1357–1419) was an influential Tibetan Buddhist monk, philosopher and tantric yogi, whose activities led to the formation of the Gelug school of Tibetan Budd ...

's time the Sakya degree was awarded at Sangphu, Kyormolung and Dewachen (later Ratö) monasteries. The ''geshe'' degree flowered under the

monastic lineage. Under Gelug domination, monks from various monastic lineages would receive training as ''geshes'' through the great Gelug monasteries. Gelugpa ''geshes'' often went on to study at one of Lhasa's tantric colleges, Gyütö or Gyüme. (The tantric colleges also grant a "geshe" title for scholarship in the tantras.) Under Sakya and Gelug influence, the Kagyu and Nyingma monastic lineages developed their own systems of scholarly education. Their schools grant the degree of ''ka-rabjampa'' ("one with unobstructed knowledge of scriptures") as well as the title ''

Khenpo The term khenpo (Tib. མཁན་པོ། mkhen po), or khenmo (in the feminine) is a degree for higher Buddhist studies given in Tibetan Buddhism. In the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Sakya traditions, the title is awarded usually after a period of 1 ...

'', which the Gelug tradition reserves for

Abbot (Buddhism) In Buddhism, the abbot ( pi, saṅghaṇāyaka) is the head of a Buddhist monastery or large Buddhist temple. In Buddhist nunneries, the nun who holds the equivalent position is known as the abbess. In English-speaking countries, the English wor ...

. The course of study which prevails in Kagyu and Nyingma circles emphasizes commentary over debate, and focuses on a somewhat wider selection of classics (with accordingly less detail). It ideally lasts for nine years, concluding with a three-year, three-month meditation retreat. In April 2011, the Institute for Buddhist Dialectical Studies (IBD) in Dharamsala, India, conferred the degree of ''geshe'' on Venerable Kelsang Wangmo, a German nun, thus making her the world's first female geshe. In 2013, Tibetan women were able to take the ''geshe'' exams for the first time. In 2016, twenty Tibetan Buddhist nuns became the first Tibetan women to earn ''geshema'' degrees. The ''geshema'' degree is the same as a ''geshe'' degree, but is called a ''geshema'' degree because it is awarded to women.

Curriculum

The Geshe curriculum consists of the "Collected Topics" () which were preliminary to the syllabus proper, as well as the five major topics, which form the syllabus proper. The exoteric study of Buddhism is generally organized into "five topics", listed as follows with the primary Indian source texts for each: #

Abhidharma The Abhidharma are ancient (third century BCE and later) Buddhist texts which contain detailed scholastic presentations of doctrinal material appearing in the Buddhist ''sutras''. It also refers to the scholastic method itself as well as the f ...

(Higher Knowledge, Wylie Tib.: ''mdzod'') #* Compendium of Higher Knowledge (''Abhidharma Samuccaya'') by

Asanga Asaṅga (, ; Romaji: ''Mujaku'') ( fl. 4th century C.E.) was "one of the most important spiritual figures" of Mahayana Buddhism and the "founder of the Yogachara school".Engle, Artemus (translator), Asanga, ''The Bodhisattva Path to Unsurpassed ...

#* Treasury of Higher Knowledge (''Abhidharma Kośa'') by

Vasubandhu Vasubandhu (; Tibetan: དབྱིག་གཉེན་ ; floruit, fl. 4th to 5th century CE) was an influential bhikkhu, Buddhist monk and scholar from ''Puruṣapura'' in ancient India, modern day Peshawar, Pakistan. He was a philosopher who ...

# Prajñā Pāramitā (Perfection of Wisdom, Wylie Tib.: ''phar-phyin'') #* Ornament of Clear Realization (''Abhisamayālaṃkāra'') by

Maitreya Maitreya (Sanskrit: ) or Metteyya (Pali: ), also Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha, is regarded as the future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. As the 5th and final Buddha of the current kalpa, Maitreya's teachings will be aimed at ...

as related to Asaṅga #* The Way of the Bodhisattva (''Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra'', Wylie Tib.: ''sPyod-‘jug'') by

Śāntideva Shantideva (Sanskrit: Śāntideva; ; ; mn, Шантидэва гэгээн; vi, Tịch Thiên) was an 8th-century CE Indian philosopher, Buddhist monk, poet, and scholar at the mahavihara of Nalanda. He was an adherent of the Mādhyamaka phil ...

Madhyamaka Mādhyamaka ("middle way" or "centrism"; ; Tibetan: དབུ་མ་པ ; ''dbu ma pa''), otherwise known as Śūnyavāda ("the emptiness doctrine") and Niḥsvabhāvavāda ("the no ''svabhāva'' doctrine"), refers to a tradition of Buddhist ...

(Middle Way, Wylie Tib.: ''dbu-ma'') #* Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way (''Mūlamadhyamakakārikā,'' Wylie Tib.: ''rTsa dbu-ma)' by

Nāgārjuna Nāgārjuna . 150 – c. 250 CE (disputed)was an Indian Mahāyāna Buddhist thinker, scholar-saint and philosopher. He is widely considered one of the most important Buddhist philosophers.Garfield, Jay L. (1995), ''The Fundamental Wisdom of ...

#* Four Hundred Verses on the Yogic Deeds of Bodhisattvas (''Catuḥśataka'') by

Āryadeva Āryadeva (fl. 3rd century CE) (; , Chinese: ''Tipo pusa'' ��婆菩薩 = Deva Bodhisattva, was a Mahayana Buddhist monk, a disciple of Nagarjuna and a Madhyamaka philosopher.Silk, Jonathan A. (ed.) (2019). ''Brill’s Encyclopedia of Budd ...

#* Introduction to the Middle Way (''Madhyamakāvatāra'', Wylie Tib.: ‘’dBu-ma-la ‘Jug-pa)'' by

Candrakīrti Chandrakirti (; ; , meaning "glory of the moon" in Sanskrit) or "Chandra" was a Buddhist scholar of the madhyamaka school and a noted commentator on the works of Nagarjuna () and those of his main disciple, Aryadeva. He wrote two influential w ...

#* Ornament of the Middle Way (''Madhyamakālaṃkāra'') by

Śāntarakṣita (Sanskrit; , 725–788),stanford.eduŚāntarakṣita (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)/ref> whose name translates into English as "protected by the One who is at peace" was an important and influential Indian Buddhist philosopher, particul ...

#* The Way of the Bodhisattva (''Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra'', Wylie Tib.: ''sPyod-‘jug'') by

Logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premises ...

(''pramāṇa'' Wylie Tib.: ''tshad-ma'') #* Treatise on Valid Cognition (''Pramāṇavarttika'') by

Dharmakīrti Dharmakīrti (fl. c. 6th or 7th century; Tibetan: ཆོས་ཀྱི་གྲགས་པ་; Wylie: ''chos kyi grags pa''), was an influential Indian Buddhist philosopher who worked at Nālandā.Tom Tillemans (2011)Dharmakirti Stanford ...

#* Compendium on Valid Cognition (''Pramāṇasamuccaya'') by

Dignāga Dignāga (a.k.a. ''Diṅnāga'', c. 480 – c. 540 CE) was an Indian Buddhist scholar and one of the Buddhist founders of Indian logic (''hetu vidyā''). Dignāga's work laid the groundwork for the development of deductive logic in India and cr ...

# Vowed Morality (''vinaya'', Wylie Tib.: '''dul-ba'') #* The Root of the Vinaya (''Vinaya-mūla-sūtra'', ''Dülwa Do Tsawa'', Wylie Tib.: dul-ba mdo rtsa-ba'') by the Pandita Gunaprabha

Conferral of the Degree

In the Gelug school, the degree may not be earned by laypeople (though some recipients later give up their robes), or until recently by women (including

). The first geshema degree was conferred to a German nun, Kelsang Wangmo, in 2011. Translated and compiled by Alexander Berzin, September 2003.Quotation: The monastic education system in the Gelug monasteries covers five major topics, based on five great Indian scriptural texts studied through the medium of logic and debate – "tsennyi" (''mtshan-nyid'', definitions) in Tibetan.In December 2005 Dalai Lama said that talks was going on with the Department of religion to start honoring Buddhist nuns with the title Geshema �
Buddhism is All We Have - Dalai Lama
/ref> The Gelug curriculum, which lasts between 12 and 40 years, centers around textual memorization and ritualized

, and is invariably taught through the medium of the

Tibetan language Tibetan language may refer to: * Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard * Lhasa Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dialect * Any of the other Tibetic languages See also *Old Tibetan, the language ...

. Each year an examination is held for those who have completed their studies. In it their performance is evaluated by the abbot of the particular college. The topics for their dialectical examination are drawn from the whole course of study and the topic to be debated is selected by the abbot on the spot, so that students have no chance to do specific preparation. Thus, it is a real test of a student's abilities and the depth of their study. At the conclusion the abbot assigns each candidate to a category of ''geshe'' according to their ability. There are four such categories, ''Dorampa'', ''Lingtse'', ''Tsorampa'' and ''Lharampa'', ''Lharampa'' being the highest. After this, in order to qualify, the candidates are not allowed to miss even one of the three daily debate sessions during the subsequent eight months.

Sources

* * * * The Government of Tibet in Exile *

History

Curriculum

Conferral of the Degree

Sources

References

See also