Nomenclature
The native Tibetan term for Buddhism is "TheHistory
Pre–6th century
During the 3rd century CE Buddhism began to spread into the Tibetan region and its teachings affected the Bon religion in the Kingdom of Zhangzhung.First dissemination (7th–9th centuries)
While some stories depict Buddhism in Tibet before this period, the religion was formally introduced during theEra of fragmentation (9th–10th centuries)
A reversal in Buddhist influence began under KingSecond dissemination (10th–12th centuries)
The late 10th and 11th centuries saw a revival of Buddhism in Tibet with the founding of "New Translation" ( ''Sarma'') lineages as well as the appearance of " hidden treasures" (''terma'') literature which reshaped theMongol dominance (13th–14th centuries)
Tibetan Buddhism exerted a strong influence from the 11th century CE among the peoples ofFrom family rule to Ganden Phodrang government (14th-18th centuries)
With the decline and end of the Mongol Yuan dynasty, Tibet regained independence and was ruled by successive local families from the 14th to the 17th century.Rossabi 1983, p. 194 Jangchub Gyaltsän (1302–1364) became the strongest political family in the mid 14th century. During this period the reformist scholarQing rule (18th–20th centuries)
The20th century
In 1912, following the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Tibet became de facto independent under the 13th21st century
Today, Tibetan Buddhism is adhered to widely in theThe Dharamsala administration under the Dalai Lama has nevertheless managed, over time, to create a relatively inclusive and democratic structure that has received broad support across the Tibetan communities in exile. Senior figures from the three non-Gelukpa Buddhist schools and from the Bonpo have been included in the religious administration, and relations between the different lamas and schools are now on the whole very positive. This is a considerable achievement, since the relations between these groups were often competitive and conflict-ridden in Tibet before 1959, and mutual distrust was initially widespread. The Dalai Lama's government at Dharamsala has also continued under difficult circumstances to argue for a negotiated settlement rather than armed struggle with China.In the wake of the
Teachings
Tibetan Buddhism upholds classic Buddhist teachings such as theBuddhahood and Bodhisattvas
The Mahāyāna goal of spiritual development is to achieve the enlightenment ofThe Bodhisattva path
A central schema for spiritual advancement used in Tibetan Buddhism is that of the Bhūmi (Buddhism)#Five Paths, five paths (Skt. ''pañcamārga''; Tib. ''lam nga'') which are: # The path of accumulation - in which one collects wisdom and merit, generates bodhicitta, cultivates the four foundations of mindfulness and Right effort, right effort (the "four abandonments"). # The path of preparation - Is attained when one reaches the union of calm abiding and higher insight meditations (see below) and one becomes familiar with Śūnyatā, emptiness. # The path of seeing - one perceives emptiness directly, all thoughts of subject and object are overcome, one becomes an ''Arya (Buddhism), arya''. # The path of meditation - one removes subtler traces from one's mind and perfects one's understanding. # The path of no more learning - which culminates in Buddhahood. The schema of the five paths is often elaborated and merged with the concept of the Bhūmi (Buddhism), ''bhumis'' or the bodhisattva levels.Lamrim
''Lamrim'' ("stages of the path") is a Tibetan Buddhist schema for presenting the stages of spiritual practice leading to Enlightenment in Buddhism, liberation. In Tibetan Buddhist history there have been many different versions of ''lamrim'', presented by different teachers of the Nyingma, Kagyu and Gelug schools (the Sakya school uses a different system named ''Lamdre''). However, all versions of the ''lamrim'' are elaborations ofVajrayāna
Tibetan Buddhism incorporatesThose things by which evil men are bound, others turn into means and gain thereby release from the bonds of existence. By passion the world is bound, by passion too it is released, but by heretical Buddhists this practice of reversals is not known.Another element of the Tantras is their use of transgressive practices, such as drinking taboo substances such as alcohol or Karmamudrā, sexual yoga. While in many cases these transgressions were interpreted only symbolically, in other cases they are practiced literally.Kapstein, Matthew T. ''Tibetan Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction''. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014, p. 83.
Philosophy
The Indian Buddhist Madhyamaka ("Middle Way" or "Centrism") philosophy, also called ''Śūnyavāda'' (the emptiness doctrine) is the dominant Buddhist philosophy in Tibetan Buddhism. In Madhyamaka, the true nature of reality is referred to as ''Śūnyatā'', which is the fact that all phenomena are empty of Svabhava, inherent existence or essence (''svabhava''). Madhyamaka is generally seen as the highest philosophical view by most Tibetan philosophers, but it is interpreted in numerous different ways. The other main Mahayana philosophical school, Yogacara, Yogācāra has also been very influential in Tibetan Buddhism, but there is more disagreement among the various schools and philosophers regarding its status. While the Gelug school generally sees Yogācāra views as either false or provisional (i.e. only pertaining to conventional truth), philosophers in the other three main schools, such as Jamgön Ju Mipham Gyatso, Ju Mipham and Sakya Chokden, hold that Yogācāra ideas are as important as Madhyamaka views. In Tibetan Buddhist scholasticism, Buddhist philosophy is traditionally propounded according to a hierarchical classification of four classical Indian philosophical schools, known as the "four tenets" (''drubta shyi''). While the classical tenets-system is limited to four tenets (Vaibhāṣika, Sautrāntika, Yogācāra, and Madhyamaka), there are further sub-classifications within these different tenets (see below). This classification does not include Theravada, the only surviving of the 18 classical schools of Buddhism. It also does not include other Indian Buddhist schools, such as Mahāsāṃghika, Mahasamghika and Pudgalavada. Two tenets belong to the path referred to as the Hinayana ("lesser vehicle") or Śrāvakayāna, Sravakayana ("the disciples' vehicle"), and are both related to the north Indian Sarvastivada tradition: * Vaibhāṣika (). The primary source for the Vaibhāṣika in Tibetan Buddhism is the ''Abhidharma-kosa, Abhidharma-kośa'' of Vasubandhu and its commentaries. This Abhidharma system affirms an atomistic view of reality which states ultimate reality is made up of a series of impermanent phenomena called ''Dharma theory, dharmas''. It also defends Eternalism (philosophy of time), eternalism regarding the Philosophy of space and time, philosophy of time, as well the view that perception directly experiences external objects.Kapstein, Matthew T. ''Tibetan Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction''. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014, p. 67. * Sautrāntika (). The main sources for this view is the ''Abhidharmakośa'', as well as the work of Dignāga and Dharmakirti, Dharmakīrti. As opposed to Vaibhāṣika, this view holds that only the present moment exists (Philosophical presentism, presentism), as well as the view that we do not directly perceive the external world only the mental images caused by objects and our sense faculties. The other two tenets are the two major Indian Mahayana philosophies: * Yogacara, Yogācāra, also called ''Vijñānavāda'' (the doctrine of consciousness) and ''Cittamātra'' ("Mind-Only", ). Yogacārins base their views on texts from Maitreya, Asanga, Asaṅga and Vasubandhu. Yogacara is often interpreted as a form of Idealism due to its main doctrine, the view that only ideas or mental images exist (''vijñapti-mātra''). Some Tibetan philosophers interpret Yogācāra as the view that the mind (''citta'') exists in an ultimate sense, because of this, it is often seen as inferior to Madhyamaka. However, other Tibetan thinkers deny that the Indian Yogacāra masters held the view of the ultimate existence of the mind, and thus, they place Yogācāra on a level comparable to Madhyamaka. This perspective is common in the Nyingma school, as well as in the work of the Rangjung Dorje, 3rd Karmapa Lama, Third Karmapa, the Chödrak Gyatso, 7th Karmapa Lama, Seventh Karmapa and Jamgon Kongtrul. * Madhyamaka () - The philosophy of Nagarjuna, Nāgārjuna and Aryadeva, Āryadeva, which affirms that everything is empty of essence (''svabhava'') and is ultimately beyond concepts. There are various further classifications, sub-schools and interpretations of Madhymaka in Tibetan Buddhism and numerous debates about various key disagreements remain a part of Tibetan Buddhist scholasticism today. One of the key debates is that between the Rangtong-Shentong, rangtong (self-empty) interpretation and the shentong (other empty) interpretation. Another major disagreement is the debate on the Svatantrika, Svātantrika Madhyamaka method and the Prasaṅgika method. There are further disagreements regarding just how useful an intellectual understanding of emptiness can be and whether emptiness should only be described as an absolute negation (the view of Je Tsongkhapa, Tsongkhapa). The tenet systems are used in monasteries and colleges to teach Buddhist philosophy in a systematic and progressive fashion, each philosophical view being seen as more subtle than its predecessor. Therefore, the four tenets can be seen as a gradual path from a rather easy-to-grasp, "realistic" philosophical point of view, to more and more complex and subtle views on the ultimate nature of reality, culminating in the philosophy of the Mādhyamikas, which is widely believed to present the most sophisticated point of view. Non-Tibetan scholars point out that historically, Madhyamaka predates Yogacara, however.Texts and study
Study of major Buddhist Indian texts is central to the monastic curriculum in all four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Memorization of classic texts as well as other ritual texts is expected as part of traditional monastic education. Another important part of higher religious education is the practice of formalized debate. The canon was mostly finalized in the 13th century, and divided into two parts, theSutras
Among the most widely studied sutras in Tibetan Buddhism are Mahayana sutras, Mahāyāna sutras such as the ''Perfection of Wisdom'' or Prajnaparamita, ''Prajñāpāramitā'' sutras, and others such as the ''Sandhinirmocana Sutra, Saṃdhinirmocana-sūtra,'' and the ''Samadhiraja Sutra, Samādhirāja Sūtra.'' According to Je Tsongkhapa, Tsongkhapa, the two authoritative systems of Mahayana Philosophy (viz. that of Asaṅga - Yogacara and that of Nāgārjuna - Madhyamaka) are based on specific Mahāyāna sūtras: the ''Saṃdhinirmocana Sūtra'' and the Akṣayamatinirdeśa Sūtra, ''Questions of Akṣayamati'' (''Akṣayamatinirdeśa Sūtra'') respectively. Furthermore, according to Thupten Jinpa, for Tsongkhapa, "at the heart of these two hermeneutical systems lies their interpretations of the Perfection of Wisdom sūtras, the archetypal example being the ''Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines''."Treatises of the Indian masters
The study of Indian Buddhist treatises called ''shastras'' is central to Tibetan Buddhist scholasticism. Some of the most important works are those by the six great Indian Mahayana authors which are known as the Six Ornaments and Two Supreme Ones (Tib. ''gyen druk chok nyi'', Wyl. ''rgyan drug mchog gnyis''), the six being: Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, Asanga, Vasubandhu, Dignaga, and Dharmakirti and the two being: Gunaprabha and Shakyaprabha (or Nagarjuna and Asanga depending on the tradition). Since the late 11th century, traditional Tibetan monastic colleges generally organized the exoteric study of Buddhism into "five great textual traditions" (''zhungchen-nga''). # Abhidharma #* Asanga's ''Abhidharma-samuccaya'' #* Vasubandhu's ''Abhidharma-kośa'' # Prajnaparamita #* ''Abhisamayalankara'' #* Shantideva's ''Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra'' # Madhyamaka #* Nagarjuna's ''Mūlamadhyamakakārikā'' #* Aryadeva's ''Four Hundred Verses'' (''Catuhsataka'') #* Candrakīrti's ''Madhyamakāvatāra'' #*Other important texts
Also of great importance are the "Maitreya-nātha#Attributed works, Five Treatises of Maitreya" including the influential ''Ratnagotravibhāga (text), Ratnagotravibhāga'', a compendium of the Tathāgatagarbha sūtras, ''tathāgatagarbha'' literature, and the ''Mahayana-sutra-alamkara-karika, Mahayanasutralankara'', a text on the Mahayana path from the Yogacara perspective, which are often attributed to Asanga. Practiced focused texts such as the Yogacarabhumi, ''Yogācārabhūmi-Śāstra'' andTantric literature
In Tibetan Buddhism, the Buddhist Tantras are divided into four or six categories, with several sub-categories for the highest Tantras. In the Nyingma, the division is into ''Outer Tantras'' (Classes of Tantra in Tibetan Buddhism#Kriyā, Kriyayoga, Charyayoga, Yogatantra); and ''Inner Tantras'' (Mahayoga, Anuyoga, Atiyoga/Transmission and realization
There is a long history of Oral tradition, oral transmission of teachings in Tibetan Buddhism. Oral transmissions by Lineage (Buddhism), lineage holders traditionally can take place in small groups or mass gatherings of listeners and may last for seconds (in the case of a Mantra#Buddhism, mantra, for example) or months (as in the case of a section of thePractices
In Tibetan Buddhism, practices are generally classified as either Sutra (or ''Pāramitāyāna'') or Tantra (''Vajrayāna or Mantrayāna''), though exactly what constitutes each category and what is included and excluded in each is a matter of debate and differs among the various lineages. According to Tsongkhapa for example, what separates Tantra from Sutra is the practice of Deity yoga. Furthermore, the adherents of the Nyingma school consider Dzogchen to be a separate and independent vehicle, which transcends both sutra and tantra. While it is generally held that the practices of Vajrayāna are not included in Sutrayāna, all Sutrayāna practices are common to Vajrayāna practice. Traditionally, Vajrayāna is held to be a more powerful and effective path, but potentially more difficult and dangerous and thus they should only be undertaken by the advanced who have established a solid basis in other practices.Pāramitā
The Paramitas, ''pāramitās'' (perfections, transcendent virtues) is a key set of virtues which constitute the major practices of a bodhisattva in non-tantric Mahayana. They are: # ''Dāna pāramitā'': generosity, giving (Tibetan: སབྱིན་པ ''sbyin-pa'') # ''Śīla pāramitā:'' virtue, morality, discipline, proper conduct (ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས ''tshul-khrims'') # ''Kshanti, pāramitā'': patience, tolerance, forbearance, acceptance, endurance (བཟོད་པ ''bzod-pa'') # ''Vīrya pāramitā'': energy, diligence, vigor, effort (བརྩོན་འགྲུས ''brtson-’grus'') # ''Dhyāna in Buddhism, Dhyāna pāramitā'': one-pointed concentration, meditation, contemplation (བསམ་གཏན ''bsam-gtan'') # ''Prajñā (Buddhism), Prajñā pāramitā'': wisdom, knowledge (ཤེས་རབ ''shes-rab'') The practice of ''dāna'' (giving) while traditionally referring to offerings of food to the monastics can also refer to the ritual offering of bowls of water, incense, butter lamps and flowers to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas on a shrine or household altar. Similar offerings are also given to other beings such as hungry ghosts, dakinis, protector deities, local divinities etc. Like other forms of Mahayana Buddhism, the practice of the five precepts and bodhisattva vows is part of Tibetan Buddhist moral (''sila'') practice. In addition to these, there are also numerous sets of Tantric vows, termed samaya, which are given as part of Tantric initiations. Compassion (''karuṇā'') practices are also particularly important in Tibetan Buddhism. One of the foremost authoritative texts on the Bodhisattva path is the ''Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra'' by Shantideva. In the eighth section entitled ''Meditative Concentration'', Shantideva describes meditation on Karunā as thus: A popular compassion meditation in Tibetan Buddhism is ''tonglen'' (sending and taking love and suffering respectively). Practices associated with Avalokiteśvara, Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara), also tend to focus on compassion.Samatha and Vipaśyanā
ThePreliminary practices
Guru yoga
As in other Buddhist traditions, an attitude of reverence for the teacher, or guru, is also highly prized. At the beginning of a public teaching, a ''lama'' will do prostrations to the throne on which he will teach due to its symbolism, or to an image of the Buddha behind that throne, then students will do prostrations to the lama after he is seated. Merit accrues when one's interactions with the teacher are imbued with such reverence in the form of guru devotion, a code of practices governing them that derives from Indian sources. By such things as avoiding disturbance to the peace of mind of one's teacher, and wholeheartedly following his prescriptions, much merit accrues and this can significantly help improve one's practice. There is a general sense in which any Tibetan Buddhist teacher is called a ''lama''. A student may have taken teachings from many authorities and revere them all as ''lamas'' in this general sense. However, he will typically have one held in special esteem as his own root guru and is encouraged to view the other teachers who are less dear to him, however more exalted their status, as embodied in and subsumed by the root guru. One particular feature of the Tantric view of teacher student relationship is that in Tibetan Buddhist Tantra, one is instructed to regard one's guru as an awakened Buddha.Kapstein, Matthew T. ''Tibetan Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction''. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014, p. 80.Esotericism and vows
In Vajrayāna particularly, Tibetan Buddhists subscribe to a voluntary code of self-censorship, whereby the uninitiated do not seek and are not provided with information about it. This self-censorship may be applied more or less strictly depending on circumstances such as the material involved. A depiction of a Mandalas, mandala may be less public than that of a deity. That of a higher tantric deity may be less public than that of a lower. The degree to which information on Vajrayāna is now public in western languages is controversial among Tibetan Buddhists. Buddhism has always had a taste for esotericism since its earliest period in India. Tibetans today maintain greater or lesser degrees of confidentiality also with information on the ''vinaya'' and Śūnyatā, emptiness specifically. In Buddhist teachings generally, too, there is caution about revealing information to people who may be unready for it. Practicing tantra also includes the maintaining of a separate set of vows, which are called ''Samaya (dam tshig)''. There are various lists of these and they may differ depending on the practice and one's lineage or individual guru. Upholding these vows is said to be essential for tantric practice and breaking them is said to cause great harm.Ritual
There has been a "close association" between the religious and the secular, the spiritual and the temporal in Tibet. The term for this relationship is ''chos srid zung 'brel.'' Traditionally Tibetan lamas have tended to the lay populace by helping them with issues such as protection and prosperity. Common traditions have been the various rites and rituals for mundane ends, such as purifying one's karma, avoiding harm from demonic forces and enemies, and promoting a successful harvest. Divination and exorcism are examples of practices a lama might use for this. Ritual is generally more elaborate than in other forms of Buddhism, with complex altar arrangements and works of art (such as mandalas and thangkas), many ritual objects, hand gestures (''mudra''), chants, and musical instruments. A special kind of ritual called Empowerment (Vajrayana), an initiation or empowerment (Sanskrit: ''Abhiseka'', Tibetan: ''Wangkur'') is central to Tantric practice. These rituals consecrate a practitioner into a particular Tantric practice associated with individual mandalas of deities and mantras. Without having gone through initiation, one is generally not allowed to practice the higher Tantras. Another important ritual occasion in Tibetan Buddhism is that of Funeral, mortuary rituals which are supposed to assure that one has a positive rebirth and a good spiritual path in the future.Kapstein, Matthew T. ''Tibetan Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction''. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014, p. 94. Of central importance to Tibetan Buddhist ''Ars moriendi'' is the idea of the bardo (Sanskrit: ''antarābhava''), the intermediate or liminal state between life and death. Rituals and the readings of texts such as the ''Bardo Thodol'' are done to ensure that the dying person can navigate this intermediate state skillfully. Cremation and sky burial are traditionally the main funeral rites used to dispose of the body.Mantra
The use of (mainly Sanskrit) prayer formulas, incantations or phrases called mantras (Tibetan: ''sngags'') is another widespread feature of Tibetan Buddhist practice. So common is the use of mantras that Vajrayana is also sometimes called "''Mantrayāna''" (the mantra vehicle). Mantras are widely recited, chanted, written or inscribed, and visualized as part of different forms of meditation. Each mantra has symbolic meaning and will often have a connection to a particular Buddha or Bodhisattva. Each deity's mantra is seen as symbolizing the function, speech and power of the deity. Tibetan Buddhist practitioners repeat mantras like Om mani padme hum, Om Mani Padme Hum in order to train the mind, and transform their thoughts in line with the divine qualities of the mantra's deity and special power. Tibetan Buddhists see the etymology of the term mantra as meaning "mind protector", and mantras is seen as a way to guard the mind against negativity. According to Lama Zopa Rinpoche:Mantras are effective because they help keep your mind quiet and peaceful, automatically integrating it into one-pointedness. They make your mind receptive to very subtle vibrations and thereby heighten your perception. Their recitation eradicates gross negativities and the true nature of things can then be reflected in your mind's resulting clarity. By practising a transcendental mantra, you can in fact purify all the defiled energy of your body, speech, and mind.Mantras also serve to focus the mind as a samatha (calming) practice as well as a way to transform the mind through the symbolic meaning of the mantra. In Buddhism, it is important to have the proper intention, focus and faith when practicing mantras, if one does not, they will not work. Unlike in Hinduism, mantras are not believed to have inherent power of their own, and thus without the proper faith, intention and mental focus, they are just mere sounds. Thus according to the Tibetan philosopher Jamgon Ju Mipham Gyatso, Jamgon Ju Mipham:
if a mantra is thought to be something ordinary and not seen for what it is, it will not be able to perform its intended function. Mantras are like non-conceptual wish-fulfilling jewels. Infusing one's being with the blessings of mantra, like the form of a moon reflected on a body of water, necessitates the presence of faith and other conditions that set the stage for the spiritual attainments of mantra. Just as the moon's reflection cannot appear without water, mantras cannot function without the presence of faith and other such factors in one's being.Mantras are part of the highest tantric practices in Tibetan Buddhism, such as Deity Yoga and are recited and visualized during tantric sadhanas. Thus, Tsongkhapa says that mantra "protects the mind from ordinary appearances and conceptions". This is because in Tibetan Buddhist Tantric praxis, one must develop a sense that everything is divine.
Tantric sadhana and yoga
In what is called ''Anuttarayoga tantra, higher yoga tantra'' the emphasis is on various spiritual practices, called yogas (''naljor'') and Sādhanā, sadhanas (''druptap'') which allow the practitioner to realize the true nature of reality. ''Deity Yoga'' (Tibetan: ''lha'i rnal 'byor''; Sanskrit: ''Devata-yoga'') is a fundamental practice of VajrayanaIf Buddhahood is a source of infinite potentiality accessible at any time, then the Tantric deities are in a sense partial aspects, refractions of that total potentiality. Visualizing one of these deities, or oneself identifying with one of them, is not, in Tibetan Tantric thought, a technique to worship an external entity. Rather, it is a way of accessing or tuning into something that is an intrinsic part of the structure of the universe—as of course is the practitioner him or herself.Deity yoga involves two stages, the generation stage (''utpattikrama'') and the completion stage (''nispannakrama''). In the generation stage, one dissolves the mundane world and visualizes one's chosen deity (''yidam''), its mandala and companion deities, resulting in identification with this divine reality. In the completion stage, one dissolves the visualization of and identification with the yidam in the realization ultimate reality. Completion stage practices can also include subtle body energy practices, such as ''tummo'' (lit. "Fierce Woman", Skt. ''caṇḍālī,'' inner fire), as well as other practices that can be found in systems such as the Six Yogas of Naropa (like Dream yoga, Dream Yoga, Bardo, Bardo Yoga and Phowa) and the Six Vajra-yogas of Kalacakra.
Dzogchen and Mahamudra
Another form of high level Tibetan Buddhist practice are the meditations associated with the traditions of Mahamudra, Mahāmudrā ("Great Seal") andInstitutions and clergy
Buddhist monasticism is an important part of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, all the major and minor schools maintain large monastic institutions based on the Mulasarvastivadathose who were monks, living in monasteries; those who lived a lay life, with their homes in villages; lay masters who lived as tent-dwelling nomads, travelling with their disciples, in some cases following their herds; and those who were yogis, often living in caves.Lamas are generally skilled and experienced tantric practitioners and ritual specialists in a specific initiation lineage and may be laypersons or monastics. They act not just as teachers, but as spiritual guides and guardians of the lineage teachings that they have received through a long and intimate process of apprenticeship with their Lamas. Tibetan Buddhism also includes a number of lay clergy and lay tantric specialists, such as Ngagpa, ''Ngagpas'' (Skt. ''mantrī''), ''Gomchens'', ''Serkyims'', and ''Chödpas'' (practitioners of Chöd). According to Samuel, in the more remote parts of the Himalayas, communities were often led by lay religious specialists. Thus, while the large monastic institutions were present in the regions of the Tibetan Plateau, Tibetan plateau which were more centralized politically, in other regions they were absent and instead smaller Gompa, ''gompas'' and more lay oriented communities prevailed. Samuel outlines four main types of religious communities in Tibet: * Small communities of lay practitioners attached to a temple and a lama. Lay practitioners might stay in the ''gompa'' for periodic retreats. * Small communities of celibate monastics attached to a temple and a lama, often part of a village. * Medium to large communities of celibate monastics. These could maintain several hundred monks and might have extensive land holdings, be financially independent, and sometimes also act as trading centers. * Large teaching monasteries with thousands of monks, such as the big Gelug establishments of Sera Monastery, Sera (with over 6000 monks in the first half of the 20th century) and Drepung Monastery, Drepung (over 7000). In some cases a lama is the leader of a spiritual community. Some lamas gain their title through being part of particular family which maintains a lineage of hereditary lamas (and are thus often laypersons). One example is the Sakya family of Kon, who founded the
Women in Tibetan Buddhism
Women in Tibetan society, though still unequal, tended to have a relatively greater autonomy and power than in surrounding societies. This might be because of the smaller household sizes and low population density in Tibet. Women traditionally took many roles in Tibetan Buddhism, from lay supporters, to monastics, lamas and tantric practitioners. There is evidence for the importance of female practitioners in Indian Tantric Buddhism and pre-modern Tibetan Buddhism. At least one major lineage of tantric teachings, the Shangpa Kagyu, traces itself to Indian female teachers and there have been a series of important female Tibetan teachers, such asNuns
While monasticism is practiced there by women, it is much less common (2 percent of the population in the 20th century compared to 12 percent of men). Nuns were also much less respected by Tibetan society than monks and may receive less lay support than male monastics. Traditionally, Tibetan Buddhist nuns were also not "fully ordained" as bhikkhuni, bhikṣuṇīs (who take the full set of monastic vows in theWestern nuns and lamas
Buddhist author Michaela Haas notes that Tibetan Buddhism is undergoing a sea change in the West, with women playing a much more central role. Freda Bedi was a British woman who was the first Western woman to take ordination in Tibetan Buddhism, which occurred in 1966. Pema Chödrön was the first American woman to be ordained as a Buddhist nun in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. In 2010 the first Tibetan Buddhist nunnery in America, Vajra Dakini Nunnery in Vermont, was officially consecrated. It offers novice ordination and follows the Drikung Kagyu lineage of Buddhism. The abbot of the Vajra Dakini nunnery is Khenmo Drolma, an American woman, who is the first bhikṣuṇī in the Drikung lineage of Buddhism, having been ordained in Taiwan in 2002. She is also the first westerner, male or female, to be installed as an abbot in the Drikung Kagyu lineage of Buddhism, having been installed as the abbot of the Vajra Dakini Nunnery in 2004. The Vajra Dakini Nunnery does not follow The Eight Garudhammas. In April 2011, the Institute for Buddhist Dialectical Studies (IBD) in Dharamsala, India, conferred the degree of geshe, a Tibetan Buddhist academic degree for monastics, on 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 geshe degrees. Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo gained international attention in the late 1980s as the first Western woman to be a Penor Rinpoche enthronedMajor lineages
The Tibetan Rimé movement, Rime (non-sectarian) scholar Jamgon Kongtrul, in his ''Treasury of Knowledge,'' outlines the "Eight Great Practice Lineages" which were transmitted to Tibet. His approach is not concerned with "schools" or sects, but rather focuses on the transmission of crucial meditation teachings. They are: #TheTibetan Buddhist schools
There are various schools or traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. The four main traditions overlap markedly, such that "about eighty percent or more of the features of the Tibetan schools are the same".How Do the Tibetan Buddhist Traditions Differ?Glossary of terms used
See also
*Buddhism in Sri Lanka *Buddhist deities *Chinese Buddhism *Chinese Esoteric Buddhism *Death horoscopes in Tibetan Buddhism *Derge Parkhang *History of Tibetan Buddhism *Karma in Tibetan Buddhism *Keydong Thuk-Che-Cho-Ling Nunnery *Kum Nye *Notes
References
Citations
Sources
* * Coleman, Graham, ed. (1993). ''A Handbook of Tibetan Culture''. Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc. . * * * * [A pithy lam-rim by a geshe appointed in 1973 by the Dalai Lama as head of the translation team at the Tibetan Library.] * [The first part of a more extensive lam-rim by a geshe appointed in 1973 by the Dalai Lama as head of the translation team at the Tibetan Library. The language of this publication is very different from that of the 1978 work by the same lama due to widespread changes in choice of English terminology by the translators.] * * Hill, John E. "Notes on the Dating of Khotanese History." ''Indo-Iranian Journal'', Vol. 13, No. 3 July 1988. To purchase this article seeFurther reading
Introductory books * John Powers (1995, 2007), ''Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism'', Snow Lion Publications * John Powers (2008), ''A Concise Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism'', Snow Lion Publications * Matthew T. Kapstein (2014), ''Tibetan Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction'', Oxford University Press * Wallace, B. Alan (October 25, 1993). ''Tibetan Buddhism From the Ground Up: A Practical Approach for Modern Life''. Wisdom Publications. , "Insider" texts * Yeshe, Lama Thubten (2001). "The Essence of Tibetan Buddhism". Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. Other books * Coleman, Graham, ed. (1993). ''A Handbook of Tibetan Culture''. Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc. . * * Edmundson, Henry, ''Tales from the Himalaya'', Vajra Books, Kathmandu, 2019. * Smith, E. Gene (2001). ''Among Tibetan Texts: History and Literature of the Himalayan Plateau''. Boston: Wisdom Publications. * ;Articles *External links
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