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Why is the Dge-lugs-pa school also called the Yellow Hat sect?
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Tibet
Potala Palace, Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China.
The Dge-lugs-pa school of Tibetan Buddhism is commonly referred to as the Yellow Hat sect because its members adopted a distinctive yellow headdress.12
This choice of attire was specifically intended to distinguish the order from the older Karma-pa sect, whose monks traditionally wear red hats. Beyond the color of their headgear, the founder of the school, Tsong-kha-pa, also mandated the wearing of yellow robes as part of his broader efforts to restore strict monastic discipline, celibacy, and rigorous adherence to traditional religious routines.13