- Also called:
- (incorrectly) Lamaism
- Key People:
- Srong-brtsan-sgam-po
- Bu-ston
- Related Topics:
- dharmapÄla
- Karma-pa
- Pe-har
- Bkaā-gdams-pa
- āBrug-pa
Tibetan Buddhism
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What is Tibetan Buddhism?
Tibetan Buddhism, a branch of Vajrayana (Tantric, or Esoteric) Buddhism, originated in Tibet around the 7th century CE. It evolved from the rigorous intellectual disciplines of Madhyamika and Yogachara philosophy, incorporating Tantric ritual practices that developed in Central Asia and Tibet, as well as the monastic disciplines of early Theravada Buddhism and the shamanistic features of the indigenous Tibetan religion, Bon.
A unique characteristic of Tibetan Buddhism is the large number of divine beings, each with its own family, consort, and pacific and terrifying aspects, which are considered symbolic representations of psychic life. In Tibetan Buddhism, the mandala is regarded as a collection point of universal forces, accessible to humans through meditation.
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Where did Tibetan Buddhism originate?
Tibetan Buddhism originated in Tibet, evolving from the 7th century CE. It is a branch of Vajrayana (Tantric, or Esoteric) Buddhism, drawing from Madhyamika and Yogachara philosophy, Tantric ritual practices, early Theravada Buddhism monastic disciplines, and the shamanistic features of the indigenous Tibetan religion, Bon.
Buddhism was mainly transmitted to Tibet from the 7th to 10th centuries. Key figures include the 8th-century Tantric master Padmasambhava and the Mahayana teacher Shantirakshita. In 1042, the arrival of Atisha from India initiated a reform movement, leading to the emergence of major Tibetan Buddhism sects within a century.
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What are some important beliefs in Tibetan Buddhism?
Tibetan Buddhism, a branch of Vajrayana Buddhism, evolved in Tibet from the 7th century CE. It integrates Madhyamika and Yogachara philosophy with Tantric ritual practices and shamanistic elements of the indigenous Bon religion.
Key features include a large monastic population, a system of reincarnating lamas, the Dalai Lama's spiritual and temporal authority, and a vast pantheon of deities representing psychic life. The Dalai Lama is considered the manifestation of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.
Meditation is central, often utilizing mandalas as focal points for accessing universal forces. Tibetan Buddhism emphasizes translating Buddhist texts, with a vast collection including the Bkaā-\āgyur and Bstan-\āgyur.
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Who are the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama?
The Dalai Lama is the leader of the Gelukpa order of Tibetan Buddhists and was the spiritual and temporal ruler of Tibet until 1959. The Dalai Lama is considered a reincarnated lama and the same enlightened being across different lives.
The Panchen Lama heads the Tashilhunpo Monastery and was second only to the Dalai Lama in spiritual authority within the Dge-lugs-pa sect. The Panchen Lamas are regarded as successive incarnations of the buddha Amitabha.
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What role do monks and monasteries play in Tibetan Buddhism?
In Tibetan Buddhism, monks and monasteries uphold a vital symbiotic relationship with the lay community. Monasteries serve as centers for Buddhist learning, meditation, teaching, and ritual activity, offering monks a chance to live apart from worldly concerns.
Monks within the sangha (the Buddhist monastic community) study, teach, and preserve Buddha's teachings, offering spiritual guidance and protection while the laity provides veneration and support. Monasteries may also function as banks, schools, social centers, and even judicial courts. Some larger monasteries operate similarly to theological universities.
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What are some traditional practices and rituals in Tibetan Buddhism?
Tibetan Buddhism, a branch of Vajrayana Buddhism, has many traditional practices and rituals.
- Festivals National festivals such as Losar (New Year) are celebrated with visits to monasteries, temples, and stupas where offerings are made. The Smom-lam festival marks Buddha's victory over religious opponents through debates and miracles.
- Veneration Veneration of Buddha, bodhisattvas, or saints involves showing respect, meditating, and giving gifts to relics and images.
- Mantras Mantras are central to Tibetan Buddhism and are considered sacred paths toward religious cognition and tools for liberation. The most popular mantra is oį¹ maį¹i padme hÅ«į¹, an invocation of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion.
- Prayer Wheels Prayer wheels are mechanical devices containing tightly wound scrolls printed with mantras. Each turn is equivalent to reciting the mantra, multiplying its efficacy.
- Mandalas Symbolic diagrams are used in sacred rites and meditation, representing the universe and guiding individuals through cosmic processes.
- Funerals Thoughts at the moment of death are significant. Sacred texts are read to the dying to prepare their minds. Cremation is common, and the Bardo Thƶdol is recited.
- Lamas Spiritual leaders, some considered reincarnations, guide religious practice. The Dalai Lama is the head of the dominant order and is seen as the manifestation of Avalokiteshvara.
- Meditation Mental concentration leads to spiritual freedom. Stages include detachment and equanimity, requiring wisdom and insight.
- Ordination Emphasis is placed on achieving enlightenment and vowing to become a bodhisattva.
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Tibetan Buddhism, branch of Vajrayana (Tantric, or Esoteric) Buddhism that evolved from the 7th century ce in Tibet. It is based mainly on the rigorous intellectual disciplines of Madhyamika and Yogachara philosophy and utilizes the Tantric ritual practices that developed in Central Asia and particularly in Tibet. Tibetan Buddhism also incorporates the monastic disciplines of early Theravada Buddhism and the shamanistic features of the indigenous Tibetan religion, Bon. Characteristic of Tibetan Buddhism is the unusually large segment of the population actively engaged in religious pursuits (up until the Chinese communist takeover of the country in the 1950s an estimated one-quarter of the inhabitants were members of religious orders); its system of āreincarnating lamasā; the traditional merger of the spiritual and temporal authority in the office and person of the Dalai Lama; and the vast number of divine beings (each with its own family, consort, and pacific and terrifying aspects), which are considered symbolic representations of the psychic life by the religiously sophisticated and accepted as realities by the common people.
Buddhism was transmitted into Tibet mainly during the 7th to 10th centuries. Notable early teachers were the illustrious 8th-century Tantric master Padmasambhava and the more orthodox Mahayana teacher Shantirakshita. With the arrival from India in 1042 of the great teacher Atisha, a reform movement was initiated, and within a century the major sects of Tibetan Buddhism had emerged. The Dge-lugs-pa, or One of the Virtuous System, commonly known as the Yellow Hats, the order of the Dalai and the Panchen Lamas, was the politically predominant Tibetan sect from the 17th century until 1959, when the hierocratic government of the Dalai Lama was abolished by the Peopleās Republic of China.
By the 14th century the Tibetans had succeeded in translating all available Buddhist literature in India and Tibet; many Sanskrit texts that have since been lost in the country of their origin are known only from their Tibetan translations. The Tibetan canon is divided into the Bkaā-āgyur, or āTranslation of the Word,ā consisting of the supposedly canonical texts, and the Bstan-āgyur, or āTransmitted Word,ā consisting of commentaries by Indian masters.
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In the second half of the 20th century Tibetan Buddhism spread to the West, particularly after the subjugation of Tibet to Chinese Communist rule sent many refugees, including highly regarded āreincarnated lamas,ā or tulkus, out of their homeland. Tibetan religious groups in the West include both communities of refugees and those consisting largely of Westerners drawn to the Tibetan tradition.