Tibetan Buddhism

There are four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism – Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu, and Gelugpa. Tibet inherited and preserved the vast wealth of Indian Buddhism almost in its entirety, encompassing the three main “vehicles” of teaching, the foundational vehicle (Hinayana), Mahayana, and Vajrayana. Tibetan Buddhism is often referred to as Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism, but it does include the other vehicles (or yanas) as well. Yana is generally translated as vehicle but can also refer to the journey or path itself.

Traditionally the Sakya and Gelug tended to emphasize the benefits of study as well as practice, while the Nyingma and Kagyu tended to emphasize the development of practice and faith, but nowadays the distinctions are not nearly so clear cut.

Nyingma is the oldest school of Tibetan Buddhism. Padmasambhava, the great Indian tantric master who brought Buddhism to Tibet, is of central importance to this lineage. Its distinctive practice is Dzogchen, the Great Perfection, which is looked upon as the pinnacle of Buddhist practice. Dzogchen is often compared with Zen, but although these non-dual approaches may appear similar, Dzogchen has a tantric base.

The Sakya tradition traces its origins to the Indian yogi Virupa. Their characteristic meditative system is the Lam dre, or “the path and its result”.

The Kagyu school traces its history back to the Indian masters Tilopa and Naropa and then to Marpa and Tibet’s most famous and beloved yogi, Milarepa and it includes the lineage of Karmapas. It places special emphasis on the Mahamudra system of meditation teachings.

The Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism was founded by the great reformer and yogi-scholar Lama Tsong Khapa. He placed special emphasis on monastic training and study, as well as practice. The Dalai Lamas are often mostly associated with this school but will also have received and given teachings in all four schools. The head of the Gelug school is not actually the Dalai Lama, but the Ganden Tri Rinpoche. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is however, revered as the spiritual head of Tibet.

Tibetan Buddhism is to be found not only in Tibet, but right across the Himalayan region from Ladakh to Sikkim, as well as parts of Nepal. It is the state religion of the kingdom of Bhutan. It also spread to Mongolia and parts of Russia (Kalmykia, Buryatia and Tuva) Tibetan refugees have brought it back to India, where it can be found in all the many Tibetan settlements. In modern times it has become very popular in the West.

Tibetan Buddhism takes as its motivating spiritual ideal the way of the bodhisattva, the altruistic intention to attain enlightenment for all beings. All Tibetan traditions place special emphasis on the teacher-student relationship. This distinctive approach is based on the Indian ideal of the guru (Lama in Tibetan). The Vajrayana or Tantra is not considered separate from the Mahayana, but has a special connection within it, as it is based on an altruistic Mahayana motivation. Tantra is a path of transformation in which you work under the guidance of a suitably qualified teacher to allow you to access subtler and deeper states of consciousness such as transforming the emotions and ego.

Another distinctive feature of Tibetan Buddhism is the deities. These deities are not gods as such, but aspects of enlightened qualities eg; wisdom and compassion. The patron deity of Tibet is Avalokiteshvara, (Chenrezig in Tibetan), the Buddha of Compassion. The well known Sanskrit mantra Om Mani Padme Hung is associated with invoking and cultivating this practice of infinite compassion for all beings.

The practice of individual Tibetan Buddhists varies because the practice is tailored to the needs and propensities of the individual. There are a great many different teachings and practices in Tibetan Buddhism varying from basic sutra teachings to tantra and the non-dual teachings of Mahamudra and Dzogchen.

Tibetan Buddhism also has a very strong emphasis on meditational practices and Tibet has a very rich history full of the extraordinary stories of great accomplished and realized yogis and yoginis and highly charismatic Buddhist masters. The lives and teachings of these outstanding meditators and practitioners stand as testament to the effectiveness of the system.

Another aspect which is very prominent in Tibetan Buddhism is the vast array of teachings on death and dying, maybe more so than in any other culture. This is not some morbid fascination – on the contrary, a proper understanding of the subject of death and dying is held to be indispensable towards having a fuller, happier life and a vital part of Buddhist practice.

The Tibetan monastic training, particularly in the Gelug, focuses on the main topics of Pramana (Buddhist logic), Madhyamika (Buddhist philosophy), Abhidharma (Buddhist psychology and cosmology etc), Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom), and Vinaya (monastic rules). Gelugpas can go on to gain their Geshe degree, a theological qualification for teaching.

In summary, His Holiness the Dalai Lama describes Tibetan Buddhism as the “science of the mind” and has often said that, “my religion is kindness.” Understanding the true nature of the mind and mind training is the focus of the path towards enlightenment for the sake of all beings.

Source: The Buddhist Society