Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is a prominent religious tradition primarily practiced in Tibet, Bhutan, Mongolia, and the northern regions of Nepal, as well as other Himalayan areas. It is part of the Vajrayana branch of Buddhism, which is known for developing later than the older traditions of Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism. Historically, Tibetan Buddhism remained relatively obscure until the mid-20th century, when the Chinese occupation of Tibet led to a diaspora of Tibetan Buddhist teachers, introducing the faith to a wider audience, especially in North America.
This tradition incorporates unique beliefs, practices, and esoteric teachings, distinguishing it from other forms of Buddhism. Central to Tibetan Buddhism are the Four Noble Truths, alongside a variety of practices that include rituals, mantras, and meditation techniques focused on achieving enlightenment in one lifetime. The role of the lama, or spiritual teacher, is particularly significant, with figures like the Dalai Lama holding both spiritual and temporal authority. Tibetan Buddhism also embraces a belief in the supernatural, utilizing deities and protective rituals, while its approach to human nature seeks to transform negative traits into wisdom. Overall, Tibetan Buddhism is characterized by its rich cultural heritage and its emphasis on accelerating the spiritual journey.
Tibetan Buddhism
Formation: 787 CE—first monastery in Tibet
Founder:The Buddha
Tibetan Buddhism is the most commonly followed religious tradition in Tibet, Bhutan, Mongolia, the northern areas in Nepal and other Himalayan countries, as well as several other locations in the Himalayan region of Asia. It is the state religion of Bhutan. It is part of the Vajrayana tradition of Buddhism, which is the most recently developed of the three main groups in the Buddhist religion.
Until the 1950s, Tibetan Buddhism was relatively unknown outside of the mountainous Asian regions where the religion is followed. Tibet was so remote that it wasn’t until Communist China occupied Tibet in midcentury and generated a diaspora of Tibetan Buddhist teachers that the religion became better known to the outside world.
Various aspects of Tibetan Buddhist beliefs and practices have made it appealing outside of the country that gives it its name (Tibet), particularly in the United States. Partially as a result of the teachings of Tibetan Buddhists, Buddhism has become one of the fastest-growing religions in North America.
History
The historic Buddha lived in northern India sometime around the year 500 BCE. Named Siddhartha Gautama at birth and sometimes known as Shakyamuni Buddha, he was a man of royal birth who rejected his life of privilege; instead, he devoted himself to the goal of seeking the highest good and inner peace. According to tradition, he attained the highest level of enlightenment at age thirty-five, becoming a Buddha in the process—that is, a fully awakened or enlightened being. For the next forty years, he taught the path to spiritual awakening. He founded communities of monks and nuns who passed on his teachings, thus founding the religion now known as Buddhism.
There are many schools of Buddhism. The oldest tradition is called Theravada Buddhism. This tradition places a greater emphasis on monasticism than the others do. Theravada Buddhism is most common today in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Thailand.
Sometime around the first century BCE, Mahayana Buddhism developed in northern India. This tradition reveres figures known as bodhisattvas. A bodhisattva is a person who works for the enlightenment of others, not just for him- or herself. Mahayana Buddhism spread mainly into China, Korea, and Japan, settling there while dying out in India.
About nine centuries later, the third main Buddhist tradition, Vajrayana, developed in northern India. It spread into the Himalayan kingdoms and Mongolia. Between the years 900 and 1200 CE, Buddhism developed into a unique form in Tibet. By the year 1400, there were four major schools in the Tibetan practice of the religion. The Nyingma school retains original Vajrayana teachings and methods. The other three schools—Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug—all adhere to later teachings within the same denomination that came from India. In all four schools, the basic tenets are the same, but they vary according to teaching traditions and esoteric learning that are unique to each school.
Beliefs and Practices
The Vajrayana tradition of Buddhism differs greatly enough from the two earlier forms of the religion to be considered something other than authentic Buddhism in Southeast Asia. This branch relies to a degree on scriptures called tantras that describe yogic techniques, and as a consequence, it is also called Tantric Buddhism. Its beliefs and practices sometimes include a mysticism that is far removed from the central precepts of the other Buddhist denominations.
The so-called Four Noble Truths at the core of Buddhist teachings are part of Tibetan Buddhism as well. These truths explain the reasons for suffering and the path to enlightenment. They do not refer to a creator or any other deities, but Tibetan Buddhism includes a belief in the supernatural. Some of the denomination’s practices are designed to protect the individual against evil spirits or to invoke any of a large number of deities.
Despite this very big difference, Tibetan Buddhism combines elements of the other two Buddhist denominations. The teachings, meditation techniques, and vows of Theravada are combined with the philosophy of Mahayana. However, Mahayana regards earthly cravings, aggression, and ignorance as poisons that must be destroyed. Vajrayana seeks to turn these aspects of human nature into wisdom instead. Tibetan Buddhism believes that the temporal world cannot be separated from enlightenment.
Significantly, Tibetan Buddhism greatly accelerates the spiritual journey to enlightenment. In theory, following the path of Mahayana takes three incalculable aeons before full awakening is achieved. In Tibetan Buddhism, the same state can be achieved in a single lifetime. Tibetan Buddhism achieves this result through the use of mantric formulas, rituals, and even magic that can be used to assist the individual in the quest for enlightenment. The mantric formulas, or chanted sacred syllables, may become incantations. Practitioners also use ritual hand gestures called mudras or symbolic representations called mandalas. All of the elements are used in Tibetan Buddhist meditations.
The techniques used to accelerate the path to enlightenment combine yoga with complex meditations that often revolve around what are called meditational deities. These deities are archetypes of enlightenment who are common in Tibetan religious art. Often, the artworks are bronze sculptures of thangkas, which are painted scrolls.
Another distinctive tradition of Tibetan Buddhism that is well known throughout the world is the importance it places on the lama. For example, the Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal leader of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, is better known than the religious movement he heads.
Lama is the Tibetan form of the Sanskrit word guru. A lama is a teacher who has completed a very long course of study in order to be able to share esoteric teachings and perform initiations. According to the Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism website, lamas guide students to particular teachings and "through ‘empowerments’ bestow spiritual energy so that specific practices can be successfully undertaken by students." The concept of "incarnate lamas" is unique to Tibetan Buddhism. This concept is the belief that the mind of a dead lama can reappear in a newborn child. His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama was identified at the age of two in 1937 as the reincarnation of the previous, Thirteenth Dalai Lama.
Bibliography
Dalai Lama XIV. Four Essential Buddhist Texts. Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 2014.
Goodwin, Kiera. This Is Buddhism. Seattle: Amazon, 2015.
"Intro to Tibetan Buddhism." Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism. Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism, n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2016 <http://www.sakya.org/introtibetanbuddhism.html>.
Kapstein, Matthew T. Tibetan Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2013.
Mingyur, Yongey. Turning Confusion into Clarity: A Guide to the Foundation Practices of Tibetan Buddhism. Berkeley: Snow Lion, 2014.
Rimpoche, Sogyal. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. San Francisco: Harper, 2012.
Sherab, Kenchen Palden, and Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal. The Buddhist Path: A Practical Guide from the Nyinyma Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Berkeley: Snow Lion, 2010.
Thaye, Jampa. Discovering the Causes of Happiness: An Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism. Santa Monica: Dechen, 2016.