Tibetan Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism^{[note 1]} is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh, as well as in Nepal. Smaller groups of practitioners can be found in Central Asia, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and some regions of Russia, such as Tuva, Buryatia, and Kalmykia.

Tibetan Buddhism evolved as a form of Mahāyāna Buddhism stemming from the latest stages of Indian Buddhism (which included many Vajrayāna elements). It thus preserves many Indian Buddhist tantric practices of the post-Gupta early medieval period (500–1200 CE), along with numerous native Tibetan developments.^[1]^[2] In the pre-modern era, Tibetan Buddhism spread outside of Tibet primarily due to the influence of the Mongol Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), founded by Kublai Khan, which ruled China, Mongolia, and parts of Siberia. In the Modern era, Tibetan Buddhism has spread outside of Asia because of the efforts of the Tibetan diaspora (1959 onwards). As the Dalai Lama escaped to India, the Indian subcontinent is also known for its renaissance of Tibetan Buddhism monasteries, including the rebuilding of the three major monasteries of the Gelug tradition.

Apart from classical Mahāyāna Buddhist practices like the six perfections, Tibetan Buddhism also includes tantric practices, such as deity yoga and the Six Dharmas of Naropa, as well as methods that are seen as transcending tantra, like Dzogchen. Its main goal is Buddhahood.^[3]^[4] The primary language of scriptural study in this tradition is classical Tibetan.

Tibetan Buddhism has four major schools, namely Nyingma (8th century), Kagyu (11th century), Sakya (1073), and Gelug (1409). The Jonang is a smaller school that exists, and the Rimé movement (19th century), meaning "no sides",^[5] is a more recent non-sectarian movement that attempts to preserve and understand all the different traditions. The predominant spiritual tradition in Tibet before the introduction of Buddhism was Bon, which has been strongly influenced by Tibetan Buddhism (particularly the Nyingma school). While each of the four major schools is independent and has its own monastic institutions and leaders, they are closely related and intersect with common contact and dialogue.

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^ White, David Gordon, ed. (2000). Tantra in Practice. Princeton University Press. p. 21. ISBN 0-691-05779-6.
^ Davidson, Ronald M. (2004). Indian Esoteric Buddhism: Social History of the Tantric Movement. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 2.
^ Powers (2007), pp. 392–3, 415.
^ Compare: Tiso, Francis V. (2016). "Later Developments in Dzogchen History". Rainbow Body and Resurrection: Spiritual Attainment, the Dissolution of the Material Body, and the Case of Khenpo A Chö. Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books. ISBN 9781583947968. Retrieved 11 September 2020. The attainment of the rainbow body ('ja' lus) as understood by the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism is always connected to the practice of the great perfection [...]. The Nyingma tradition describes a set of nine vehicles, the highest of which is that of the great perfection, considered the swiftest of the tantric methods for attaining supreme realization, identified with buddhahood.
^ "A Brief History of Nyingma Buddhism". Palri Pema Od Ling. 23 May 2019.

[2] White, David Gordon, ed. (2000). Tantra in Practice. Princeton University Press. p. 21. ISBN 0-691-05779-6.

[3] Davidson, Ronald M. (2004). Indian Esoteric Buddhism: Social History of the Tantric Movement. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 2.

[FOOTNOTEPowers2007392–3,_415-4] Powers (2007), pp. 392–3, 415.

[5] Compare: Tiso, Francis V. (2016). "Later Developments in Dzogchen History". Rainbow Body and Resurrection: Spiritual Attainment, the Dissolution of the Material Body, and the Case of Khenpo A Chö. Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books. ISBN 9781583947968. Retrieved 11 September 2020. The attainment of the rainbow body ('ja' lus) as understood by the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism is always connected to the practice of the great perfection [...]. The Nyingma tradition describes a set of nine vehicles, the highest of which is that of the great perfection, considered the swiftest of the tantric methods for attaining supreme realization, identified with buddhahood.

[6] "A Brief History of Nyingma Buddhism". Palri Pema Od Ling. 23 May 2019.

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