Tibetan Buddhism

Katinka Hesselink 2010

Tibetan Buddhism has been called 'Vajrayana Buddhism', because it is part of the tantric Buddhist current, within Mayahana Buddhism.

The word Vajra can be explained as 'thunderbolt' or 'Diamond like'. It stands for the clear constancy of the mind of the enlightened meditator. Vajrayana is then the path of meditation, specifically visualization meditation. This doesn't mean all Tibetan Buddhists meditate, far from it. It does mean that the most respected of their spiritual leaders DO.

Prayer Wheels

One of the most famous aspects of Tibetan Buddhism is the prayer wheels. These are turned by the faithful in the conviction that the prayer will go up in the air and help humanity gain enlightenment

Devotion - an alive aspect of Tibetan Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhists believe ritually walking around a a mountain, a temple or a monastery, will help cleanse them spiritually. This circumambulating is often done while prostrating at every step - as shown in this picture. If you remember the Tibetan Climate and height - you will realize that this is no small feat.

Buddhist Pilgrims Outside Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet

Types of Tibetan Buddhism

There are 4 or 5 main schools of Tibetan Buddhism (depending on who you ask).

The Nyingma Tradition

The Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism traces its origin to the Indian adept, Guru Padmasambhava, who came to Tibet in 817 C.E. at the invitation of King Trisong Deutsan (742-797) in order to subdue the evil forces then impeding the spread of Buddhism. Guru Rinpochey, as he is popularly known, bound all evil spirits by oath and transformed them into forces compatible with the spread of Buddhism. In collaboration with the great Bodhisattva Abbot Shantarakshita, Guru Rinpochey then built Samyey monastery, which became a principal centre of learning and the site where many of the texts that would make up Tibet's vast Buddhist literature were first translated into Tibetan.

The Sakya Tradition

The Sakya tradition is closely bound up with the Khon ancestral lineage, which derived from celestial beings. The lineage has descended intact up to the present time from Khon Könchok Gyelpo(1034-l 102), founder of the Sakya tradition through hereditary lama's.

Gelugpa tradition

Drepung Monastery The Kadampa tradition founded by Atisha was the direct source of inspiration for the development of the Gelug tradition founded by Je Tsongkhapa (1357-1419). The Gelugpa lineage is the one the Dalai Lama belongs to. I'm a Gelugpa Buddhist and the best way for most people to start on this path is to study the Lam Rim, though there are Kagyu and Nyingma versions of the Lam Rim as well.

Kagyu tradition

The Kagyu lineage, sometimes referred to as the "oral lineage" of Tibet, originated with the great yogi Tilopa, who lived in Northern India around the 10th century A.D. He is considered the founder of the lineage and, in addition, he received four special transmissions (Tib: bka-babs-bzhi) for which he became the lineage holder.

A Survey of the Paths of Tibetan Buddhism - the Dalai Lama

The leader of Tibetan Buddhism: the Dalai Lama

The 14th Dalai Lama, Tibetan leader in exile: articles by him: Nobel Peace Prize Winner, popularizer of Buddhism and head of the Tibetan Government in Exile. The Dalai Lama's life is a unique convergence of religion, politics and an admirable stand on peace in the face of aggression.
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The Bodhisattva Vow: various versions: In all forms of Mahayana Buddhism, including Vajrayana Buddhism, the Bodhisattva Vow plays an enormously important part. The idea of staving off salvation (Nirvana) till all sentient beings have been saved is inspiring after all.
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Pema Chodron: the most popular female Buddhist Teacher

And she's a Tibetan Buddhist (though not a Tibetan)

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Pema Chodron Calendars and Planners: Pema Chodron (formerly known as Deirdre Blomfield-Brown) is an ordained Buddhist nun in the Tibetan Vajrayana tradition, and a teacher in the lineage of Chogyam Trungpa. Her strength as a Buddhist teacher is the ability to apply Buddhist teachings to...

Mandalas and other Tibetan Buddhist art

Tibetan Buddhist Jewelry: The colors and shapes of Tibetan Buddhism are unique. This has a lot to do with the letters: spiky forms derived from devanagari (the letters most used to write Sanskrit and Hindi) translate into fiery forms for Om and Om Mani Padme Hum for instance....
Mandala Calendars, Date Books, Agendas and Engagement Planners: Mandalas are beautiful, usually round or square, symmetrical paintings. The tradition stems from India but has been taken up most famously in Tibetan Buddhism. It's sand paintings have become crowd drawing events world wide - and a major source o...
Mandala Meditation Posters: An art form developed in India and Tibet, mandalas have come to be seen as symbols of inner peace and balance. These mandala posters are sometimes based on traditional Tibetan thankas, but are in other cases modern spiritual art. See also these Budd...
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Buddhist Goddesses Art by Romio Shrestha: I got 'Goddesses of the celestial gallery' for my birthday (2010). It was quite a chore to take it home: it's almost as tall as this desk! (aka Poster size) Romio Shrestha portrays the main Tibetan Buddhist Goddesses (and a few Hindu ones) in dazzling...