Circling Kailash and Manasarovar

by Uden Sherpa 

The Legend of Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar

Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar are the only two places in the whole of Tibet that were visited by Lord Buddha, accompanied by five hundred Arhats. During the turning of the Three Wheels of the Dharma, Buddha Shakyamuni extensively explained the merits of building images. So Indra (the king of gods) offered precious articles of the gods, Ananda (the king of Serpents or Nagas) offered precious articles of the Nagas and Bimbisara (the king of Magadh) offered gold and silver, etc. to the Buddha and requested him to have three images of the Buddha made, as a means of generating merit for the sentient beings in the future.

On the instructions of the Buddha, the master craftsman Viswakarma made three images of the Buddha that were blessed by Buddha Shakyamuni. A fifteen-foot image was taken to realm of the gods, a ten-foot image was taken to the realm of the Nagas and a two-foot image of the Buddha was kept at Magadh, in order for the devotees to make offerings and pay homage.

One day, Mahakala miraculously took the image of the Buddha from Magadh to his palace at Lake Lanka, located at the foot of Mount Kailash, and made offerings. Then he thought a special place was needed to keep such a sacred statue and attempted to carry Mount Kailash on his back to the realm of the Nagas in Lake Lanka.

Buddha Shakyamuni and the 500 Arhats flew from Bodhgaya to Mount Kailash and landed on the rock known as Kyil Khor Teng, or ‘Ganachakra Basin of Arhats’, on the western face of Mount Kailash. Buddha left his footprint on four corners of Mount Kailash and prevented Mahakala from carrying Mount Kailash to the realm of the Nagas. These four footprints of the Buddha are known as the ‘Four Nails Holding Mount Kailash’, because they prevented Mahakala from carrying the mountain away. Then Buddha sat on the rock in front of Mount Kailash and gave teachings to the Nagas residing in Lake Manasarovar and Lake Lanka. Today, Buddhist pilgrims call this rock the ‘Throne of the Buddha’.

Mount Kailash is the only holy place in the world that is regarded as equally sacred by Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and Bonpos. To the Theravadan Buddhists, it is the abode of Sthavira Angaja, with an assembly of 1,300 Arhats; and to the Vajrayana practitioners it is the mandala or palace of Chakrasamvara. The sacred nature of Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar is mentioned in the Sutras.
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The Historical Ties of Tibet and Nepal

The Tibet Post International - 18th May 2008

The historical ties of Tibet and Nepal dates back to thousands of years with deep political, economic, cultural and religious activities as forming the basis of bilateral relationships. The bringing to Tibet of Princess Brikuti Devi of Nepal as a bride of King Songtsen Gampo in the 7th century AD had shaped the Tibetan political and cultural alliance with the Kingdom of Nepal.

In due course of time, the relationship between Tibet and Nepal bolstered with people from both the countries visiting each other on pilgrimage and for trade and business activities. It further grew when the Tibetan Government started to send its emissaries into Nepal for renovation of ancient Buddhist pilgrimage sites.
 
This historical relationship is further reinforced by the openhanded gestures of the people and government of Nepal when it gave political refuge to thousands of Tibetan refugees after the invasion of Tibet by China. We, as Tibetans will always cherish these acts of selfless generosity of the people and government of Nepal that ranges from providing rehabilitation and other humanitarian assistances to overcome the sufferings of the Tibetan people at such a critical time of our history.

The only reason behind Tibetan people’s leaving their homeland is to struggle for the freedom of their country and nothing else. This struggle would, therefore, continue until the day when our goal is fulfilled. However, recent developments in Nepal have been of deep concern for all of us Tibetans. Under apparent Chinese Government pressure, the Government of Nepal has in recent times responded to the peaceful Tibetan protesters with excessive force. In particular, the Nepalese authorities have resorted to curtail the fundamental rights of the Tibetan people to freely express their political views and freedom of assembly. In the past couple of months, numbers of Tibetan refugees have been beaten so badly that many of them have had their legs broken and ribs fractured. 

Being a member state of the United Nations and above all, Nepal’s status as a civilized democratic society and particularly in view of its past political, cultural and religious relationship with its erstwhile neighbour Tibet, it is but Nepal’s moral duty to support the rights of the Tibetan refugees in Nepal to peaceful expression of their political views. This has also direct implication to Nepal’s reputation with the international community. As a sovereign State, it is but imperative that Nepal must uphold its sovereignty and independent status by not succumbing to outside pressures. This is a sincere appeal to the Government of Nepal from the Tibetan refugees who have lost their freedom.

Did Britain Just Sell Tibet?

By ROBERT BARNETT
November 24, 2008

The financial crisis is going to do more than increase unemployment, bankruptcy and homelessness. It is also likely to reshape international alignments, sometimes in ways that we would not expect.

As Western powers struggle with the huge scale of the measures needed to revive their economies, they have turned increasingly to China. Last month, for example, Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, asked China to give money to the International Monetary Fund, in return for which Beijing would expect an increase in its voting share.

Now there is speculation that a trade-off for this arrangement involved a major shift in the British position on Tibet, whose leading representatives in exile this weekend called on their leader, the Dalai Lama, to stop sending envoys to Beijing — bringing the faltering talks between China and the exiles to a standstill.

The exiles’ decision followed an announcement on Oct. 29 by David Miliband, the British foreign secretary, that after almost a century of recognizing Tibet as an autonomous entity, Britain had changed its mind. Mr. Miliband said that Britain had decided to recognize Tibet as part of the People’s Republic of China. He even apologized that Britain had not done so earlier.

Until that day, the British had described Tibet as autonomous, with China having a “special position” there. This formula did not endorse the Tibetan claim to independence. But it meant that in the British view China’s control over Tibet was limited to a condition once known as suzerainty, somewhat similar to administering a protectorate. Britain, alone among major powers, had exchanged official agreements with the Tibetan government before the Chinese takeover in 1951, so it could scarcely have said otherwise unless it was to vitiate those agreements.

After the People’s Republic of China joined the United Nations in 1971, British politicians refrained from referring to their country’s recognition of Tibet’s autonomy to avoid embarrassing Beijing. But that didn’t make it less significant. It remained the silent but enduring legal basis for 30 years of talks between the Dalai Lama and Beijing, in which the Tibetans have called only for autonomy and not independence — a position that a conference of Tibetan exiles in India reaffirmed on Saturday. Read more »

China Postpones EU Summit to Protest Dalai Lama Visit

By VOA News, 26 November 2008

China has postponed a summit with the European Union next week to protest plans by EU leaders to meet with Tibet’s political and spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

A statement from the EU says Chinese authorities made the decision because the Dalai Lama will be visiting several EU countries at the time of the summit.

Chinese officials signaled out plans by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to meet the Dalai Lama next week. Because France currently holds the rotating EU presidency, Mr. Sarkozy was to have hosted the summit with China beginning on December 1.

No date for a future summit has been set.

In its statement, the EU said it regrets China’s decision. The EU stressed, however, that it plans to continue to promote its strategic partnership with Beijing at a time when the world’s financial situation calls for close cooperation.

Earlier this month, China warned Mr. Sarkozy that his plans to meet with the Dalai Lama in Poland in December would hurt relations.

In Poland, the Dalai Lama and Mr. Sarkozy will attend ceremonies to mark the anniversary of the awarding of the Nobel Peace prize to Lech Walesa, the anti-communist activist who later became president.

The Dalai Lama is also scheduled to visit the Czech Republic and Belgium during his European trip. He is expected to visit the European Parliament while in Brussels.

Dalai Lama May Appoint a Regent to Succeed Him

 Timesonline.co.uk

The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, is considering appointing a regent to lead the Tibetan movement after his death until his reincarnation is old enough to take over.

The idea was discussed this week at an unprecedented meeting of 600 Tibetan exiles in Dharamsala, the northern Indian town where the Dalai Lama set up his government in exile after fleeing Tibet in 1959.

It is the latest proposal intended to ensure a smooth succession after the death of the Dalai Lama, who is 73 and has been suffering recently from ill health. The Tibetan exiles are keen to prevent China from hijacking his reincarnation, as it has tried to do with other of the most senior positions in Tibetan Buddhism.

The most likely candidate for the regency is the 23-year-old Karmapa Lama, the third highest in the Tibetan Buddhist hierarchy, who was born and raised in Tibet but escaped to India in 2000 in a huge embarrassment for China’s government.

"It’s now being considered at the highest level," said Dr Lobsang Sangay, a Tibetan research fellow at Harvard Law School who put forward the idea at the meeting.

"A lot of people are talking about the Karmapa as regent," he told The Times.

Tenzin Takhla, a spokesman for the Dalai Lama, confirmed that a regency was an option and that the Karmapa could, in theory, take the position, although he said that nothing had been decided yet.

"If we want the traditional way, then usually there’s a regent appointed," he said. "He would be not so much a political leader, as a spiritual leader."

Delegates at last week’s meeting agreed to stick to the Dalai Lama’s policy of seeking autonomy, rather than independence, from China, but many called for a clearer succession plan.

Dalai Lamas are traditionally chosen by senior monks who interpret signals from the last incumbent after his death, search for promising young boys and then set them a number of tests.

The current Dalai Lama — the 14th — was born into a farming family in eastern Tibet and identified at the age of two after passing tests, including identifying his predecessor’s rosary.

However, exiled Tibetans fear that following this process would leave them leaderless while the next reincarnation grows up, and open the door for China to appoint its own rival Dalai Lama.

When the Dalai Lama recognized a young boy in Tibet as the new Panchen Lama, the second highest in Tibetan Buddhism, in 1995, China detained the child and appointed its own candidate.

Last year, China’s government claimed exclusive rights to approve all lamas’ reincarnations.

The Dalai Lama has proposed several alternatives, including holding a referendum among the world’s 13-14 million Tibetan Buddhists on whether he should be reincarnated at all.

"If the majority feels this institution has become irrelevant, then it will automatically cease," he told a news conference today.

If the majority wanted to continue the tradition, he said he would be re-incarnated as a young boy, or a girl. "Girls show more compassion," he said.

He also repeated that he could identify a reincarnation while he is still alive, even though no Dalai Lama has done so before.
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Dalai Lama stresses on Gandhian values

Express India, November 09 - “India and Tibet share a teacher-disciple relationship, and if a disciple suffers, the teacher is responsible for it,” observed Dalai Lama, Tibetan leader.

The Dalai Lama was in the city on Saturday to inaugurate the Gita Mandir at Sadhu Vaswani Mission. He also attended the concluding day of the 42nd Sarvodaya Samaj Sammelan.

Speaking at the Mission’s function, he spoke about human relations to politics. The spiritual leader said that Tibet changed into a civilised society only when India’s message of love reached there. “Teachings of Buddha gave direction to the life of Tibetans. So, even if China has substantial control over our land, the people there look up to India for support and love,” he said.

He urged that while supporting the cause of Tibet’s liberation, ecological, cultural and humanitarian grounds should be given more importance than politics. Stressing on a friendly India, China relationship, he said, “Genuine friendship between India and China will not only make the world a safer place but also help in Tibet liberation.”

“People have had a century of bloodshed and killing and now they have realised the importance of peace. World peace will be achieved only when one practices inner peace.”

The disarmament may also mean to practice forgiveness and spiritual reconciliation. “Dialogue can help us avoid many conflicts at home and also beyond borders,” he said.

While felicitating the Dalai Lama on the occasion, J P Vaswani said, “The Dalai Lama is humble yet strong enough to stand against a mighty nation like China.”

At the Sarvodaya Samaj Sammelan, the Dalai Lama highlighted India’s long history of non violence and tolerance. “India should strive to spread these values throughout the world,” he said.

The Dalai Lama spoke about his two-point programme that should be emphasised upon — the first one is Ahimsa and the second one is promotion of religious harmony. He said, “It is gladdening to see that even after so many years, Gandhiji’s values, ideology and principles are deep rooted in the Indian way of life. It is nice to see that in India people continue to practice non-violence despite many hardships and struggles.”

The three-day long Sammelan had several Gandhian followers from India and around the world as speakers.

Tibet and Everest View From Space

Himalaya and Everest from Space, NASA picture

Click to enlarge!

Himalaya and Everest from Space

Is the dream of independence for Tibet now a lost cause?

By Andrew Buncombe, The Independent

Why are we asking this now?

Over the weekend, his Holiness the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet’s Buddhists and the man who has been at the centre of efforts to highlight the Tibetan cause for decades, explained that he “had given up” his struggle. “I have been sincerely pursuing the middle-way approach in dealing with China for a long time now, but there hasn’t been any positive response from the Chinese side,” the 73-year-old told an audience at Dharamsala, the Indian Himalayan town that is the headquarters of the so-called Tibetan government-in-exile. “As far as I’m concerned, I have given up.”

Does that mean the Dalai Lama is retiring?

Karma Choephel, the speaker of the parliament in-exile, told reporters that the Dalai Lama used to say that he was semi-retired and that now he believed he was was almost completely retired. However, a senior aide to the Nobel laureate last night dismissed speculation that he would start taking a back seat in Tibet’s affairs. “Because of the lack of response from the Chinese we have to be realistic. There is no hope,” said Tenzin Taklha. “His holiness does not want to become a hindrance to the Tibetan issue, and therefore has sent a letter to the parliament regarding what options he has.”

Is there a possibility that he may continue his work?

Talk of retirement may be a little misleading. Last year, Tenzin Gyatso, who is the 14th Dalai Lama, made clear that he wished to reduce some of his political duties and have the elected Tibetan parliament-in-exile take a more active role. However, when a crisis broke out this spring – as the Chinese authorities cracked down aggressively on a number of uprisings across Tibet – the Dalai Lama placed himself at the centre of efforts urging restraint from both sides. He even offered to personally travel to Beijing to negotiate with the Chinese leadership over the issue. One position from which he cannot retire is his role as a living god. Having been anointed the 14th Dalai Lama when he was just two years old, he will retain that position until death.

How have the Chinese authorities responded to the Dalai Lama?

In short, pretty badly. Either directly or else via their proxies, Beijing has routinely dismissed and demonised the Tibetan spiritual leader and his supporters. In the spring, during the worst crisis in Tibet for two decades, the head of Tibet’s hardline Communist Party, Zhang Qingli, said of the Nobel laureate: “The Dalai is a wolf in monk’s robes, a devil with a human face but the heart of a beast. We are now engaged in a fierce blood-and-fire battle with the Dalai clique, a life-and-death battle between us and the enemy.” At the time, the Dalai Lama insisted that the uprisings that broke out across the Tibetan plateau had not been orchestrated or organized from Dharamsala. He urged a peaceful solution to the problem.

What impact would the Dalai Lama’s retirement have on the movement for Tibetan independence?

In regard to the high-profile campaign to gather support around the world, if the 73-year-old decided to stand down it would be a huge blow. Since he fled to India 1959, the Dalai Lama has worked to spread the word of his homeland’s fate, courting both politicians and Hollywood celebrities such as Richard Gere and Steven Seagal. Charming, ebullient yet convincing, he has been more responsible than anyone for gaining supporters to the cause. On the other hand, not all Tibetans support his tactics. For many years the Dalai Lama has promoted a “third way” in regard to Tibet, calling for meaningful autonomy rather than full independence and arguing that he wants to protect Tibet’s people and culture. Even during the spring crisis earlier this year, he refused to give his backing to calls for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics.

What has been the response of young Tibetans to the retirement?

Many younger Tibetans say that while they respect the Dalai Lama and venerate him as a living god, his tactics are wrong. Groups such as the Tibetan Youth Congress have demanded full independence for Tibet and led a far more outspoken campaign to achieve it. The group’s president, Tsewang Rigzin, said yesterday: “I think the statement by his Holiness is an eye-opener for the Tibetan people. “We are not against the middle-way approach of his Holiness, the fact is that China is not sincere and has never been sincere in talking about the middle way.”

Who might fill the sandals of his Holiness?

The Dalai Lama has said he wishes the elected Tibetan government-in-exile to take on some of the work he currently does. However, some observers believe that an unofficial, transitional political successor might be Ogyen Trinley Dorje, who is one of candidates for position of the Karmapa, or spiritual head of the Kagyu order of Tibetan Buddhism. Ogyen Trinley Dorje – who is from a different school of Tibetan Buddhism to the Dalai Lama and who cannot inherit his title – is just 23 years old. His escape as a teenage boy to India from Tibet via Nepal – he arrived in 2000 – has become the stuff of legend. Earlier this year, the young man made his first visit to the United States, triggering much talk that officials might be preparing him for a bigger role. At the time, even the Dalai Lama himself said: “There are now spiritual leaders who are young, energetic and well educated. They can assume the role of spiritual leadership, as the political role is played by a democratically elected government.”

What difference would any of this make to China?

Perhaps very little whatsoever. At the time of the crisis this spring, China reacted swiftly, aggressively and with seeming little regard for public opinion. Travel to Tibet was suspended and the ban then remained in place until the Olympic Torch had been run through the region. As soon as the demonstrations had been put down, journalists were flown in for special tours by the Chinese authorities. An unknown number of people were killed and hundreds were arrested. China insists that Tibet has officially been part of the Chinese nation since the mid-13th century and that it should continue to be ruled from Beijing. China is anxious about encouraging separatist movements in other parts of the country, such as in the Muslim-majority Xinjiang province. As a result, it has refused to discuss any loosening of its control over Tibet, which it invaded in 1950.

What will happen next?

The Dalai Lama has already called a special meeting of Tibetan exiles for next month in Dharamsala to discuss both the spring crisis and the future of the movement. This will undoubtedly be surrounded by speculation that he could use the event to stand down. The conclave, which is due to begin on November 17, is apparently only the third such meeting of its kind in the past 60 years. The Dalai Lama is expected to address the six-day meeting of delegates from non-government organizations, politicians, monks and intellectuals and lay out his views about the way forward.

Is the Tibetan independence movement now likely to fail?

Yes…

*The Dalai Lama appears to be running out of patience and without him the movement would lose an irreplaceable campaigner.

*The Chinese show no intention of offering any kind of autonomy to Tibet.

*The rest of the world is unwilling to upset China.

No…

*There is a new generation of highly motivated activists who are ready to continue the struggle and who back a more direct approach.

*Across the world, the Tibetan cause wins new supporters every day.

*Should China move towards democracy, Tibet’s fortunes might look very much brighter.

Tibet - the ‘biggest prison in the world’

By Kevin Thomas - Chicago Tribune
October 24, 2008

There have been many impressive documentaries on Tibet and the plight of its people, but none like Francois Prevost and Hugo Latulippe’s “What Remains of Us.” Kalsang Dolma—a Tibetan born in exile in India who immigrated to Canada—visited her ancestral land for the first time in 1996, accompanied by Prevost and Latulippe. She carried with her a portable video player carrying a five-minute message from the Dalai Lama, who has been unable to speak directly to his people for more than half a century. There’s a cruel irony here: His voice, strong and distinctive, whether he is speaking in English or his native language, is familiar the world over—except in his own land.

At great risk, Dolma and the filmmakers visited the homes of numerous Tibetans, some deep in the region’s interior. The Dalai Lama offers a message of hope in the face of hardships and the specter of genocide under long-oppressive Chinese rule, which has cost the lives of an estimated 1.2 million Tibetans, with 200,000 more forced into exile. Within Tibet, thousands of ancient monasteries and sacred places have been destroyed, and the land has been exploited and polluted. “This is the biggest prison in the world,” Dolma observes.

The Dalai Lama explains that Tibetan spirituality and compassion, deeply rooted in Buddhism, have become an inspiration for the world, that these values must be cherished and passed along, and that any resistance must be nonviolent. Behind the closed doors of their homes, the Dalai Lama’s audiences are moved to tears and speak openly of their virtually total lack of freedom. Yet as one nun, no longer allowed to wear her habit, says, “We live on faith and hope. That’s all we have.”

Brief History of Buddhism in Tibet

Records of human civilization on the Tibetan plateau stretch back thousands of years, however Tibetan culture is only starting to be widely recognized. Even so, analysts focus on only their recent history and some of their Buddhist past. I hope that this section will give a brief, but comprehensive, explanation of the basic history of Tibetan Buddhism and its pre-Buddhist roots, prior to the Chinese invasions of 1912 and 1949.

Early Tibetan History

Bon: The First Religion of Tibet

Prior to the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet, the majority of the Tibetan people practiced an animistic religion called Bon. Bon originated in Olmo Lungring, a region west of modern day Tibet, it then spread east to Zhang Zhung and finally to Tibet where it took root and is still practiced by a minority of Tibetans today as well as by a significant percentage of Lepchas, the indigenous inhabitants of Sikkim.

Tibet

Unfortunately, although Tibetan history stretches back thousands of years, writing was only brought to Tibet with Buddhism. In addition to this hindrance, due to persecution of Bon religion, Bon adopted many Buddhist practices (and vice versa.) So while we have a good oral history of Bon, no one knows how accurate it is and what the original Bon religion was like.

Bon lore states that the religion was founded by Tonpa Shenrab 16,000 years ago. Tonpa Shenrab has studied Bon philosophy in past ages in heaven but was born on earth to teach them. Similar to the Buddha, he was born a prince, married, had children but then later chose to renounce the palatial life he was born in to in order to spread the Bon teachings and bring the doctrine to Tibet. However, Tonpa Shenrab found Tibet to be inhospitable to the Bon teachings and he was forced to give up. He hid the Bon teachings throughout Tibet and died at the age of 8,200. Later teachers were able to teach Bon in Tibet and it took root and flourished.

Bonpos believe that Tonpa Shenrab and other Bon teachers were enlightened beings (similar to Buddhas) who existed prior to the birth of Buddha Shakyamuni. Bon is another path to enlightenment that was not taught by Buddha Shakyamuni but instead was taught by these sages. As an animistic religion Bon also has a great respect for nature and a desire to be in harmony with it. It also includes many spirits who must be satisfied. Overtime, Bon beliefs melded with the Buddhist beliefs brought from India and both Bon and Buddhism changed as a result.

Nyingma, the oldest of the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism, is in fact very similar to Bon and the two religions practice some of the same forms of meditation and share certain teachers and deities.

When Buddhism started to gain popularity in Tibet, Bon was repressed by the Buddhist leaders in their attempts to establish Buddhism as a state religion. In order to preserve the teachings, Bonpo teachers hid terma, or treasure teachings, throughout Tibet. In 1017, Shenchen Luga uncovered many of these termas and brought about a Bon revival. Although Bon never overtook Buddhism in popularity in Tibet, Bon was openly studied for many years after this revival.

In 1727, Tibet was invaded by the Dzungars. A great repression of the Bonpos and Nyingmapas followed and many were killed. The Dzungars would make people stick out their tongues believing that speaking mantras would turn one’s tongue black. The Nyingmapas and Bonpos were known for their constant recitation of mantras and this test was part of the witch hunt to find them .

The fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Losang Gyatso, declared Bon to be a fifth school of Buddhism in Tibet, a stance which has been reiterated by the present, 14th Dalai Lama. However, Tibetans differentiate between Bonpos and Buddhists, referring to practitioners of Bon as “Bonpo” while calling members of the other four schools of Buddhism “Nangpa,” literally “Insider.”

Buddhism

Buddhism was brought to Tibet in the eighth century by the Indian saint, Padmasambhava (Tibetan: Pema Jugne, Guru Rinpoche) at the invitation of King Trisong Duetson. While Buddhism had been introduced by King Songsten Gampo a few decades earlier, it had not gained much popularity. Padmasambhava subdued the local demons (presumed by many to be Bon spirits, or a metaphor for the Bon priests themselves) and created Samye, the first Buddhist monastery. Trisong Deutson, Songsten Gampo and Ralpachen, all Buddhist are considered the three great kings of Tibet. Under their rule, Buddhism flourished and became the state religion of Tibet and Zhang Zhung and Olmo Lungring were annexed by Tibet. Buddhist scholars were brought in from neighboring countries to visit Tibet and teach Buddhist philosophy and many temples and monasteries were built. Tibet became so famed for its Buddhist teachers that the Mongol Khans and the Chinese Emperors both sent for Buddhist Teachers from Tibet to advise the courts.

However the forty second and final king of the Tibetan dynasties, Langdharma, brought an end to this religious honeymoon. Langdharma was a practitioner of Bon and was very bitter against Buddhism’s popularity. He forced monks and nuns to leave their monasteries and attempted to destroy Tibetan Buddhism through systematic persecution. Langdharma was assassinated during a ceremonial dance performance by an ex-monk, posing as a performer.

The Four Schools of Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism is split into four schools (five, if one counts Bon.) While these schools follow the same basic philosophy, they have different teachers and often put the emphasis on different aspects of the Buddhist teachings.

Nyingma

This is the oldest of the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism. In fact, its name literally means “Old.” Unlike the other three schools, Nyingma does not always have one set leader who is the most important lama in the school. Like Bon, the dzogchen form of meditation is very important, likewise they share many teachings and deities. Padmasambhava is very important in the Nyingma school and the school emphasizes practice, versus study of the sutras.

Sakya

Sakya, meaning “Gray Earth” is the next school of Buddhism. Leadership is passed down through the family line versus reincarnation of leaders and its monasteries are distinguished by very high walls. The Sakya school is historically important as it was the school of choice among many of the Mongol Khans.

Kagyu

The Kagyu school was the first school to use reincarnation as a form of continuing teachings with the same masters. The first lama recognized as a reincarnation was the Karmapa, who is the head of the Karma Kagyu sect. The Kagyu sect includes many subsections, such as Karma Kagyu and Drikung Kagyu. The Kagyu school held power in Tibet for many years before the Gelug school took power with the fifth Dalai Lama. It is also the main school in Bhutan and Sikkim and predominant in south eastern Tibet. It is also the main school of Tibetan Buddhism practiced in the west.

Bhutan

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