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Tibetan Buddhism, (formerly also called Lamaism after their religious gurus known as lamas), is the body of religious Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and the Himalayan region. It is a school within Tantric Buddhism (also called Vajrayana Buddhism), which in turn is part of the great Mahayana school.1 Distinguishing characteristics
Tibetan Buddhism may be distinguished from other schools of Tantric Buddhism by a number of unique traits including:
- belief in reincarnation lineages of certain lamas (known as tulkus) such as the Dalai Lama
- a practice wherein lost or hidden ancient scriptures are recovered by spiritual masters known as tertons
- belief that the Buddha can manifest in human form, such as in the person of Padmasambhava in the 8th century
In common with other Tantric schools (primarily Shingon Buddhism in Japan), Tibetan Buddhism is esotericThe word esoteric generally relates to that which is known only by a restricted number of people (contrast exoteric). See also esotericism esoteric knowledge esoteric programming language Esoteric British extreme doom metal band. and tantricTantric can refer to: Tantric yoga also known as tantra The Louisville, KY hard rock band Tantric.. It is esoteric because it believes the religious texts or sutraSutra in Sanskrit is derived from the verb √siv, meaning to sew''. It literally means a rope or thread, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. In Hinduism ths can only be interpreted by a religious master. It is tantric because it believes the path to enlightenmentBodhi ( Pali and Sanskrit. awakening''. enlightenment is a title given in Buddhism to the specific awakening experience attained by the Indian spiritual teacher Gautama Buddha and his disciples. It is sometimes described as complete and perfect sanity, or is greatly accelerated by the use of certain external rituals and ritual objects (see below). Special utterances known as mantraTibet, many Buddhists carve mantras into rocks as a form of devotion. A mantra is a religious syllable or poem, typically from the Sanskrit language. Their use varies according to the school and philosophy associated with the mantra. They are primarily uss aid in achieving a higher state of awareness.
In common with Mahayana schools, Tibetan Buddhism believes in a "pantheon" of Buddhas, bodhisattvaMaitreya, 2nd century, Gandhara. In Buddhist thought, a bodhisattva is a being that, while not yet fully enlightened, is actively striving toward that goal. Conventionally, the term is applied to hypothetical beings with a high degree of enlightenment ands, and Dharma protectorsThis article is about the Buddhist concept; see Anagarika Dharmapala for the Sri Lankan monk''. In Vajrayana Buddhism, a dharmapla ( Tibetan drag-gshed is a type of wrathful deity. The name means "defender of the Dharma" in Sanskrit, and the dharmapalas a. Arya-bodhisattvas are able to escape the cycle of death and rebirthAccording to Buddhism there is a cycle of death and rebirth that can be transcended by the practice of the Eightfold Path. Within Buddhism, the term rebirth or re-becoming (Sanskrit: punarbhava is preferred to " reincarnation", as the latter is taken to i but compassionately choose to remain in this world to assist others in reaching nirvana or buddhahood. Dharma protectors are mythic figures incorporated into Tibetan Buddhism from various sources (including the native Bön religion, and Hinduism) who are pledged to protecting and upholding the Dharma. Many of the specific figures are unique to Tibet.
