Buddhism 101: A brief history of Tibetan Buddhism (slideshow and video)

November 6, 4:10 PMBuddhism ExaminerEmily Breder

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(... and what's with the funny hats?)

Tibetans give the term 'eternal life' a completely different meaning. According to one's karma that is accumulated over their lifetime, the average person goes through a weighted system of rebirth, according to the reincarnation belief. The Tibetan religious leaders, after a lifetime of meditation and spiritual effort, can direct their perspective into another body after death. In this way they can ensure some degree of the survival of their belief system into future generations- an insurance policy against the vagaries of the world. Their are four sects of Tibetan Buddhists, often called by the color of their elaborate hats (slideshow below).

The order that the Dalai Lama heads is called the Gelugpa order. This sect emphasizes academics, discipline, and initially instituted celibacy and vegetarianism. Their order was supported in the 14th century by the powerful Mongols, which is how they rose to particular prominance. Compounding this influence was the 5th Dalai Lama, Ngawang Gyatso, who originally unified Tibet and was the first Dalai lama to wield political as well as spiritual power. This lasted until 1959, when the 14th Dalai lama set up a Democratic government once in exile in India. His main goal, aside from propagation of the spiritual path, is to preserve the culture of the Tibetan people while they are forbidden from returning to their homeland. Until the invasion of China about 25% of the population of Tibet were in monastic robes.

The oldest and smallest branch of Tibetan Buddhism is the Nyingmapa Order. It is considered an unconventional path by the other, larger branches, because of their belief in the Dzogchen philosophy. Dzogchen states that there is a shortcut to nirvana that bypasses the enlightenment process and goes directly to a pure state.

The Kagyupa sect are sometimes called the 'red hats' or 'Whispered Transmission'. They emphasize tantra, which is the channeling of energy within the human form for purification. The roots of Tibetan Buddhism are clear in the history and philosophy of this branch, as they are closely paralleled in Indian Hinduism. The sexual rites so popularized in the West are a minor practice of Tantric buddhism and are generally performed figuratively, not literally. A branch of the Kagyupa order is the Kagyu Karma (Karmapa) order, or the 'black hats'. This sect began the tradition of reincarnating their leaders in the 10th century.

The Sakyapa order is considered the scholarly branch of Tibetan Buddhism, and they started many monasteries. At one of these monasteries the founder of the Gelungpa sect studied, which is the branch that the 14th Dalai Lama heads today. There is a lot of political maneuvering and some competition between these sects, but for the most part there is civil dialogue.

The Dalai Lama heads the largest and most influential branch of Tibetan Buddhism, but each has a significant amount to offer in regards to philosophy, technique, and education. Tibetan temples are springing up all over the country, along with other branches of Buddhism. It is one of the fastest growing branches of the fastest growing religion in the modern world.

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