Kyla,+Scott

**Tibetan Buddhism**  **Scott, Kyla**
 * Buddhist Schools**

__ History __ Tibet is a mountainous region that covers 2.5 million square kilometers. Tibet was influenced by Buddhism scriptures that arrived in Tibet during 173AD. The most important event in Tibetan Buddhism history was the arrival of the great tantric mystic Padmasabhava in 774AD through the invitation of king Trisong Detsen. This Buddhism with the original Bon religion formed Tibetan Buddhism in addition with some scriptures. The cities and villages in Tibet were highly influenced by Buddhism and its traditions. There were Buddhist temples everywhere, including 108 temples that were set in Tibet. The village people performed sacred rituals and meditations in near by temples. The Buddhist schools and temples were all related and mostly crowded in one area like a village. __ Dalai Lama __ Dalai Lama is the head figure in the dominant schools of Tibetan Buddhism, being reborn generations after generations. From 1642 to 1959, different Dalai Lamas ruled the Tibetan Buddhism monastery and schools until Chinese takeover. Tenzin Gyatso is the fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet, shown in the picture bellow. Born in 1935, he was recognized as new Dalai Lama after the incarnation of the 13th. He was awarded the Noble Peace Prize, and wrote number of books and autobiographies. Dalai Lama's temple, Potala Palace, is where Dalai Lama lives. As the leader of Tibetan Buddhism, this temple has been reserved for Dalai Lamas for many years. Not only does this palace demonstrate beauty, it has many secrets and religious Buddhist texts that are stocked inside the palace. This temple however, is not transformed to a Museum through Chinese occupation. __Practices__ The practices of Chinese people include rituals and meditation that everybody goes through. Some include advanced rituals for the people who truly understood the meaning of spiritual practice. Tibetan Buddhism emphasizes the awareness of life and death, so they treat these practices very seriously. The meaning of meditation and other practices are mostly to imagine death and prepare for Bardo. Sky Burial is one of the rituals that are commonly done in Tibetan Buddhism. The idea behind this ritual is that there is no meaning in preserving the body because the soul is gone to perform a rebirth. They mostly make the birds, hawks, eagles, and vultures to feed on the death person's flesh, leaving only the hard parts of the body such as bones. Buddhists of Tibet contain the sacred texts in the templates known as canons. These texts are recognized by various sects of Tibetan Buddhism, and they are used to learn and perform rituals. They are mostly written on hard wood or paper in order to preserve.

__ Tibetan Tantra (Vajrayana) __

Tibetan tantra is one of the paths towards enlightenment, incorporating aspects of both Hinayana and Mahayana Buddhism. Tibetan tantra has certain steps one must follow to achieve enlightenment, called lamrim. The steps are similar to many other buddhist practices: believing that life is suffering, one must integrate spiritual understanding with values, accept both good and bad, take responsibility for other’s burdens, and become a Bodhichitta (one who dedicates themselves to helping others).  An important aspect of Tibetan Buddhism is visualization. One must visualize what they want to become in order to become it. This is part of meditation, which is often done through yoga.

__Four Schools__ There are four schools of Tibetan Buddhism: Nyingma, Kargyu, Sakya, and Gelug. Nyingma: has an emphasis on tantric practices, the practice of Dzogchen is prominent (the evaluation of the mind's fundamental nature without visualization and images), and hidden scriptures from Padmasambhava are present. Kargyu: includes the practice of mahamudra which is similar to dzogchen, as well as the six yogas of Naropa since meditation is an important aspect.

Sakya: the main focus is on Lamdrey, the path to Hevajra.

Gelug: has spiritual leaders known as the Gaden Tripa, however Dalai Lamas are often related to this school because they emphasize ethics and scholarship.



__ Works Cited __

"Buddhism in Tibet." //View on Buddhism//. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. "Dalai Lama." //Daylife//. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. "The Many Faces of Buddhism (with Video)." //Societies, Religion & Culture Information & Advice (153 Experts Sharing)//. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. "A Sakya Tale." //Dorje Shugden//. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. "Tibetan Buddhism." //Spiritual Teachings//. 14 July 1995. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. "What Is Dzogchen?" //Dzogchen Community//. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. "What Is Vajrayana Buddhism?" //MEDITATION: Revealing Closely Guarded Secrets...// Web. 13 Mar. 2012.