Tibetan Buddhism

According to historical records, Tibetan Buddhism (sometimes called Lamaism ) is the form of Mahayana Buddhism that developed in Tibet and the surrounding Himalayan region beginning in the 7th century A.D. Tibetan Buddhism incorporates Madhyamika and Yogacara philosophy, Tantric symbolic rituals, Theravadin monastic discipline and the shamanistic features of the indigenous religion, Bön . Among its most unique characteristics are its system of reincarnating lamas and the vast number of deities in its pantheon.

The first significant event in the history of Tibetan Buddhism occurred in 641 , when King Songtsen Gampo unified Tibet and took two Buddhist wives (Princess Wencheng from China and Princess Bhrikuti Devi from Nepal ). Before long, King Gampo made Buddhism the state religion and established a network of 108 Buddhist temples across the region, including the Jokhang and Ramoché temples to house the Buddha statues his wives had brought as their dowries. Conflict with the former national religion, Bön, however, would continue for centuries.

The most important event in Tibetan Buddhist history was the arrival of the great tantric mystic Padmasambhava in Tibet in 774 at the invitation of King Trisong Detsen. It was Padmasambhava (more commonly known in the region as Guru Rinpoche ) who merged tantric Buddhism with the local Bön religion to form what we now recognize as Tibetan Buddhism. In addition to writing a number of important scriptures (some of which Tibetan Buddhists believe he hid for future monks to find at the right time), Padmasambhava established the Nyingma school from which all schools of Tibetan Buddhism are derived.

In 838 A .D.,Persecution of Tibetan Buddhism under King Lang Darma, period of conflict and civil strife begins.Destruction of Tibetan Dynasties occurred. Buddhism almost completely wiped out in Tibet .

Tibetan Buddhism exerted a strong influence from the 11th century AD among the peoples of Central Asia, especially in Mongolia and Manchuria . It was adopted as an official state religion by the Mongol Yuan dynasty and the Manchu Qing dynasty of China .

Monasteries and temples are places where the activities of Tibetan Buddhism are held.

In the old times, monasteries were powerful in economics which own lands, livestocks, forests and commercial capital. After the reform in 1958, the economic structure of monasteries has changed. Nowadays, they live on their own. A lot of monasteries run business such as clinics, stores, travel agencies.

Tibetan Buddhism is extremely rich in content and has its unique mystic ways of self cultivation. In the history of the Tibetan nationality, historians and scholars of Tibetan Buddhism have left us a wealth of writings on the content and history of it which are our valuable cultural heritage.