Tibetan Buddhism

About Tibetan Buddhism:

• Buddhism originated in India and became the predominant religion in Tibet by the 9th century AD.
• It evolved from the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions of Buddhism, incorporating many tantric and shamanic practices of both post-Gupta period Buddhism in India.
• Tibetan Buddhism also incorporates the Bon religion which was spread across Tibet before Buddhism’s arrival.
• Tibetan Buddhism has 4 major schools: Nyingma (8th century), Kagyu (11th century), Sakya (1073) and Gelug (1409)
• The Janang school (12th century) is one of the smaller schools that grew as an offshoot of the Sakya school.

What is Gelug School?

• Since 1640, the Gelug School has been the predominant school of Tibetan Buddhism.
• The Dalai Lama belongs to Gelug School (‘Dalai’ means ‘ocean’ in Mongol).
• The Dalai Lama is the foremost spiritual and temporal authority of Tibet.
• The 5th grand lama of the school, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, was first conferred the title of Dalai Lama. 
• To consolidate his rule, he instituted the tradition of succession through reincarnation in the Gelug School.
• He claimed to be the reincarnation of Avalokiteshvara, one of the most important Bodhisattvas in Mahayana traditions.