Tibetan Buddhism

A form of Mahāyāna Buddhism that developed in Tibet, combining Indian Buddhist teachings, tantric practices, and Tibetan traditions. Its institutions include distinct schools, monastic lineages, and systems of recognized reincarnate teachers.

Mahāyāna: A major Buddhist tradition centered on the bodhisattva ideal and the aspiration to attain awakening for the benefit of all beings. Tibetan Buddhism developed within this broad tradition and shares its central bodhisattva commitments.
Deity yoga: A tantric meditation practice in which practitioners visualize themselves as a deity and recite its mantra. It exemplifies how Tibetan tantric practice uses visualization to transform ordinary perception.
Padmasambhava: An Indian tantric Buddhist master revered in Tibet as a foundational teacher of the Nyingma tradition. Tibetan tradition credits him with establishing tantric Buddhism during its early transmission.
Tsongkhapa: A Tibetan Buddhist scholar and reformer who founded the Gelug school in the fifteenth century. His synthesis of monastic discipline, Madhyamaka, and staged-path teachings defines Gelug identity.
Nyingma: The oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, associated with early translations and Dzogchen teachings. Its early-transmission heritage and distinctive practices set it apart from later schools.
Vajrayāna: A form of Buddhism that uses tantric methods, including mantra, visualization, and initiation, to pursue awakening. Its tantric methods became a defining part of Tibetan Buddhist practice.
Abhiṣeka: A tantric initiation that authorizes a student to undertake a particular practice and introduces its ritual framework. Initiation is generally required before undertaking many Tibetan tantric practices.
Śāntarakṣita: An Indian Buddhist scholar and monastic abbot associated with the establishment of Buddhism in eighth-century Tibet. His role links Tibetan monastic institutions to Indian scholastic Buddhism.
Milarepa: An eleventh-century Tibetan yogi and poet revered in the Kagyu school for his life and songs of realization. His biography embodies the Kagyu emphasis on meditation and teacher-to-student transmission.
Kagyu: A major Tibetan Buddhist school known for meditation lineages and the Mahāmudrā teachings. Its emphasis on oral instruction and meditative transmission contrasts with other schools’ institutional histories.

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