Overview
Tibetan Buddhism, often called Lamaism in older Western literature, is the form of Vajrayāna Buddhism that took root on the Tibetan Plateau from the 7th century onward and later spread throughout the Himalayan and Mongolian cultural spheres. It integrates the monastic discipline of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, the philosophical depth of Indian Mādhyamaka and Yogācāra, and the tantric methodologies of late Indian Buddhism with native Bön shamanic elements. The result is a non-dual soteriology that regards every moment as an opportunity to recognize Buddha-nature (Tib. de-gshegs snying-po) and employs highly sophisticated ritual, iconographic, and meditative technologies to accelerate enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings.Four major schools—Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug—preserve overlapping but distinct canons of scripture, lineages of empowerment, and philosophical emphases. All accept the Kangyur (Buddha-word) and Tengyur (commentaries) as scriptural foundations, revere the Dalai Lama as the temporal and spiritual emblem of Tibetan unity, and maintain monastic universities whose scholastic rigor rivaled medieval European centers of learning.
History/Background
Buddhism first entered Tibet during the reign of King Songtsen Gampo (c. 618–649 CE) through Nepalese and Chinese princesses who brought sacred relics, but systematic establishment began under King Trisong Detsen (756–797). The abbot Śāntarakṣita founded Samye, the first monastery, and Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) tamed local spirits, planting the Nyingma “Ancient” school. A second diffusion (c. 1040–1270) saw the arrival of the Indian master Atiśa, whose Kadam lineage evolved into the Gelug order, while Marpa and Milarepa transmitted the Kagyu mahāmudrā teachings and Könchog Gyalpo founded Sakya with its Lamdre path-fruit system.The 13th–14th centuries witnessed the priest-patron relationship between Sakya hierarchs and Mongol khans, followed by the Dalai Lama incarnation line beginning in 1391 with Gendun Drupa. The 5th Dalai Lama (1617–1682) united Tibet under Gelug theocracy, constructing the Potala Palace as spiritual–political seat. The 20th century brought Chinese incorporation (1951) and exile (1959), scattering lamas globally and seeding Tibetan Buddhism in the West.
