Culture · Religion · Buddhism (佛教)
Tibetan Buddhism
藏传佛教 · The Vajrayana Buddhist tradition of Tibet and the Himalayan world — tantra, deity yoga, tulku reincarnation lineages, and the Dalai Lama system.
About this tradition
Tibetan Buddhism (藏传佛教, Zàng chuán fójiào) is the form of Mahayana-Vajrayana Buddhism that developed in Tibet from the 7th century CE under the patronage of the Tibetan kings and through waves of Indian teachers. It incorporates Mahayana bodhisattva philosophy, Vajrayana tantric practices, and elements of the pre-Buddhist Bön religion.
Four major schools developed across the centuries. The Nyingma (Old Translation school) is the oldest, tracing to the 8th-century Indian master Padmasambhava. The Kagyu school emphasises mahamudra meditation lineages. The Sakya school combined monastic and worldly power in the 13th century and governed Tibet under Mongol patronage. The Gelugpa (Yellow Hat school), founded by Tsongkhapa in the 14th century, became the dominant institution and produced the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama lineages.
The Dalai Lama is the spiritual and (historically) temporal leader of the Gelugpa tradition. The current Dalai Lama, the 14th, has lived in exile in Dharamsala, India since 1959. The Panchen Lama is the second-ranking figure; the current Panchen Lama recognised by the Chinese government has been enthroned at Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse.
In China, Tibetan Buddhism is practised in the Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai, western Sichuan (Kham and Amdo cultural zones), parts of Yunnan, and Inner Mongolia. Monasteries are active centres of study, practice and community life; monks follow a formal academic curriculum in logic, philosophy, medicine and ritual arts.
Key monasteries and temples
- Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple, Lhasa (TAR) — permit required
- Drepung and Sera Monasteries, Lhasa — permit required
- Tashilhunpo Monastery, Shigatse (TAR) — permit required
- Labrang Monastery, Xiahe (Gansu) — no TAR permit
- Kumbum Monastery, Xining (Qinghai) — no TAR permit
- Songzanlin Monastery, Shangri-La (Yunnan) — no TAR permit
- Yonghe Gong (Lama Temple), Beijing — Gelugpa, open to visitors
Where to experience it
Non-TAR Tibetan monasteries — Labrang (Xiahe), Kumbum (Xining), Songzanlin (Shangri-La) — are accessible without a Tibet Tourism Bureau permit. Labrang is particularly open; monks give guided temple tours in Tibetan, Chinese, and sometimes English. The Lama Temple in Beijing is a functioning Gelugpa monastery within easy reach of central Beijing.