| Tibetan Buddhism (Simplified Chinese: ????) | | | | Manchuria. It was adopted as an official |
| is the body of religious Buddhist doctrine | | | | state religion by the Mongol Yuan dynasty and |
| and institutions characteristic of Tibet, the | | | | the Manchu Qing dynasty of China. |
| Himalayan region (including northern Nepal, | | | | |
| Bhutan, and Sikkim and Ladakh), Mongolia, | | | | Tibetan Buddhism in the contemporary world |
| Buryatia, Tuva and Kalmykia (Russia), and | | | | |
| northeastern China (Manchuria: Heilongjiang, | | | | Today, Tibetan Buddhism is adhered to widely |
| Jilin). It is a multifaceted and integrated | | | | in the Tibetan Plateau, Bhutan, Mongolia, |
| teaching, naturally implementing methods for | | | | Kalmykia (the Russian north Caucasus), |
| all human-condition levels: Hinayana, | | | | Siberia (central Russia), and the Russian Far |
| Mahayana, Vajrayana (Tantric Path) and Ati | | | | East. In the wake of the Tibetan diaspora, |
| Yoga (Dzogchen). In the past, Tibetan | | | | Tibetan Buddhism has gained adherents in the |
| Buddhism was referred to by some as "Lamaism" | | | | West and throughout the world; there are |
| (Teaching of spiritual teachers) but by many | | | | estimated to be thousands of practitioners in |
| this is now considered inappropriate. | | | | Europe and the Americas. Western celebrity |
| | | | Tibetan Buddhism practitioners include |
| Certain Buddhist scriptures arrived in | | | | Richard Gere, Adam Yauch, Allen Ginsberg; |
| southern Tibet from India as early as 173 CE | | | | Philip Glass, and Steven Seagal, who has been |
| during the reign of Thothori Nyantsen, the | | | | proclaimed a tulku. |
| 28th king of Tibet. During the third century | | | | |
| the scriptures were disseminated to northern | | | | Seagal's tulku status and martial arts skill |
| Tibet (which was not part of the same kingdom | | | | positioned him to be chosen as godfather to |
| at the time). The influence of Buddhism was | | | | Yabshi Pan Rinzinwangmo. Rinzinwangmo, or |
| not great, however, and the form was | | | | "Renji," is the only child of the 10th |
| certainly not tantric, as the earliest | | | | Panchen Lama of Tibet. Renji studied in the |
| tantric scripture texts (tantras) had only | | | | United States for a brief period, and her |
| just then begun to be codified in India. | | | | family relied on Seagal for her safekeeping. |
| | | | |
| The most important event in Tibetan Buddhist | | | | Although there were many householder-yogis in |
| history, however, was the arrival of the | | | | Tibet, monasticism was the foundation of |
| great tantric mystic Padmasambhava in Tibet | | | | Buddhism in Tibet. It's estimated that as |
| in 774 at the invitation of King Trisong | | | | much as 25% of the population of Tibet was |
| Detsen. It was Padmasambhava (more commonly | | | | monastic from the 16th century through the |
| known in the region as Guru Rinpoche) who | | | | Chinese invasion. There were thousands of |
| merged tantric Buddhism with the local Bön | | | | monasteries in Tibet, and nearly all were |
| religion to form what we now recognize as | | | | ransacked and destoyed by the Chinese |
| Tibetan Buddhism. In addition to writing a | | | | communists. Most of the major ones have been |
| number of important scriptures (some of which | | | | at least partially reestablished. |
| he hid for future tertons to find), | | | | |
| Padmasambhava established the Nyingma school | | | | In Mongolia during the 1920s approximately 1 |
| from which all schools of Tibetan Buddhism | | | | 3 of the male population were monks, though |
| are derived. | | | | many lived outside monasteries. These |
| | | | monasteries were largely dismantled during |
| Tibetan Buddhism exerted a strong influence | | | | Communist rule, but many have been |
| from the 11th century AD among the peoples of | | | | reestablished with the Buddhist revival in |
| Central Asia, especially in Mongolia and | | | | Mongolia following the fall of Communism. |