The Characteristics and Essential Ideology of Tibetan Buddhism

　　A Talk Given at Shaanxi Normal University

　　Afternoon of November 9, 2011

　　Today the faculty members and students at Shaanxi Normal University are holding an academic symposium. I find it an honor to be invited, although I am hardly a learned person and I do not possess much wisdom. I say this not to feign modesty but to make an honest assessment of my own limited knowledge. Nevertheless, I have always enjoyed participating in academic forums, and it is my great pleasure to meet with you to discuss Buddhist topics.

　　I have been asked to speak on “The Characteristics and Essential Ideology of Tibetan Buddhism.” The scope of this topic is indeed so vast that I had to scramble just to find a starting point. After all, the doctrines in Tibetan Secret Mantrayana are voluminous; its impressive breadth and depth make it impossible to review it all in the short time of an hour. Therefore I can at best make a brief introduction that will give you a glimpse.

　　I. A Brief History of Tibetan Buddhism

　　To many people, the esoteric Buddhism of Tibet and Han China are alike in that they both flourished only briefly before they died out and disappeared from history. This notion, I am afraid, is not quite correct. From day one of Buddhism”s arrival in Tibet until now, through the turmoil of many generations, the Secret Mantrayana in Tibet has been completely and faithfully preserved in all aspect of history, exposition, ritual, and practice. Therefore, it is incorrect to equate Tibet”s esoteric Buddhism with that of the Han.

　　Still others call Tibetan Mantryana “Lamaism,” as it is practiced by Tibetan lamas. This is a misnomer. The word “lama” infers to someone who has taken the monastic ordination. Yet practitioners of Mantrayana are not limited to ordained monastics only, many are actually lay householders.

　　In fact, Tibetan Buddhism is one of the three main branches of Buddhism in the world. Just like the other two traditions—Theravada and Han Buddhism—Tibetan Buddhism is an authentic Buddhist lineage. Buddhism was founded by Buddha Shakyamuni in India. After its introduction to Tibet, it was assimilated into Tibetan culture and developed into a massive religious system, now called Tibetan Buddhism. Likewise, when Buddhism was introduced to Han China, it melded with Chinese culture and evolved into Han Buddhism. Hence Tibetan Buddhism is not a religion indigenous to Tibet, nor does it encompass only the Secret Mantrayana.

　　Many of you sitting here are history scholars, and must be familiar with the historical aspects of Buddhism. In the very early days, there was no Dharma in Tibet. Around the 3rd century during the reign of the Tibetan King Lha Thothori Nyantsen, some of Buddha”s images, relics, and Buddhist scriptures (among them the Karandavyuha Sutra) fell from the sky and landed on the roof of the palace. The king also obtained a prophecy to the effect that the meaning of these auspicious objects would be disclosed after five generations. This episode thus marks the first arrival of Buddhadharma in Tibet.

　　But some historic accounts state that these Dharma treasures did not fall from the sky, rather, they were brought over by learned Buddhist scholars (panditas) from India. Old events like this are not easy for us to define now. The academic circle, in all its tradition, will acknowledge only the version supported by archaeological findings. However, Buddhists like us tend to go one step further in that we will recognize mystic phenomena which, incidentally, are completely incomprehensible from scholastic perspectives. The historical authenticity of this event, like some other incidents, remains unresolved.

　　Five generations later, King Songtsen Gampo [1] believed to be an ema…

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