Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tibetan Buddhism
A basic understanding of Buddhism is essential to getting beneath the skin
of things in Tibet. Exploring the monasteries and temples of Tibet and mixing
with its people, yet knowing nothing of Buddhism, is like visiting the Vatican
and knowing nothing of Roman Catholicism. To be sure, it's an awe-inspiring
experience, but much will remain hidden and indecipherable. A little studying
here will give you a far deeper connection to Tibet and its people.
Since the 1959 departure of the Dalai Lama, Tibet has been largely cut off from its
Buddhist teachers and lineage masters, most of whom remain in exile.
The Roots of Religion in Tibet
For those who already know something of Zen Buddhism, Tibet can seem baffling. The
grandeur of the temples, the worship of images and the bloodthirsty protective deities that
stand in doorways all seem to belie the basic tenets of an ascetic faith that is basically about
renouncing the self and following a path of moderation.
One reason for this is that in Tibet the establishment of Buddhism was heavily marked by
its interaction with the native religion Bön. This animist or shamanistic faith - which en-
compassed gods and spirits, exorcism, spells, talismans, ritual drumming, sacrifices and the
cult of dead kings, among other things - had a major influence on the direction Buddhism
took in Tibet. Many popular Buddhist symbols and practices, such as prayer flags, sky buri-
al, the rubbing of holy rocks, the tying of bits of cloth to trees and the construction of spirit
traps, all have their roots deep in Bön tradition.
Tibetan Buddhism's interaction with both Bön spirit worship and the Hindu pantheon, as
well as Tibet's affinity for the Tantric side of Buddhist thought, has resulted in a huge range
of deities, both wrathful and benign. Grafted onto these have been the scholastic tradition of
the Indian Buddhist universities and the ascetic, meditative traditions of the Himalayan reli-
gion. Yet for all its confusing iconography and philosophy, the basic tenets of Buddhism are
very much rooted in daily experience. Even high lamas and monks come across as surpris-
ingly down to earth.
