The 4 schools of Tibetan Buddhism

There are four different schools of Tibetan Buddhism; all the systems originated in India and share many essential teachings in the way that Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant Christianity share most of the fundamental beliefs. They pay allegiance to Buddha Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha. The schools of Tibetan Buddhism are Mahayana [The Great Wheel], which spreads the belief that all sentient beings must achieve enlightenment, not just a few.

The Nyingma School:

This is the oldest school and the name literally means “Old School.” Samantabhadra is considered the “primordial Buddha” [of which Buddha Shakyamuni and Vajradhara are emanations of Samantabhadra]. The most famed and respected human teacher is the 8th century C.E. Indian mystic Padmasambhava who brought Buddhism to Tibet. Tibetans commonly refer to Padmasambhava as Guru Rinpoche. In a biography written by his disciple Yeshe Tsogyel, his early years were similar to that of Buddha Shakyamuni in that he was born in Northern India in a large many-colored lotus that arose in the midst of a lake. Padmasambhava was adopted by the King of Oddiyana, who had no son, and lived a luxurious life in the palace. Also, like Buddha Shakyamuni, he had to leave the palace in order to develop and learn more about advanced yogic studies. Padmasambhava began traveling to spread the teachings and went to China and Turkestan. He then went to Tibet but first had to tame the demons that tried to keep Buddhism out of the Land of the Snows. The demons were strongly linked to the pre-Buddhist religion of Bon but were eventually converted by Padmasambhava’s great mind and became protector deities. The first Buddhist monastery was built in Samye and the long procedure of translating the Indian texts into Tibetan began.

The Nyingma School has classified the Buddhist teachings into 9 Vehicles. The first three are: hearer, solitary realizer and bodhisattva. Connected with the outer tantras are: action tantra, performance tantra and yoga tantra. The last three are inner tantra: mahayoga, anuyoga and atiyoga [dzogchen].

Path continuum is all about accumulations of merit and wisdom.

Fruit continuum is the 11th level and Method continuum is the highest level. That person becomes a Buddha and is able to teach anyone Buddhism at whatever level is appropriate.

There are two ways that the teachings are passed along in the Nyingma school. The first is through teachings – the unbroken oral transmission originating from Buddha Shakyamuni to his disciples which continues to this day. The second is through terma, the texts that were hidden by Padmasamhava and later discovered by the tertons [treasure revealers].

Dzogchen is part of the Nyingma School but is considered very difficult to comprehend. Also known as the Mind-Only school, dzogchen is the quickest and most profound path to enlightenment.

The Kagyu School:

This is the “Teaching Lineage” of Tibetan Buddhism. Founded by the Indian sage, Tilopa [988-1069], the Kagyus believe that Vajradhara received the original instructions, and that those teachings are superior to those of Buddha Shakyamuni.

Tilopa transmitted the teachings to his student Naropa [1016-1100] who later become the abbot of Nalanda Monastery, the most exalted monastery in India at that time. Marpa and Milarepa were considered two more enlightened masters/teachers of the Kagyu School and others followed.

There are four great and eight lesser schools in the Kagyu lineage.

4 Great: 1] Karma Kagyu, 2] Tselpa Kagyu, 3] Baram Kagyu, and 4] Pakmo Kagyu.

8 Lesser: 1] Drikung, 2] Taklung, 3] Tropu, 4] Drukpa, 5] Mar, 6] Yerpa, 7] Shuksep, and 8] Yamsang.

Not all of these schools are around today—Drikung, Drukpa and Taklung are in existence and there are two new schools: Shangpa Kagyu and Ugyen Nyendrup.

The 6 Yogas of Naropa are named after the Indian master who taught them to his disciples. They are:

1] Heat Yoga. This develops the body heat, which is particularly helpful in colder climates like Tibet.

2] Illusory Body Yoga. This allows the mind to understand that the phenomena of ordinary reality is a mental creation.

3] Dream Yoga. The student practices visualizations in the dream state which are harmonious with his/her practice.

4] Clear Light Yoga. The student becomes aware of the true nature of mind—which is that of clear light.

5] Bardo Yoga. The bardo is the intermediate state and there are 6 of them: 1. The bardo between birth and death, or everyday reality. 2. The bardo of the dream state. 3. Reality bardo which happens at the time of unconsciousness when the mind’s overwhelmed at death. 4. The bardo of becoming, fantastic visions, both beautiful and frightening are but reflections of the mind. 5. The bardo of meditative absorption, which lasts as long as someone can meditate. 6. The bardo of birth is that which brings us into our next existence.

6] Transference of Consciousness Yoga. At the time of death the state of one’s mind dictates where he/she will wind up—it can be anywhere from the lower realms to a Buddha pureland or even enlightenment if the mind is properly attuned.

Mahamudra, which means “great seal” is the essence of all Buddhist teachings. It is a direct understanding of truth—and that knowledge isn’t found in texts. Those who study Mahamudra do so after doing preliminary practices which help cleanse negative karma.

Meditation is also very important amidst the Kagyu School and there are many forms of it from single-minded contemplation to exercises for overcoming the Four Faults [the mind is: too close, too profound, too easy and too excellent]. There is Meditative Therapy for understanding the mind and achieving psychic good health. And there is Cho, which means cutting off, eliminating the sense of “I.”

The Sakya School:

Established in the town of Sakya in south-central Tibet, Sakya means “gray earth” which is considered an auspicious sign. Sakya monastery was established in 1073 by Gonchok Gyelpo [1034-1102]. The monastery’s location was advantageous as it was along established trade routes.

Gonchok Gyelpo’s son the “Great Sakyapa” Gunga Nyingpo [1092-1158] categorized the Sakya teachings. Considered an incarnation of Manjushri, the Buddha of Wisdom, the teachings were received directly, some of them when he was still a boy. “Separation from the 4 Attachments” is one of the essential teachings of Buddhism.

From 1182-1251 Gunga Gyeltsen Bel Sangpo, known as Sakya Pandita “The Scholar of the Sakyas” was also thought to be an incarnation of Manjushri. As an infant he would write Sanskrit characters in the dirt and then avoid crawling over them. His gift to the Sakya School was his ability to understand knowledge of both Buddhist origin and non-Buddhist alike. Widely recognized as a great debater, he answered the challenge to a Vedanta philosopher and succeeded in winning the debate, causing the philosopher to convert to Buddhism. One of his most influential works was the “Differentiation of the 3 Vows” which discusses individual liberation, bodhisattva vows and samaya [commitment] vows.

The Sakya school has two main subsects: Ngorpa and Tsarpa, named after the locations of the monasteries. The Ngorpas are the scholars. The Tsarpas are known for the transmission of the “13 Golden Doctrines.” These consist of: cycles of the 3 dakinis [angels] Naro, Metri and Indra; cycles of 3 lesser red-colored deities: Garbhasuvarnasutrasi, Hinudevi and Vasudhara, the 3 deities Pranasadhana, Simhanada and Sabalagarudo; and teachings relating to Amaravajradevi, Simhavaktra and white Amitayus.

Lamdre [path including its fruit] is a vision of Buddhist practice based on the Hevajra Tantra. As a person can’t differentiate path from fruit, nor can the reverse hold true, from the point of view of enlightenment all such laws disappear.

The “Triple Appearance” is another significant theory as it consists of: 1] the appearance of phenomena as tainted error; 2] the appearance of experience in meditation; and 3] pure appearance. Lamdre texts describe these as being pretty much the same and only the difference is in our perception.

The Gelugpa School:

Founded by Tsong Khapa Lobsang Drakpa [1357-1419], the Gelugpa translates as the Virtuous School. The head of the school is the "Ganden Tripa." The Dalai Lama actually fulfills the role of the secular leader of Tibet, though he too is a highly spiritual master.

Tsong Khapa was born in Amdo province, East Tibet and his birth was predicted by both Shakyamuni Buddha and Padmasambhava. Tsong Khapa’s parents had many auspicious dreams before their son was born including a few concerning Avalokiteshvara [the Buddha of Compassion] and Manjushri. Indeed he was a special child as he became a monk at three, and received novice vows at seven years of age when he was given the name Lobsang Drakpa, the name Padmasmbhava had predicted of the great lama born in the east. Traveling around Tibet, he learned from dozens of masters of Buddhism, including the Sakya sage Rendawa who recognized Tsong Khapa as a prodigy and was able to learn from the student. Tsong Khapa later went on a lengthy retreat where he was able to receive direct teachings from Manjushri. He completed 3.5 million full-length prostrations. To this day the stone floor upon which he did them retains the furrows worn into it, a significant visual record of Tsong Khapa’s intense devotion.

Tsong Khapa wrote the “Great Exposition of the Stages of the Path” and more esoteric works. He later wrote a lengthy dissertation on strategies for scriptural interpretation. On a more down-to-earth level, he came up with the idea of a yearly religious festival that would start the Tibetan New Year of Losar. Monlam, [The Great Prayer Festival] is celebrated in Tibetan communities to this day.

Studying and practice of Tibetan Buddhism was as important as writing and teaching. Buddhism amongst the other schools seemed to have little mental or physical discipline. That realization, along with requests from his disciples to limit his traveling, brought him to found Ganden Monastery near Lhasa in 1410. Drepung, the largest, later housing up to 6,000 monks [1416] and Sera [1419] were all built near the capital of Tibet.

The Gelugpa monastic system emphasizes scholastics very highly. Monks are encouraged to strive for the Geshe [Dr. of Buddhist Philosophy] degree, a feat which requires the monk to learn and memorize many Indian and Tibetan Buddhist texts, Sanskrit, monastic discipline and intense meditation. The training lasts from 15-20 years.

Entering the path of enlightenment when in the Gelugpa School, a student practices lamrim [stages of the path]. In the short text of only 14 verses, Tsong Khapa’s “3 Principles of the Path” is put into shorthand of: 1] intention to leave cyclic existence; 2] generate the intent to free all sentient beings and, 3] correct view of emptiness. This remains the pure essence of all Buddhist teachings and practices.

Meditation is encouraged and there are several practices for all levels of Buddhists. Developing compassion is an essential part of not just the teachings of the Gelugpa School, but the basis of all schools of Tibetan Buddhism.