| Tibetan Buddhism is the body of religious | | | | This includes the attainment omniscience - |
| Buddhist doctrine and institutions | | | | that is all obstructions to knowing all |
| characteristic of Tibet, the Himalayan region | | | | phenomena (including knowing perfectly the |
| (including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and Sikkim | | | | minds of all sentient beings) are removed. In |
| and Ladakh), Mongolia, Buryatia, Tuva and | | | | the Tibetan Buddhist view, when one perceives |
| Kalmykia (Russia), and northeastern China | | | | or conceives of a particular object the mind |
| (Manchuria: Heilongjiang, Jilin). It includes | | | | (carried upon a subtle energy - 'prana' in |
| the teachings of the three vehicles (or yanas | | | | Sanskrit and 'lung' in Tibetan) goes to that |
| in Sanskrit) of Buddhism: Hinayana, Mahayana, | | | | object. Thus it is said that upon the |
| and Vajrayana (also known as Tantrayana). The | | | | attainment of omniscience, one's mind becomes |
| invasion and occupation of Tibet by China in | | | | omnipresent. |
| 1959 eventually led to the spread of Tibetan | | | | |
| Buddhism to many Western countries (which has | | | | There are said to be countless beings that |
| become known as the Tibetan Diaspora) where | | | | have attained Buddhahood, or in other words |
| the tradition has gained great popularity. In | | | | there are countless Buddhas. Buddhas |
| the past, Tibetan Buddhism was referred to by | | | | spontaneously, naturally and continuously |
| some as "Lamaism" (Teaching of spiritual | | | | perform activities to benefit all sentient |
| teachers) but by many this is now considered | | | | beings. However it is believed that sentient |
| inappropriate. (See Lama) | | | | beings' karma (or actions and results) has |
| | | | equal power to Buddhas. Thus, although |
| Introduction | | | | Buddhas possess no limitation from their side |
| | | | on their ability to help others, sentient |
| Tibetan Buddhism is a Mahayana Buddhist | | | | beings continue to experience suffering as a |
| tradition, meaning that the goal of all | | | | result of their own negative actions (usually |
| practise is to achieve full enlightenment (or | | | | committed in previous lifetimes). |
| Buddhahood) in order to remove all limitation | | | | |
| on one's ability to help all other living | | | | Vajrayana |
| beings to attain this state. This motivation | | | | |
| for practise is called Bodhichitta (a | | | | Tibetan Buddhism encompasses Vajrayana (a |
| Sanskrit word meaning 'mind of | | | | Sanskrit word that is a conjunction of vajra |
| enlightenment'). | | | | which may be translated as diamond, thunder |
| | | | or indestructible and yana or vehicle). It is |
| Tibetan Buddhist monks at a monastery in | | | | said that Vajrayana practice is the fastest |
| Sikkim | | | | method for attaining Buddhahood, however this |
| | | | is only the case for advanced practitioners |
| Tibetan Buddhist monks at a monastery in | | | | who have a grounding in the preliminary |
| Sikkim | | | | practices (which may be categorised as |
| | | | renunciation, Bodhichitta and wisdom - |
| Buddhahood is defined as freedom from the | | | | specifically, the wisdom perceiving |
| obstructions to liberation (or negative | | | | emptiness). For practitioners who are not |
| states of mind such as hatred and desirous | | | | qualified, Vajrayana practise is in fact |
| attachment) and the obstructions to | | | | dangerous, and will only lead to suffering if |
| omniscience (which are the imprints of | | | | it is not practised with the pure motivation |
| negative minds, or delusions). When one is | | | | of Bodhichitta. For this reason also, |
| freed from mental obscurations one is said to | | | | Vajrayana should only ever be practised after |
| attain a state of unimaginable, continuous | | | | receiving an appropriate initiation (also |
| bliss where all limitations on one's ability | | | | known as an empowerment) from a qualified |
| to help all other living beings are removed. | | | | lama. |