Tibetan Buddhism
For more than a thousand years, the Buddhist culture bloomed in Tibet, where it was the foundation of the whole society. Monks and nuns represented a quarter of the population, a probably unprecedented figure in human history.
The spiritual practice was unmistakably the main purpose of existence and the laymen themselves - men and women, nomads, farmers, or traders - considered that their indispensable daily activities were of secondary importance with regard to the spiritual life.
This total dedication in the spiritual practice was certainly favored by the very pragmatic method offered by Buddhism to become better, by showing clearly how every person creates oneself happiness or suffering.
It was besides without doubt, due to the spectacular beauty of the unlimitedness and the crystalline purity of the Tibetan landscapes, which naturally led the spirit in the summits of the contemplative life.
Buddhism is a system of explanations and practical methods directed at the ending of suffering.
The practitioner attains this goal by means of ethical behavior –refraining from causing harm to any living being, even the tiniest insect- and by meditative absorption and profound insight into the nature of reality.
What, compared with Western thought, in particular to Tibetan Buddhism thought?
The Tibetans think differently about themselves and the world, both about the origin of the real and about the position of the individual within it.
Although Buddhism has always been counted among the world religions, it is still not settled whether we can properly call it a religion in the usual sense or not.
Origins of Tibetan Buddhism
7th-8th centuries: first sign of Tibetan Buddhism
In this period, Tibetans were considered as invincible warriors dictating their law to vast regions of Central Asia; the Bon religion prevailed.
According to a Tibetan legendary tradition, Songtsän Gampo (618-649) married a Nepalese Buddhist princess, Bhrikuti, and then a Chinese Tang Dynasty Buddhist princess, Wencheng, who came to Tibet with a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha.
Under their influence, he was already regarded as an embodiment of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, one of the more widely revered bodhisattvas in mainstream Mahayana Buddhism, and built hundreds of temples to widen the dharma teaching: in Buddhist philosophy, dhamma/dharma is also the term for "phenomenon".
In the 8th century invited by King Trisong Detsen (755-797), the famous tantric mystic Padmasambhāva arrived in Tibet according to the Tibetan tradition; Padmasambhāva, along with Śāntarakṣita, established the Nyingma school in 779.
10th century: weakening of Tibetan Buddhism
In 838 King Ralpachen's brother, Tri Wudum Tsen, ascended the throne. He tried to reinstate the Bon religion and persecuted the Buddhists. After his assassination by a Buddhist monk, the kingdom was divided between his two sons. With warring princes, lords, and generals contending for power the mighty Tibetan Empire disintegrated into many small princedoms and a dark period fell over Tibet during 842-1247; cut by its Indian roots, Buddhism degenerates.
10-11th centuries: second roam of Tibetan Buddhism
In the 10th century, the Indian master Atiśa Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna founded the Kadam school of Tibetan Buddhism. Although it no longer exists as an independent school, Kadam's teachings were incorporated into the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism and are still prized today for their unique practical application of the bodhisattva's altruistic ideal in everyday life.
Some ten decades after this, two new schools developed Kagyu and Sakya two of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma and Gelug.
14th century: reform of Tibetan Buddhism
In the 14th, Buddhism knew a period of reform through Tsongkhapa heard Buddha’s teachings. Tsongkhapa (1357–1419), whose name means “The Man from Onion Valley”, was a famous teacher of Tibetan Buddhism whose activities led to the formation of the Geluk School. He founded The Ganden monastery in 1409.
16th century: Buddhism State religion
The 16th century marked the consecration of Gelug-pa, also known as the Yellow Hat sect.
Altan khan chose the Gelug order of Tibetan Buddhism (founded by Tsongkhapa, 1357-1419).
In 1577 he invited the leader of this order, Sonam Gyatsho, to come to Mongolia and teach his people Sonam Gyatsho proclaimed Altan Khan to be the reincarnation of Khublai Khan, and in return, Altan Khan gave the title Dalai Lama to Sonam Gyatsho. Altan Khan posthumously awarded the title to his two predecessors, making Sonam Gyatsho the 3rd Dalai Lama.
In the 17th century, the 5th Dalai Lama, Lobsang Gyatso confirmed officially the hegemony of Gelug-pa who was the first Dalai Lama to wield effective temporal power over all of central Tibet and began construction of the Potala Palace in 1645.
Buddhism Today in Tibet
The essence of the Tibetan civilization, Buddhism defines the Tibetans as people and as a nation. In some moved back regions, the Buddhist practice preserved its authenticity; monasteries are reconstructed and financial supports reach the monks and the nuns. The Tibetans try hard to save the traditional lifestyle of their native country.
Among the musical traditions of Tibet, one of the most singular is the vocal and instrumental style of the monastic community. After years of training, every monk is skilled at producing a note in three octaves simultaneously. The resultant sound was compared with the didgeridoo, the traditional instrument of the aborigines.
The sung version of Buddha’s teachings, the deep vocal vibrations, and the orchestral accompaniments act on the energy flows of body and spirit. The singing is overseen by a choirmaster, who adjusts the rhythm of the ceremony.
Among the traditional instruments, there are cymbals, bells, drums, long trunks (dung-Chen), and any sorts of trumpets which length could reach 2m50. The orchestral arrangements vary the phases of peace and the shrill sequences in total silence.
It was of custom in Tibet when a monastery celebrated a spiritual festival that the laic community met to see the monks being engaged during three or four days in dance and music. The dances depict the fight between the strengths of the Good and the Evil and the final victory of the Good.
Born in India, the sacred dances were introduced in Tibet and in Mongolia by a lineage of followers of the Tantra. The monks wear elaborate costumes representing devils, yogis, and spirits of nature, protective deities, and animals. Every dancer has in mind the spirit of the divinity he interprets and feels an infinite pride to embody his virtues.
The movements are then the expression of a state of Awakening and the area where he evolves becomes the house of the divinity. It is the movements of the dancers that guide the musicians. These gestures can be slow or fast and sometimes furious.