Tibetan Buddhism

Buddhism was brought to Tibet by Padmasambhava in the 8th Century, and has flourished there ever since, transmitted from Gurus to disciples in an unbroken lineage. The Tibetan practices share a distinctive motivation: they are undertaken to end not only one's own suffering, but also the suffering of all other beings, to each of whom we owe a karmic debt. The understanding is that since we are all linked to one another, one person's liberation is incomplete until all other beings have been liberated.

  So with the help and guidance of the Guru, Tibetan Buddhist practitioners work to develop the pure perception which arises out of meditation. That clarity is then used to awaken and increase their compassion for others until it equals the unconditioned compassion of the Buddha.

The Tibetan language does not have a term with the same associations as the English word religion.  The closest is the word cho (chos), which is a Tibetan translation of the Sanskrit word dharma. This term has a wide range of possible meanings, and no English word comes close to expressing the associations it has for Tibetans. In its most common usage it refers to the teachings of Buddhism, which are thought to express the truth and to outline a path to enlightenment. The path is a multifacteted one, and there are teachings and practices to suit every sort of person. There is no one path that erveryone must follow and no practices that are prescribed for every Buddhist. Rather, the dharma has something for everyone, and anyone can profit from some aspect of the dharma.

Because of its multifaceted nature, however, there is no one "truth" that can be put into words, nor is there one program of training that everyone can or must follow. Tibetan Buddhism recognizes that people have differing capacities, attitudes, and predispositions, and the dharma can and should be adapted to these. Thus, there is no one church in which everyone should worship, no service that everyone might attend, no prayers that everyone must say, and no text that everyone should treat as normative. The dharma is extremely flexible, and if one finds that a particular practice leads to a diminishment of negative emotions, greater peace and happiness, and increased compassion and wisdom, this is dharma. The Dalai Lama even states that one may practice the dharma by following the teachings and practices of non-Buddhist traditions such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, or Hinduism.   If one belongs to one of traditions, and if one's religious practice leads to spiritual advancement, the Dalai Lama counsels that one should keep at it, since this is the goal of all religious paths.