Redefining Tibetan Buddhism

Wed, 05 Jul 2023 11:19:49 +0530

The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara in the form of Shadakshari Lokeshvara: folio from an Indian manuscript of the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita, courtesy of the Met Museum. Avalokiteshvara is as much a Tibetan figure as he is an Indian one — and that is precisely the point of this article.

Introduction

Tibetan Buddhism can look strange from the outside. Long horns, butter lamps, deities with many heads and many arms, monks debating in courtyards by clapping their hands. To a first-time visitor it can feel impossibly exotic, and to some critics it looks like a tradition that has wandered far from anything the historical Buddha would recognise. The common assumption is that Tibetan Buddhism is its own thing — a distinct, somewhat baroque Himalayan religion that grew up in isolation on the roof of the world.

Nalanda on Middle Way Musings

Redefining Tibetan Buddhism

Introduction