Tibet: History, Culture, and Religion

Dive into the many facets of Tibet and learn why this ancient land is not the “Shangri-la” so often portrayed in the West. Neither is it a mystical place full of happy, meditating monks and carefree nomads, nor an odd jumble of spiritualism mixed with pseudo-psychology. This is your introduction to the real Tibet—a complex intersection of multifaceted geopolitical concerns.

China annexed Tibet in 1951, and has designated it the Tibet Autonomous Region since 1965. From the Chinese government’s perspective, the region is semi-autonomous but by no means independent. Look deeper into the many negotiations between the Dalai Lama, as the Tibetan leader, and China, and why the Dalai Lama finally felt he had no choice but to lead his government in exile.

Learn about the history of the Gelug tradition, which started in 1359 with a drop of blood from the umbilical cord of a monk named Tsongkhapa Lobsang Drakpa. Discover how Tsongkhapa went on to become the first of about 100 leaders of the Gelug sect, and why the New Kadampa Tradition opposes the traditions of the current Dalai Lama.

Discover the creation story of the Tibetan people—probably one of the earliest creation stories to include a pre-Darwinian idea of evolution. Learn about the ancient texts in the Magao Caves at Dunhuang. These texts remain untranslated and undeciphered, sealed off for unknown reasons since the 11th century. What could these texts reveal about the early Tibetan dynasties?

Learn about the Tibetan Epic of Gesar, considered to be the longest piece of literature in the world, at an estimated one million lines. In 2009, the Epic of Gesar was added to UNESCO’S Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. You’ll also discover the trickster Aku Tonpa, another popular folklore character, many of whose lessons can be compared to Buddhist ethics.

The Tibetan language did not exist in standard written form until the 7 century when King Songtsen Gampo directed its creation so he could better give orders. Learn how his admiration of Indian scholasticism paved the way for the translation of Indian Buddhist texts into Tibetan, allowing for the spread of Buddhism throughout the land and the role that Chinese Buddhists played.

Discover how the Buddhist religion and philosophy first began with a prince named Siddhartha who wanted to see the world outside his palace. Abandoning various extreme ways of living and following a middle path instead, Siddhartha achieved enlightenment. He became the Buddha, the Awakened One, teaching four noble truths related to the elimination of suffering in the world.

Learn about the most widespread religion among non-Buddhist Tibetans, Bön, and discover the complex relationship between the two religions. Even today, it’s not difficult to see the ways in which Tibetan Buddhism retains influences from Bön, compared to other forms of Buddhism around the world. Learn how Christians and Muslims also manage to exercise their religious beliefs in Tibet.

Examine the differences between the sutras and tantras of Tibetan Buddhism. Learn why the tantric practices—although performed with the ultimate goal of attaining liberation from the cycle of suffering and rebirth, just like sutras—were often considered dangerous if they fell into the wrong hands and so were rarely written down.

You might assume that because so many Tibetan people are Buddhist, they would tend toward vegetarianism. But because of the difficulty of growing vegetables at such high altitude, meat and animal products are important staples of a Tibetan diet. Discover the many different foods made from female yak milk, as well as the bite-sized momos, pak, and thukpa soup.

Learn how the establishment and spread of Tibetan Buddhism was influenced by the men known as the “Three Dharma Kings”—Songtsen Gampo, Trisong Detsen, and Ralpachen. Discover how they brought their earthly loves, scholastic interests, and particular teachings to Tibet from India and how that affected the development of current-day Tibetan Buddhism.

Discover the teachings and practices of the Nyingma tradition, Tibetan Buddhism’s oldest sect, and the one most closely associated with Padmasambhava. Padmasambhava is more than a historical figure for Tibetan Buddhists; he is an ever-present force in the world. Learn why scholars say that without Padmasambhava’s influence, Buddhism might never have taken hold in Tibet.

Discover why the story of the three monks who fled to Amdo after the assassination of the last Tibetan emperor in the ninth century of the Common Era was crucial to Tibetan Buddhism. Learn how the period known as “the later Dissemination” allowed for a comeback of the religion even 200 years later.

The head of the Karma Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism is a figure known as the Karmapa. All Karmapas are considered to be reincarnated masters whose lineage stretches back to the original Karmapa. Learn about these tulkus, who are believed to be highly realized beings continually and purposefully reborn to benefit others.

Unlike the other major sects of Tibetan Buddhism, the Sakya school has been grounded in family lineage for the past many centuries. Learn about the many political and religious changes Tibet has seen during this family’s rule. Although the family is no longer directly involved in Tibet’s political leadership, religious leadership is still passed down along family lines.

A large percentage of Tibetans have lived as nomads for thousands of years, playing an important role in the early development of Asia’s Silk Road a century or two before the Common Era. Discover how decisions by the Chinese authorities are affecting this lifestyle in part by limiting traditional patterns of migration, and why Tibetans are not in favor of resettlement programs.

In addition to the many lesser festivals celebrated throughout Tibet, nearly everyone celebrates the Tibetan New Year, Losar, with dancing, visiting family, a home altar, special foods, and honoring personal religious traditions. Learn how Tibetans are now using not Losar to protest Chinese rule by quietly not celebrating the holiday, even as more traditional forms of protest have been outlawed.

Tenzin Gyatso—the fourteenth and current Dalai Lama—describes himself as a “simple monk” even though he has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for trying to broker peace between his homeland and the Chinese. Discover the religious and political contexts surrounding the Dalai Lama tradition, and why the tulku tradition is so important to him and all the Dalai Lamas who came before him.

The monk Gendun Drub, a disciple of the founder of the Gelug tradition, became known as the first Dalai Lama. Tibetan Buddhists have viewed every Dalai Lama since as reincarnations of this first master. Learn about the significant geopolitical developments faced by the thirteenth Dalai Lama and how the current Dalai Lama was identified as the reincarnation of Gendun Drub.

In October 1950, the newly formed communist People’s Republic of China sent troops into Tibet, and the Dalai Lama formally assumed office a little more than a month later, at age 15. Discover the young Dalai Lama’s numerous attempts at peace making, including meeting with Mao Zedong in Beijing, and why he eventually fled Tibet to lead his government while in exile in Dharamsala, India.

Today, more than 100,000 Tibetans have fled Chinese rule and live in at least 40 countries around the world. Learn about the issues faced by Tibet and its government in exile—the Central Tibetan Administration—as Tibetans in the diaspora feel their connection to their homeland weaken as time passes.

Learn how Tibetan artists have kept their religious art alive under Chinese rule. Explore the thangka paintings often depicting mandalas, bodhisattvas, or lineages of teachers. You’ll also learn about iconography on altars and some of the most common Tibetan Buddhist symbolism in art, including the four harmonious friends, wheel of existence, eight auspicious symbols—and the swastika.

Since 2008, foreign journalists have not been allowed into central Tibet unless accompanied by government-approved guides. Pictures of the Dalai Lama and singing of the national anthem are officially banned. And yet, it is the Dalai Lama who has kept the world’s attention on the plight of Tibet. Consider some of the issues that could arise after the passing of the fourteenth Dalai Lama.

Learn about The Tibetan Book of the Dead and its influence on the US counterculture in the 1960s, as well as other cultures around the world. You’ll discover why some academic authorities say the book is not really Tibetan, a book, or about death. The course then concludes with a summary question and answer.