波特兰先生的博客: Five major branches of Tibetan Buddhism

2024年5月1日星期三

Five major branches of Tibetan Buddhism

Five major branches of Tibetan Buddhism

The teachings of Tibetan "Buddhism" are characterized by paying equal attention to opinions and practices, and absorbing certain characteristics of Bon religion. Different inheritances, complex rituals, and numerous icons are a distinctive feature of Tibetan "Buddhism."

During this trip to Tibet, the wise man Agudengba and the caravan leader Lacuo chatted about Tibet's native religion "Bon" and also talked about the famous Tibetan "Buddhism".

They came to the foot of Gongga Snow Mountain along southern Tibet.

Agudemba said:

The inheritance methods of Tibetan "Buddhism" include master-disciple transmission, such as the Nyingma sect, Kagyu sect, and Kadam sect; and family inheritance, such as the Sakya sect, which basically adopts the family inheritance based on the Kun family. Way. But the most distinctive feature is the reincarnation system of living Buddhas. "Unity of politics and religion" is another major feature of Lamaism.

Historically, most sects of Tibetan "Buddhism" have been combined with certain political forces, including local powerful groups or family forces, to form a system of integration of politics and religion.

This system first took shape during the reign of the Tibetan Emperor Detsen Zanpu, and was formally established during the Sakya Sect. It was continuously improved thereafter, and reached its peak when the Gelug Sect took over the local political and religious power in Tibet.

The places where Tibetan "Buddhism" is taught and practiced are divided into two types: monasteries and monasteries, and there are also comprehensive ones. The regulations of each sect and temple are not exactly the same.

Tibetan "Buddhist" monasteries vary in size, from small ones with only a few people to large ones with as many as seven or eight thousand people. Large temples generally consist of a sutra hall, a shrine, a forest garden used as a place for sutra debate, a sutra printing house, several living Buddha labhangs, monks' residences, deacons' offices, warehouses, guest rooms for receiving donors, animal pens, etc.

Agudemba said:

Tibetan "Buddhism" is mainly divided into five major branches. Among them, the Nyingma sect, the Kagyu sect, and the Kadam sect adopt the master-disciple inheritance method.

The Nyingma sect is the oldest sect of Tibetan Buddhism. "Ningma" means "ancient" and "old" in Tibetan. This sect mainly inherits and carries forward the old secret mantras translated and transmitted during the Tubo period, so it is called "old"; its historical origins are earlier than other sects that appeared in the Later Hong period. , so it is called "ancient".

The Nyingma sect is commonly known as the "Old Translation Secret Mantra Sect". It is part of the original Bon religion, which attaches great importance to the search and excavation of the classics hidden when Langdama destroyed the Buddha in ancient times. Because the monks of this sect only wear red hats, they are also called the Red Sect.

In the early days, the Nyingma sect had no fixed monasteries, monk organizations and systematic teachings. The Nyingma sect in the strict sense established temples in the 11th century and had large-scale activities. It was not until the 16th and 17th centuries that there were relatively large-scale monasteries. The famous monasteries of the Nyingma sect include the Dorje Drak Monastery and Minzhuling Monastery in Tibet, and the Kathok, Zhuqing, Baiyu, and Xieqing monasteries in Sichuan. The Nyingma sect has spread to Bhutan and Nepal in the 14th century; in modern times, Nyingma sect temples have been built in India, Belgium, Greece, France, the United States, etc., and relevant doctrinal works have been published continuously.

The inheritance of Nyingma sect is mainly divided into two parts: classic inheritance and terma inheritance. The teachings of the Nyingma sect mainly consist of three parts of the Nine Vehicles. The Nyingma Sect pays most attention to the practice of the Dzogchen method of the heart. It advocates that the human heart is inherently pure and the three bodies are perfect. It is self-made without any pretense. The key to practice is only to eliminate karma and purify habits, so that you can realize your true nature and achieve perfection. Buddhist matters.

Since the fifth Dalai Lama, every successive Tibetan local government has asked Nyingma monks to provide relief during wars, famines, plagues, etc. Senior monks from the Nyingma sect have been serving as specialized prayer teachers for the Kashag regime, responsible for divination and divination. Today, the Red Religion is not only spread in Tibetan areas of China, but also in many countries such as India, Nepal, Bhutan, France, and the United States.

Agudengpa talked about the Sakya sect again:

"Sakya" in the Sakya Sect means gray-white land in Tibetan. It was named after the gray-white color of the site where the Sakya Monastery, the main temple of the sect, is built. Because the walls of the temples of this sect are painted with red, white and black stripes symbolizing Manjushri, Avalokitesvara and Vajrapani Bodhisattva, it is also called the Flower Sect.

The Sakya sect has two inheritances: lineage and legal lineage. After the Yuan Dynasty, three more tribes appeared in the Sakya sect: Er, Gonggar and Qar.

Important monasteries of the Sakya Sect include Gongqin Temple in Dege, Sichuan, Jiegu Temple in Yushu, Qinghai, Shizang Temple in Chengduo County, Nalanda Temple in Linzhou, Tibet, and Jiecai Temple in present-day Sikkim.

The Sakya Sect adopts the inheritance method passed down from generation to generation by the Tie family. In the 13th century, the Sakya sect developed into a sect with powerful political power and had the famous "Five Sakya Patriarchs". Representative figures include the first ancestor Kunga Ningpo, the second ancestor Sonam Tsemo, the third ancestor Drakpa Gyaltsen, the fourth ancestor Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltsen, and the fifth ancestor Pasipa Chui Gyaltsen. In 1244, Sakya Pandita went to Liangzhou for talks at the invitation of the Mongolian prince Kuoduan, and made important contributions to the unification of Tibet by the Yuan Dynasty. Later, Pasiba was granted the title of National Master and Imperial Master by Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty. He took charge of the affairs of the Academy and managed local political and religious affairs in Tibet. In 1267, Tibet established the Sakya sect's theocratic local government. With the support of the Central Dynasty of the Yuan Dynasty, the power of the Sakya Sect increased greatly. Its monasteries and influence spread to various places in Kham and Amdo, and also had a significant influence on the royal family of the Yuan Dynasty. At the same time, conflicts within the Sakya sect gradually developed, and Sakya power gradually declined.

The Sakya sect pays great attention to the translation and debate of sutras in exoteric teachings. The Sakya sect believes that we must avoid "broken views" and "common views" and follow the middle path, so that we can reach the realm of the wise.

The Sakya sect has made important contributions to the development of Tibetan culture. Damabala, the emperor's teacher in the Yuan Dynasty, summoned famous Tibetan, Chinese, Indian and Beiting monks in Beijing to collect the Chinese Buddhist Tibetan scriptures in Sanskrit originals. It took three years to compile the "Zhiyuan" The General Record of Magical Weapons. This laid the foundation for the compilation and printing of the Tibetan Tripitaka. Sakya Monastery is still the monastery with the richest collection of books in Tibetan Buddhism. In addition, the Sakya Sect established the Dege Sutra Printing House in Dege Gongqin Monastery in Sichuan in 1550, which is the most famous sutra printing house in Tibetan areas. It specializes in engraving thousands of Tibetan "Buddhist" scriptures, calendars, medicine and other classics, which plays an important role in protecting and promoting Buddhism.

Agudengpa again talked about the Kagyu Sect:

The Kagyu Sect is the sect with the largest number of Tibetan "Buddhist" branches. "Kagyu" means "oral transmission" in Tibetan, which means that it inherits the secret mantra teachings given by Vajradhara himself. There were two founders: one was Qiong Brown Jopa and the other was Marpa the translator. Because the monks of this sect wear white robes according to Hindu tradition, they are called the White Sect.

This sect has many branches, including Dapo Kagyu and Shangpa Kagyu. Later, many disciples of Dabo Rachel developed more branches, usually known as the "Four Lines and Eight Branches", which are distributed in Tibetan areas and other places and have not declined to this day. The upper levels of Pazhu Kagyu and Karma Kagyu among the Dapo Kagyu were canonized by the Yuan and Ming dynasties, and successively took charge of the local political power in Tibet. The main monasteries of the Kagyu Sect include Zhigong Temple in Mozhugongkar, Tibet, and Babang Temple in Dege, Sichuan.

The Kagyu Sect focuses on self-cultivation and specializes in Mahamudra. Mahamudra can be divided into sutra and secret. The Mahamudra of Sutra is a method for cultivating the mind. It practices the Mahamudra of Emptiness. It requires the practitioner to stay in one place without distinguishing between good and evil, beauty and ugliness, in order to achieve meditation.

Agudengpa once again talked to Lacuo about the Kadam Sect in Tibetan "Buddhism".

The Kadam Sect was founded in 1056. The Tibetan word "Karma" refers to the Buddhist language, and "Dang" refers to the professor. The popular saying is to use Buddha's teachings to guide ordinary people to accept Buddhist principles. The founder of the Kadam Sect was the famous Buddhist master Atisha who was invited from India during the Guge period. Rezhen Temple is the main temple of the Kadam Sect. This sect focuses on practicing sutras and advocates sutras first and esoteric later.

The Kadam Sect has a significant influence on other sects of Tibetan "Buddhism" due to its systematic teachings and standardized practices. Some important monks from the Kagyu and Sakya sects learned from the Kadam sect. After the rise of the Gelug sect in the 15th century, the Gelug sect developed on the basis of the teachings of the Kadam sect. Therefore, the monasteries that originally belonged to the Kadam sect gradually became monasteries of the Gelug sect. disappear in Tibetan areas.

Agudengba once again talked about the Gelug sect of Tibetan "Buddhism" to Latso.

The word "Gelug" in the Gelug Sect means "good rules" in Chinese, which means that the sect advocates that monks should strictly abide by the precepts. And because this sect believes that its teachings originated from the Kadam Sect, it is called the New Kadam Sect. Because this sect wears yellow monk hats, it is also called the Yellow Sect. The Gelug Sect has both distinctive characteristics and a strict management system, so it quickly overtook others and became one of the important sects of Tibetan Buddhism.

The sect regards Master Tsongkhapa (1357-1419) as its founder. Tsongkhapa wrote "The Lamrim of the Bodhi Path" and "The Lamrim of the Tantric Path" in 1402 and 1406 respectively, which laid the theoretical foundation for the founding of the Gelug Sect. In the first month of 1409, Tsongkhapa held the first prayer ceremony at the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. In the same year, he built the Ganden Temple in the northeast of Lhasa and appointed himself the abbot. This was a sign of the formal formation of the Gelug Sect. Later, the sect gradually expanded its power and built monasteries such as Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery, and Tashilhunpo Monastery. Since the Qing Dynasty, Gelug sect monasteries have developed greatly. In addition to the three major monasteries in Lhasa, they include Tashilhunpo Monastery, Qamdo Monastery, Kumbum Monastery, Longwu Monastery, and Youning Monastery in Qinghai, and Labrang Monastery and Zhuoni Monastery in Gansu. , Gerdi Monastery and Garze Monastery in Sichuan, Gedan Songzanlin Monastery in Zhongdian, Yunnan, Yonghe Temple in Beijing, etc. are also famous monasteries of the Gelug Sect.

Gelug monasteries are well organized. Larger temples are generally divided into three levels: temple, zhacang and kangcun, and each has its own management organization. Deacons implement a term system and each performs their own responsibilities. Important matters are decided through consultation. The system of studying classics is sound. The systematic Buddhist education system and degree system stipulate that both sutra and esoteric teachings should be given equal emphasis, with sutra study procedures focusing on the three studies of precepts, concentration and wisdom. At the same time, Gelug monasteries also attached great importance to subjects such as grammar, rhetoric, craftsmanship, medicine, and calendar calculation, and played an important role in the development of Tibetan thought and culture.

The adoption of the reincarnation system of the Living Buddha was a turning point for the Gelug Sect to flourish. In the Qing Dynasty, the Gelug Sect formed the four major reincarnation systems of the Dalai Lama, Panchen Lama, Zhangjia Living Buddha (Inner Mongolia), and Jebtsundamba (Outer Mongolia).

Lacuo did not interrupt, but remained speechless as he listened to Agudengba's narration of those events.

Agudengba pointed to the snow-capped mountains in the distance and sang an impromptu song "Six-Character Vajra Sound":

French six-character diamond sound,

All Buddhas and Tathagatas support you.

"Om" spreads to the other side,

There is no supreme being who saves the world,

The Buddhas gather their Dharmakayas,