Tibetan
Buddhism
- Tibetan Buddhism is a fusion of Indian Buddhism, yoga and
the endemic Tibetan religion called Bon. Buddhism arrived in
Tibet from India in the late eighth century and more steadily
from the thirteenth century. Tibetan
Buddhism has a great deal to teach us about Human Values
and Spirituality. Tibetan Buddhism today is under threat
in its homeland but thriving in the west.
This site
is an introduction to Tibetan Buddhism and is the official
site for the book
'The Timeless Wisdom of the Tibetans'
by Craig Hamilton-Parker
TIBETAN
BUDDHISM
The Timeless Wisdom of the Tibetans
- by Craig Hamilton-Parker
The Timeless Wisdom of the Tibetans reveals
the roots of ancient Tibetan Buddhism and gives
practical advice on how to apply Tibetan Buddhism to our everyday
life; our relationships and sexuality; our family; home; work;
health and spirituality. 'Timeless Wisdom of the Tibetans'
investigates the cultural and historical context of a Tibetan
Buddhist tradition that evolved from the mysterious shamanism
of Bon and was transformed by Buddhism. Craig Hamilton-Parker
looks at how Tibetan Buddhist philosophy of Karma, reincarnation,
Nirvana, Tantra and prana energy, together with the Dalai Lama's
influence on Tibetan Buddhist thought, can teach us to find our
own enlightenment. To find out more about this book with extracts
about Tibetan Buddhism please see our main website.
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TIBETAN BUDDHISM
 TIBETAN BUDDHISM: The legends about the first people of Tibet have an almost Darwinian theme. A fresco at the Samye Monastery, which is the earliest Buddhist monastery and built in the late eighth century, shows how macaque monkeys transformed into human beings to become the Tibetan race. The legends say that before the advent of human beings, Tibet was a place where the ogress (female giant) of the rocks ran amok. Seeing the distress of the living creatures that lived there the Bodhisattva of Mercy (Avalokiteshvara) transformed into a macaque monkey and mated with the ogress (an emanation of the goddess Tara). Six baby monkeys were born that bred to make 500 monkeys and who, in the course of time, lost their tails and began to speak. Gradually they evolved into human beings and were, according to legend, the first Tibetans.
The union of Avalokeshvara and Tara are important symbols for Tibetans. Avalokeshvara is the mythic 'Father of the Nation' who is said to have reincarnate repeatedly as the kings of Tibet and today is manifesting as the Dalai Lama. His counterpart Tara is the omnipresent 'Mother of the nation', a ferocious ogress who unites with the monkey to beget the children who start the Tibetan race. She reappears in many Tibetan stories as an empress, queen and defender of the ruler. When faced with adversity the Tibetans call on her power to help them overcome their difficulties.
According to tradition, the Khonpo Mountain near Tsethang in the Yarlung valley was the spot at which the union of Avalokeshvara and Tara took place. Inside the three caves on the mountain slopes, archaic Tibetans erected carvings and stone frescoes to mark this sacred and ancient home of their ancestors. In this same valley Rupati, an India king who fled over the Himalayas after his defeat in the Mahabharata war, was crowned the first king of Tibet by twelve wise Bön priests in 127 B.C.E
These angelic beings are two of four main enlightened 'gods' who oversee the welfare of Tibet: Tara is the 'Lady of Miraculous Activities, Avalokeshvara is the 'Lord of Compassion, Manjushri is the 'Lord of Wisdom and Vajrapani is the 'Lord of Power'
Avalokeshvara is believed to manifest himself in countless ways at the same time and for example also exists within lamas such as the Karmapa incarnations.
...MORE ABOUT TIBETAN BUDDHISM
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