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Tibetan Buddhism: The Four Schools, Bön, and Where a Beginner Starts

Four schools, one shared ground, and the devotional practices that hold Tibetan Buddhist life together

What is Tibetan Buddhism?

Tibetan Buddhism is the form of Mahāyāna Buddhism, including its tantric vehicle, Vajrayāna, that has developed in Tibet over more than thirteen centuries and spread to Mongolia, the Himalaya and beyond. It has four main schools — Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug — which share the same monastic vows and the Madhyamaka view of emptiness but differ in emphasis: Dzogchen in the Nyingma, Mahāmudrā in the Kagyu, Lamdré in the Sakya and the graduated path (lamrim) in the Gelug. Bön is a related tradition that the Dalai Lama counts as a fifth. Practice rests on refuge in the Three Jewels, a teacher (lama) and transmission; a beginner starts with refuge, prostrations, mantra, offerings and circumambulation.

Tibetan Buddhism is usually described through its four main schools. The Nyingma, the “old translation” school, traces its tantras, and above all its Dzogchen teachings, to Padmasambhava, Vimalamitra and Vairocana, and adds “treasure” (terma) teachings revealed in later centuries. The three “new translation” (Sarma) schools trace their lineages to the eleventh century and after: the Kagyu, through Marpa, Milarepa and Gampopa, centred on Mahāmudrā; the Sakya, founded around the Lamdré (“path and its result”) teachings of Virūpa within the Hevajra Tantra; and the Gelug, founded by Tsongkhapa on the Kadam lineages of Atiśa, whose graduated-path (lamrim) teaching it made central. Alexander Berzin stresses how much they share: all four hold the same Mūlasarvāstivāda monastic vows, combine study of sūtra and tantra with ritual and meditation, regard the Madhyamaka explanation of emptiness as the most profound, and ask their students to complete preliminary practices (ngöndro). Bön, which traces itself to Shenrab Miwo, has its own refuge, monasteries and Dzogchen; the Dalai Lama speaks of five Tibetan traditions, counting Bön among them. Vajrayāna is understood as a vehicle within Mahāyāna, so the bodhisattva’s aspiration — the subject of the bodhicitta, lojong, tonglen and six perfections pages — runs through all of it. What distinguishes practice is the lama and transmission: refuge is taken in the Three Jewels and, in Vajrayāna, also in the Three Roots of lama, yidam and ḍākinī, and tantric methods are received from a teacher. This page is the hub for the tradition: the Dzogchen, Mahāmudrā, shamatha, emptiness and buddha-nature pages go deeper into each teaching, and further pages cover lamrim and tummo (inner heat). Here are the tradition-level practices open to a beginner, described in the tradition’s own terms.

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Wie diese Übungen zusammenhängen

Every practice on this page turns ordinary body, speech and mind toward the Three Jewels and toward the welfare of all beings, within a relationship to a teacher and a lineage. Refuge sets the direction; prostration is that direction in the body, mantra in speech, offering and dedication in what you give and where you send its good; circumambulation, prayer wheels and prayer flags carry the same devotion into walking, idle hours and the wind. Choosing a lineage and a teacher carefully is what lets the deeper practices — Dzogchen, Mahāmudrā, Lamdré, the graduated path and tantric sādhana — be received rather than improvised. The four schools differ in emphasis and vocabulary, but, as Alexander Berzin explains, they share monastic vows, the Madhyamaka view and the preliminaries that all of these practices begin.

What are the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism, and what does each one emphasise?

The four main schools are the Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug. The Nyingma, the old translation school, traces its tantras and especially its Dzogchen teachings to Padmasambhava, Vimalamitra and Vairocana, and adds revealed treasure teachings. The Kagyu descends from Marpa, Milarepa and Gampopa and centres on Mahāmudrā; Gampopa’s Jewel Ornament of Liberation is its main graduated-path text. The Sakya was founded around Virūpa’s Lamdré, the “path and its result,” within the Hevajra Tantra, together with Parting from the Four Clingings. The Gelug, founded by Tsongkhapa on Atiśa’s Kadam lineages, makes the graduated path (lamrim) central and is known for its monastic curriculum. All four share the Mūlasarvāstivāda monastic vows, combine sūtra and tantra, and treat Madhyamaka as the most profound view. In the nineteenth century the Rimé movement drew teachings from all of them together.

Is Tibetan Buddhism Mahayana, Theravada or Vajrayana, or something different?

Tibetan Buddhism is Mahāyāna, and Vajrayāna is part of it rather than a separate branch: Study Buddhism defines Vajrayāna as the vehicle within Mahāyāna that uses the tantra methods. All four Tibetan schools combine the study of sūtra with tantra, and practices such as Khenpo Shenga’s three noble principles — bodhicitta at the start, dedication at the end — are what he calls the root of the Mahāyāna path. It is not Theravāda: Theravāda belongs to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia and has its own monastic code, while Tibetan monastics hold the Mūlasarvāstivāda vows. When Tibetan texts discuss “Hīnayāna” tenets, Alexander Berzin notes, they mean the Vaibhāṣika and Sautrāntika systems, not present-day Theravāda.

Tibetan Buddhism vs Zen: how are they different, and what do they share?

Both are Mahāyāna and both centre on the bodhisattva’s aspiration and on recognising the nature of mind, which is why Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā are often compared with Zen. The differences are mainly in lineage, method and setting. Tibetan Buddhism comes down through the Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug schools from Indian masters; its monastics hold the Mūlasarvāstivāda vows, whereas the monastic lineage of East Asia, where Chan and Zen developed, is the Dharmaguptaka. Tibetan practice combines sūtra with tantra — deity yoga, mantra and empowerments received from a lama — and is surrounded by devotional practices such as prostration, offerings, circumambulation and prayer flags. For the Zen side, see the Zen practice and koan pages; for the nature-of-mind comparison, see the Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā pages.

Do you need a lama or a teacher to practise Tibetan Buddhism?

For some of it, yes; for the beginning, not necessarily. Tantric practices — deity sādhanas, the full ngöndro, Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā instruction — are received from a teacher, often with an empowerment, and in Vajrayāna refuge the lama is the root of blessings. But much of Tibetan Buddhist life has always been open to lay people without close instruction: Alexander Berzin notes that Tibetan householders traditionally recited mantras, memorised prayers, circumambulated and offered butter lamps. A beginner can take up refuge, prostration, oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ, offerings and dedication, and kora, while looking for a teacher. Because the tradition regards the teacher so highly, Berzin advises examining a teacher’s ethics, motivation and honesty over time before committing.

Is Bön a school of Tibetan Buddhism or a separate religion?

It depends on who is asked. Bön traces itself to the teacher Shenrab Miwo and regards itself as its own tradition, and Alexander Berzin notes that Bönpos would not like being called a form of Tibetan Buddhism. Yet, he writes, most of its terminology is shared — enlightenment, buddhas, monasteries, monastic vows, tulkus, geshes, debate, Dzogchen — and some differences are small, such as circling sacred places counterclockwise. The Dalai Lama speaks of five Tibetan traditions, counting Bön with the Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug. Berzin also suggests that some features of Tibetan Buddhism, such as its emphasis on rituals for the after-death state, reflect older Tibetan religion. Bön has its own refuge prayers, some translated on Lotsawa House.

How do you start practising Tibetan Buddhism at home as a complete beginner?

Start with what the tradition itself puts first. Take refuge each day with a short verse, adding the wish that it be for all beings. Do three prostrations on waking and before sleep to set your intention. Recite oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ, the mantra of Avalokiteśvara, for a few minutes, counting on a mala if you have one. Set out a bowl of clean water as an offering in the morning, and end every session by dedicating its good to all beings. When you can, walk clockwise around a stūpa or temple with a mantra. Read about the four schools, attend open teachings, and examine a teacher carefully over time before taking empowerments. Deeper practice — ngöndro, sādhana, Dzogchen or Mahāmudrā — is then received from that teacher.

Wie wählst du zwischen ihnen?

If you are not yet sure you want to be a Buddhist, start by learning what refuge involves before saying the words. If you have decided, make refuge and dedication the frame of every session and add one practice for each part of you: prostrations for the body, oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ for speech, a water offering for what you give. If your days are full and practice keeps getting squeezed out, the mala and prayer wheel are the tradition’s way of putting recitation into idle hours. If you live near a stūpa or temple, kora joins devotion to walking; if you are about to hang prayer flags, learn what they carry first. And if you are being drawn toward a particular teacher, centre or empowerment, slow down and work through choosing a lineage and teacher before anything else.

Was diese Ansätze offenlassen

The sources here establish what Tibetan Buddhist teachers and texts say about these practices, not that they produce any particular result; none of the devotional practices on this page has been studied in its traditional form, and their benefits — merit, purification, fortunate rebirth, awakening — are the tradition’s own claims within its understanding of karma. The summaries of the four schools follow Study Buddhism overviews by Alexander Berzin and by Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey, and Lotsawa House; each school teaches far more than the one emphasis named for it, and historians date and describe some of this history differently. Customs vary between lineages and regions, so a local teacher’s instructions take precedence over any general description. Much of Tibetan Buddhism — tantric sādhana, ngöndro, Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā instruction — is received from a teacher, so this page describes rather than gives it. Matthew Kapstein’s Very Short Introduction is a fuller scholarly overview of the tradition’s thirteen centuries and its spread to Mongolia, the Himalaya and beyond.

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What is Tibetan Buddhism?

Tibetan Buddhism is the form of Mahāyāna Buddhism, including its tantric vehicle, Vajrayāna, that has developed in Tibet over more than thirteen centuries and spread to Mongolia, the Himalaya and beyond. It has four main schools — Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug — which share the same monastic vows and the Madhyamaka view of emptiness but differ in emphasis: Dzogchen in the Nyingma, Mahāmudrā in the Kagyu, Lamdré in the Sakya and the graduated path (lamrim) in the Gelug. Bön is a related tradition that the Dalai Lama counts as a fifth. Practice rests on refuge in the Three Jewels, a teacher (lama) and transmission; a beginner starts with refuge, prostrations, mantra, offerings and circumambulation.

Wie funktioniert „Go for refuge: the Three Jewels, and the Three Roots of Vajrayāna"?

Patrul Rinpoche calls refuge the foundation of the path to liberation, the basis of all vows and the point that distinguishes a Buddhist from a non-Buddhist. Dodrupchen Jigme Tenpe Nyima defines its essence as placing great hope in the Three Jewels as one’s aids and protectors, an intention that colours every other mental state; it is called “going” for refuge because the mind is drawn toward them, as thirst draws you toward water. In the Mahāyāna it is taken until enlightenment, for the sake of all beings. Vajrayāna adds the Three Roots: Yukhok Chatralwa explains the lama as the root of blessings, the yidam deity as the source of accomplishments and the ḍākinīs as the source of clearing obstacles, all included within the Three Jewels. He also describes a “resultant” refuge in the nature of one’s own mind, so refuge points beyond dependence toward realising the Jewels oneself.

Wie funktioniert „Prostrations: body, speech and mind bowing together"?

Alexander Berzin presents prostration as something done before every meditation session and, on his teacher Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey’s advice, three times on waking and before sleep, to set the intention for the day. In the short form described in the lamrim texts the palms are joined with the thumbs inside, for method and wisdom, and touched to the crown, forehead, throat and heart — each linked with a quality of a buddha’s body, speech and mind — before the body touches the ground at seven points: hands, knees, feet and forehead. He stresses that physical prostration should be joined by verbal and mental prostration — words of praise and an attitude of respect — so the gesture carries an intention rather than being exercise. In ngöndro, prostration is repeated, usually 100,000 times, to build positive force and cleanse negative force before tantric practice.

Wie funktioniert „Recite oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ, the mantra of Avalokiteśvara"?

84000’s introduction to The Basket’s Display (Kāraṇḍavyūha), the sūtra the mantra comes from, calls oṃ maṇipadme hūṃ the most prevalent mantra of Tibetan Buddhism and central to lay practice. The sūtra praises the benefits of having, repeating and wearing it but, the translators note, explains neither the meaning of the whole nor the syllables one by one; those explanations came later in Tibet. The familiar gloss “jewel in the lotus” reads padme as a locative, but the introduction argues it is a vocative: Maṇipadma, “Jewel Lotus,” is a name of Avalokiteśvara, so the mantra calls on him. Study Buddhism’s glossary describes mantras as representing enlightening speech and, when repeated, protecting the mind from destructive states. Prayers that accompany the mantra, such as Nyoshul Lungtok’s, ask that malice be assuaged and that bodhicitta be mastered.

Wie funktioniert „Mala and prayer wheel: carrying the mantra through the day"?

Lama Zopa Rinpoche describes the old men and women of Solu Khumbu holding a mala in the left hand and a prayer wheel in the right, reciting oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ morning and evening and turning the wheel as they walk — practice carried by the hands rather than kept for a cushion. He says he once wondered how turning a wheel could be Dharma practice, and found its lineage in the Maṇi Kabum. In his account, a wheel embodies the activity of the buddhas and bodhisattvas; turning one filled with mantras counts as reciting them, purifying negative karma and accumulating merit; and the practice includes visualising light from the mantras purifying oneself and then all beings. He measures recitation in “malas,” rounds of the beads. Mantra, beads and wheel together keep compassion and recitation present in ordinary activity.

Wie funktioniert „Make offerings and dedicate the merit"?

Berzin records that when Atiśa came to Tibet he recommended offering water, because it was clean, plentiful and free, so no one was too poor to offer; the custom is seven bowls, for the seven limbs of the seven-limb prayer, set out in the morning and emptied later in the day, along with things like a little of the first tea. He insists that offerings be obtained without hypocrisy — for householders, from honest livelihood — and that state of mind matters more than the display: on a train you can still practise and imagine a clean place. Khenpo Shenga gives the frame that turns an action into Mahāyāna practice — bodhicitta at the beginning, resting without reference in the main part, and dedication at the end, offering whatever virtue was gathered toward all beings’ enlightenment.

Wie funktioniert „Circumambulation (kora): walking around what is holy"?

The Verses on Circumambulating Shrines, translated by 84000, has the Buddha answer Śāriputra’s question about the benefits of walking around shrines with them on one’s right. The translators explain that the Sanskrit pradakṣiṇa means “on the right-hand side”; in Tibetan it is bskor ba, and it remains one of the main devotional practices for Buddhists in Tibet — around a holy site, a mountain or lake, a person, or a stūpa — often with prayer, song or mantra. Study Buddhism’s glossary describes it as walking slowly around an object of veneration as a show of respect. Katok Situ Chökyi Gyatso’s verses on three types of pilgrim make the point that intention decides its value: roaming without selfish concerns, with pure perception, is the best kind, while travelling merely to have “been there” is meaningless.

Wie funktioniert „Prayer flags (lungta): raising the windhorse as offering and aspiration"?

Lotsawa House’s lungta series gathers chants, many by Mipham Rinpoche, that accompany raising prayer flags. In his Swift Fulfilment of All Wishes the windhorse flag, sounding far and wide, sends out a vast cloud of offerings, made to the root and lineage lamas, yidams, ḍākinīs and protectors, with the prayer that aspirations be fulfilled. The text opens by placing all appearances within the purity of primordial wisdom, so the flag is an offering, not an ornament. Another of Mipham’s texts is a prayer to be written on flags and recited aloud to increase the effectiveness of virtuous activity and bring auspiciousness, and the daily lungta recitation is said to strengthen one’s lungta and protect against obstacles. The mechanism, in the tradition’s terms, is offering and aspiration carried by wind.

Wie funktioniert „Choose a lineage and a teacher wisely"?

In Vajrayāna the teacher matters more than in most traditions: Dodrupchen explains why the teacher is regarded as a buddha, a central tenet of the Vajrayāna, and texts on samaya warn of the dangers of criticising a teacher from whom you have received empowerment. That is exactly why Alexander Berzin insists on examining a teacher well before committing: the relationship is not like the army, and choosing should not rest on who runs the local centre, on fame or on charisma. He lists the qualities that matter most — ethical conduct, a sincere wish to help students, more knowledge and experience than ours, and honesty without pretence — and suggests reading them like ripples that reveal a fish: watch how a teacher treats ordinary students, not only patrons. On lineages he urges a non-sectarian attitude, without a “football team” mentality.

What are the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism, and what does each one emphasise?

The four main schools are the Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug. The Nyingma, the old translation school, traces its tantras and especially its Dzogchen teachings to Padmasambhava, Vimalamitra and Vairocana, and adds revealed treasure teachings. The Kagyu descends from Marpa, Milarepa and Gampopa and centres on Mahāmudrā; Gampopa’s Jewel Ornament of Liberation is its main graduated-path text. The Sakya was founded around Virūpa’s Lamdré, the “path and its result,” within the Hevajra Tantra, together with Parting from the Four Clingings. The Gelug, founded by Tsongkhapa on Atiśa’s Kadam lineages, makes the graduated path (lamrim) central and is known for its monastic curriculum. All four share the Mūlasarvāstivāda monastic vows, combine sūtra and tantra, and treat Madhyamaka as the most profound view. In the nineteenth century the Rimé movement drew teachings from all of them together.

Is Tibetan Buddhism Mahayana, Theravada or Vajrayana, or something different?

Tibetan Buddhism is Mahāyāna, and Vajrayāna is part of it rather than a separate branch: Study Buddhism defines Vajrayāna as the vehicle within Mahāyāna that uses the tantra methods. All four Tibetan schools combine the study of sūtra with tantra, and practices such as Khenpo Shenga’s three noble principles — bodhicitta at the start, dedication at the end — are what he calls the root of the Mahāyāna path. It is not Theravāda: Theravāda belongs to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia and has its own monastic code, while Tibetan monastics hold the Mūlasarvāstivāda vows. When Tibetan texts discuss “Hīnayāna” tenets, Alexander Berzin notes, they mean the Vaibhāṣika and Sautrāntika systems, not present-day Theravāda.

Tibetan Buddhism vs Zen: how are they different, and what do they share?

Both are Mahāyāna and both centre on the bodhisattva’s aspiration and on recognising the nature of mind, which is why Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā are often compared with Zen. The differences are mainly in lineage, method and setting. Tibetan Buddhism comes down through the Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug schools from Indian masters; its monastics hold the Mūlasarvāstivāda vows, whereas the monastic lineage of East Asia, where Chan and Zen developed, is the Dharmaguptaka. Tibetan practice combines sūtra with tantra — deity yoga, mantra and empowerments received from a lama — and is surrounded by devotional practices such as prostration, offerings, circumambulation and prayer flags. For the Zen side, see the Zen practice and koan pages; for the nature-of-mind comparison, see the Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā pages.

Do you need a lama or a teacher to practise Tibetan Buddhism?

For some of it, yes; for the beginning, not necessarily. Tantric practices — deity sādhanas, the full ngöndro, Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā instruction — are received from a teacher, often with an empowerment, and in Vajrayāna refuge the lama is the root of blessings. But much of Tibetan Buddhist life has always been open to lay people without close instruction: Alexander Berzin notes that Tibetan householders traditionally recited mantras, memorised prayers, circumambulated and offered butter lamps. A beginner can take up refuge, prostration, oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ, offerings and dedication, and kora, while looking for a teacher. Because the tradition regards the teacher so highly, Berzin advises examining a teacher’s ethics, motivation and honesty over time before committing.

Is Bön a school of Tibetan Buddhism or a separate religion?

It depends on who is asked. Bön traces itself to the teacher Shenrab Miwo and regards itself as its own tradition, and Alexander Berzin notes that Bönpos would not like being called a form of Tibetan Buddhism. Yet, he writes, most of its terminology is shared — enlightenment, buddhas, monasteries, monastic vows, tulkus, geshes, debate, Dzogchen — and some differences are small, such as circling sacred places counterclockwise. The Dalai Lama speaks of five Tibetan traditions, counting Bön with the Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug. Berzin also suggests that some features of Tibetan Buddhism, such as its emphasis on rituals for the after-death state, reflect older Tibetan religion. Bön has its own refuge prayers, some translated on Lotsawa House.

How do you start practising Tibetan Buddhism at home as a complete beginner?

Start with what the tradition itself puts first. Take refuge each day with a short verse, adding the wish that it be for all beings. Do three prostrations on waking and before sleep to set your intention. Recite oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ, the mantra of Avalokiteśvara, for a few minutes, counting on a mala if you have one. Set out a bowl of clean water as an offering in the morning, and end every session by dedicating its good to all beings. When you can, walk clockwise around a stūpa or temple with a mantra. Read about the four schools, attend open teachings, and examine a teacher carefully over time before taking empowerments. Deeper practice — ngöndro, sādhana, Dzogchen or Mahāmudrā — is then received from that teacher.

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