Four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, and Bön  

Buddhist thought and practice developed in Tibet over the centuries by using the entire scope of the teachings of the Buddha—the Hinayana, the Mahayana, and the Vajrayana vehicles.

Nyingma—originated with Padmasambhava (9th century)

Oldest of the four schools, the name Nyingma translates as “old school,” and because this school relies primarily on older translations traced to the time of King Trisong Detsen (742-797), it is also known as “old translation school” or “the ancient ones.” After coming to Tibet in 817, Padmasambhava (also known as Guru Rinpoche) and Shantarakshita established Samye Monastery, the first monastery in Tibet. It quickly became a principal center of learning, where most of the Sanskrit texts and literature from India were first translated into Tibetan (a language originally developed to translate the Sanskrit). Padmasambhava, along with his twenty-five principal disciples, was also said to have hidden hundreds of scripts, ritual articles, and images, collectively known at terma. At times in the future, preordained by them, special individuals (called tertons) were destined to find these items and bring their teachings to light. The current head of the Nyingma lineage is His Holiness the Mindrolling Trichen Rinpoche, and he has established the Mindrolling Monastery in exile in Clementown, Dehradun, India.

Kagyu—originated with Tilopa (988-1069), Naropa (1016-1100), and Marpa (1012-1097)

Starting with the Indian yogi Tilopa (whose original source was Buddha Vajradhara), this lineage emphasizes the continuity through oral transmission from master to student. Marpa the Translator brought these teachings to Tibet, where he transmitted them to his disciple Milarepa (1040-1123), one of the most famous yogis and poets of Tibet. It is said that Milarepa, through his teachings and other accomplishments, achieved the ultimate goal of enlightenment in one lifetime. The current head of the Kagyu school is the Seventeenth Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje (1985- ), whose main monastery in Tibet is Tsurphu, west of Lhasa, and in exile is Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim, India. The Seventeenth Karmapa is currently residing in a monastery near Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India, while his relocation to Rumtek is being resolved. In 2000, the Karmapa made a daring escape from his home monastery of Tsurphu in Tibet to exile in India so he could continue his monastic education and receive the full lineage transmissions from the disciples of his predecessor.

Sakya—originated with Khön Könchog Gyelpo (Kon Chogyal Pho) (1034-1102)

The name “Sakya” in Tibetan means grey/whitish earth (considered auspicious), which is what existed on the side of Ponpori (Ponpo Mountain) in southwestern Tibet, where Sakya Monastery was built in 1073 by Könchog Gyelpo. The origins of Sakya are traced to the Indian mahasiddha Virupa (837-909). Through the transmission of Virupa’s teachings, Drogmi Lotsawa (992-1072) introduced to Tibet the LamDre teachings, which have been passed down to the current lineage holders. The head of Sakya School is called the Sakya Trizin (the holder of the Sakya throne), who is always drawn from the male line of the Khön family. (It is said that one of the first seven monks who took vows in Tibet at Samye Monastery from Padmasambhava was a forbearer of the Khön line.) The current head of the Sakya lineage is His Holiness the Sakya Trizin (Ngakwang Kunga Thekchen Palbar Samphel Ganggi Gyalpo), born in 1945 in Tsedong, Tibet. His Holiness is the 41st throne holder, and resides in exile at Sakya Dolma Phodrang, Rajpur, Dehradun, India.

Gelug—originated with Je Tsongkhapa (1357-1419)

The most recent of the four main Tibetan schools, Gelug’s founder Tsongkhapa was inspired by the Indian master Atisha and the Kadam school he had founded. What most impressed Tsongkhapa was Kadam’s emphasis on the Mahayana principles of universal compassion and altruism as a way of life and not just a spiritual orientation. Basing his tradition on the works of Shantideva, Nagarjuna, and Candrakirti, Tsongkhapa refined his thoughts into the “Three Principal Aspects of the Path:” renunciation, Bodhicitta, and the correct view of emptiness. As a result of this emphasis, the Gelug school is said to represent a most valid union of sutra and tantra. Another aspect of this school is the strict adherence to the rules of the Vinaya (the rules of the monastic order). When he was 52 years old, his disciples asked that Tsongkhapa cut back on his extensive travels. To that end, Ganden Monastery was built, to the east of Lhasa in an area known as Drokri (Drok Mountain). When it was built, Tsongkhapa named it Ganden (Tibetan for the Sanscrit word “Tushita,” abode of Maitreya, the Buddha of the future). The followers of Tsongkhapa who gathered at Ganden (also known as Geden [Gaden]) became known as Gelugpa (“those from the Geden school” or “Virtuous Ones”). Tsongkhapa also initiated the Monlam Chenmo (Great Prayer Festival), which is still celebrated in Tibet and Tibetan communities elsewhere with the Tibetan new year celebration (Losar). The head of the Gelug lineage is the Venerable Ganden Tripa (throne-holder) Rinpoche (abbot of Ganden) (and not His Holiness the Dalai Lama, as some might think). The present Ganden Tri Rinpoche is His Holiness Tri Rinpoche Yeshe Dhönden, who is the 99th successor to the Ganden throne and resides in exile at Ganden Monastery in Mungod, Karnataka state, India.

Bön—originates with Tönpa Shenrab Miwoche

Bön is the indigenous faith of the Tibetan people that predates the introduction of Buddhism. The acknowledged founder of Bön is Tönpa Shenrab Miwoche, who is said to have lived 16,000-17,000 years ago (or c. 3000 BCE, depending on the source). Some Bönpo (the practitioners of Bön) believe that Tönpa Shenrab was the teacher of Shakyamuni Buddha, who was then sent to India to help eradicate the suffering of the people there. In earlier times, Bön was primarily a shamanistic practice, and animal sacrifices were common to appease the local spirits and demons. Tönpa Shenrab put an end to the animal sacrifices by substituting the forms of animals made from barley flour (a practice very much alive today in Tibetan Buddhism, called torma). The teachings in Bön include medicine, astrology, divination, tantra and sutra, and Dzogchen, the Great Perfection (brought from India). The current head of Bön worldwide is His Holiness Lungtok Tenpa’i Nyima, the 33rd Abbot of Menri, residing at a new Menri Monastery built at Dolanji, in Himachal Pradesh, India. In the United States, Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche has established the Ligmincha Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia, which has branches in the U.S. and in other countries, to perpetuate the teachings of Bön.