By: Jonang Foundation
Source : http://www.jonangfoundation.org/five-traditions
Classifying the Tibetan Traditions
Among the many contemplative systems, scholastic methodologies, and
esoteric instruction lineages that were transmitted from Indian Buddhist
masters onto their Tibetan successors, there are 2 basic categories
that define the
Tibetan Buddhist traditions historically:
- Nyingma ("ancient," rnying ma)
- Sarma ("new," gsar ma)
The pre-
Buddhist indigenous Bon make up a 3rd separate category of
Tibetan religious tradition.
The Nyingmapa sustain the knowledge transmitted during the Tibetan
imperial period from the 8th to the 9th century. This era is known as
the "early dissemination" (
snga dar) or the initial period when tantras were translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan. During this time, the ancient tantras (
rnying rgyud)
were brought to Tibet, arranged and translated under the direction of
the Tibetan King Trisong Deutsen, the Indian Abbot Shantarakshita, and
the Kashmiri Master Padmasambhava. Though this early translation
tradition of Buddhism in Tibet was interrupted in the 10th century, the
Nyingmapa continue on to today.
The Sarma traditions of Tibetan Buddhism originated during the late
10th century. The various cycles of tantras, commentaries, and
meditation guidance texts that were translated during this later
dissemination (
phyi dar) of Buddhism in Tibet are known as the
"New" traditions. Although there were a great variety of Buddhist
traditions that took shape in Tibet from the 10th through the 13th
century, the 4 primary later or new translation period traditions are:
- Sakya (sa skya)
- Kagyu (bka' brgyud)
- Jonang (jo nang)
- Geluk (dge lugs)
Sakya Monastery was established in the year 1073 by Kontan Konchok
Gyalpo (1034-1102), making it the earliest of these four Sarma
traditions. Milarepa's (1040-1123) close disciple Gampopa (1079-1153)
later founded Gampo Mountain Monastery, commencing the Kagyu tradition
in the year 1121. Then, in 1294, Kunpang Thukje Tsondru (1243-1313)
arrived in Jomonang, giving rise to the Jonang
tradition. More than a century later, in 1407, Je Tsongkhapa Lozang
Drakpa (1357-1419) reinterpreted the existing Kadam tradition and
founded Ganden Monastery in the highlands of Central Tibet, initiating
what is today known as the Geluk.
In addition to the Nyingma and the 4 major surviving Sarma traditions, there were minor practice lineages such as:
- Zhalu (zhwa lu)
- Orgyen (o rgyan)
- Bodong (bo sdong)
- Kadam (bka' gdams)
While these and numerous other traditions existed in Tibet during the
later translation period, many of these early practice lineages of
Buddhism did not survive as autonomous traditions in Tibet. Although
some such as the Zhalu and Bodongpa have survived in isolated cases,
most of the guidance texts and meditation techniques from these minor
traditions were assimilated into and preserved by the 4 major living
Sarma traditions of
Tibetan Buddhism.
Source : http://www.jonangfoundation.org/five-traditions
