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Geluk Wikipedia

Buddhism

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The Geluk (dge lugs, Tibetan language|Tibetan:
དགེ་ལུགས་པ་)
school of Buddhism was founded by Tsongkhapa
(1357-1419), Tibet's best known religious
reformer and arguably its greatest philosopher. The first
monastery he established was that of Ganden, and to this
day the Ganden Tripa is the nominal head of the school
though its most powerful figure is unquestionably the
Dalai Lama.

A great admirer of the Kadam teachings, Tsongkhapa was an
enthusiastic promoter of the Kadam School's emphasis on the
Mahayana principles of universal compassion as a
fundamental spiritual orientation. He combined this with a
strong emphasis on the cultivation of in-depth insight into the
doctrine of shunyata|emptiness as propounded by the great
Indian masters Nagarjuna (2nd century) and
Chandrakirti (7th century). Tsongkhapa said that these
two aspects of the spiritual path, namely compassion and
insight into wisdom, must be rooted in a whole-hearted wish for
liberation, all impelled by a genuine sense of renunciation.
He called these the "Three Principal Aspects of the Path", and
suggested that it is on the basis of these three that one must
embark on the profound path of Vajrayana Buddhism. The
Geluk sect is the only Tibetan sect that insists on the
celibacy of its clergy.

The central teachings of the Geluk School are Lamrim, or
the "Stages of the Path", based upon the teachings of the
Indian master Atisha (circa 11th century) and the
systematic cultivation of the view of emptiness. This is
combined with the deity yoga meditations of Highest
Yoga Tantra deities such as Guhyasamaja, Chakrasamvara,
Yamantaka and Kalachakra, where the key focus is the
realization of the indivisible union of bliss and emptiness.

By the end of 15th century, Geluk had become the most
dominant school of Tibetan Buddhism, and from the period of
"The Great Fifth" in the 17th century the Dalai Lamas have
held political power in Tibet.

Last Modified:   2005-04-13