Greater Tibet [7] is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the
Tibetan Plateau and spanning about 470,000 square miles (1,200,000 km2) [8].
Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups such as Mongols, Monpa, Tamang, Qiang,
Sherpa, Lhoba, and since the 20th century the invading
Mahayana Buddhist Han Chinese (that account for
more than a billion uncounted Buddhists in the world due to official communist atheism) and Muslim
Hui [9].
Tibet is the highest region on Earth, with an average elevation of 14,000 feet (4,380 m) [10, 11].
Located in the Himalayas, the highest elevation in Tibet is Mount Everest (part of which is in neighboring Nepal), Earth's highest mountain (though not the tallest), rising 29,000 feet (8,848 m) above sea level [12].
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Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism
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Tibetan Buddhism [a] is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan, and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Darjeeling, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh, as well as in Nepal.
Smaller groups of practitioners can be found in Central Asia, some regions of China such as Northeast China, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and some regions of Russia, such as Tuva, Buryatia, and Kalmykia.
Tibetan Buddhism evolved as a form of Mahāyāna Buddhism, stemming from the latest stages of Indian Buddhism (which included many Vajrayāna elements). It thus preserves many Indian Buddhist tantric practices of the post-Gupta early medieval period (500–1200 CE), along with numerous native Tibetan developments [1, 2].
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In the pre-modern era, Tibetan Buddhism spread outside of Tibet primarily due to the influence of the Mongol Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), founded by Kublai Khan, who ruled China, Mongolia, and parts of Siberia.
In the Modern era, Tibetan Buddhism has spread outside of Asia because of the efforts of the Tibetan diaspora (post-Chinese invasion, 1959 onwards). As the Dalai Lama escaped to India (
Dharamshala), the Indian subcontinent is also known for its renaissance of Tibetan Buddhism monasteries, including the rebuilding of the three major monasteries of the Gelug tradition.
Apart from classical Mahāyāna Buddhist practices like the Ten Perfections, Tibetan Buddhism also includes tantric practices, such as deity yoga and the Six Dharmas of Naropa, as well as methods that are seen as transcending tantra, like Dzogchen. Its main goal is Buddhahood [3, 4].
The primary language of scriptural study in this tradition is classical Tibetan. Tibetan Buddhism has four major schools, namely...
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Chinese Buddhism
Han Buddhism (漢傳佛教, 汉传佛教,
Hànchuán Fójiào,
Hàn-thoân Hu̍t-kàu) is the Chinese form of Mahayana Buddhism. The Chinese Buddhist canon [1] draws from the traditions of Confucianism and Taoism as well as the rituals of local folk religions. Chinese Buddhism emphasizes the study of Mahayana sutras and treatises, such as the Lotus Sutra, Flower Ornament Sutra, Vimalakirtī Sutra, Nirvana Sutra, and Amitābha Sutra [2, 3]. Chinese Buddhism is the largest institutionalized religion in mainland China [4].
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