The prayer books that Buddhists use as guides are called Sadhanas. ‘Sadhana’ means the method of attainment.

Buddhism is based on a very practical philosophy. Like everything else, Prayers also have a very practical purpose of transforming one’s neutral or negative state into a positive state of being. Prayers aim at increasing the positivities in life including compassion, love and wisdom. In Buddhism, meditation is silently practiced while prayers are chanted aloud.

Buddha advocated absolute peace everywhere be it in the mind, speech or actions. The base of Mahayana Buddhism lies in exercising compassion for all the people who are suffering. It is nothing but a realization that we are all the members of the same family and when one is harmed, everyone is harmed.

The main mantra that has been used in Tibetan prayers since the beginning of the 7th century is Om Manu Padme Hum, the prayer of compassion. This mantra can be chanted with any mala. This mantra had become more of a national slogan and a way of life for Tibetans. It was carved in rocks and pathways across the Himalayas. There are a few rules to be followed while chanting this mantra. For instance, mala should be in the left hand and recitation begins at the first bead which follows the Guru bead.

The feeling which a Buddhist has to carry in his heart during recitation of the Mani Mantra is to liberate us all from the suffering and confusion we all experience in this life.The study of Buddhism and its practice has a wider scope than just plain social awareness. Its main purpose is to benefit us all, which is highlighted by the very popular refuge prayer of Atisha.
In Buddhism, Buddha is regarded as a spiritual teacher and not as the Supreme Being or God. Buddha was the personification of the great wisdom known as ‘Bodhi’.

In Buddhist prayers the lighting of incense, flower offerings and other procedures are symbolisms, that serve as an act of paying homage to the Great Teacher. The ephemeral beauties of flowers that shall soon wither remind the devotee of the withering away of all composite things. Just like a flower withers, the human body shall decay someday. The lights of the candles and lamps chase away the darkness of ignorance with the power of Buddha’s ultimate wisdom. The sweet fragrance of incense acts as a purifier and personifies the cleansing fragrance of Dhamma that penetrates deep into the mind.

Once Buddha while teaching Anathapindika, commented on the use of prayer. According to him, there are five pleasant and agreeable things that are rarely obtained in the world namely beauty, long life, fame, happiness and rebirth in the heavens. But he did not advocate the use of vows or prayer to attain these. A noble disciple who sets his heart on the attainment of these five things should follow the path of life that leads him to longevity instead of merely praying for a long life.  Such a path will lead him to either a divine or a human long life.

Tibetan Monasteries

The foundation of Buddhism in Tibet lies in the practice of monasticism. Around six thousand monasteries existed in Tibet of which nearly all were destroyed by Chinese communists during the Cultural Revolution. Most major monasteries have been re-established, although partially but many remain in ruins to date.

In Mongolia, out of the total male population one third was monks during the 1920s decade; most of who lived outside the monasteries. At the onset of the 20th century, more than 750 monasteries functioned in Mongolia, which were again ruined during the communist rule and later re-established when Buddhism was revived in Mongolia, after the fall of Communism.

The four schools of Tibetan Buddhism Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug each have their own set of monasteries. The Nyingma lineage has six mother monasteries. The composition of these six is believed to have changed with the passage of time. Sheche, Palyul,Mindroling, Kathok, Dorje Drak and Dzogchen Monastery form the Nyingma lineage. The first ever monastery that was established in Tibet is Samye by Padmasambhava and Shantarakshita.

The Kagyu monasteries are usually found in the Kham region of Tibet. A very important monastery is also found in central Tibet called Ralung. There are four other monasteries, which are very important in the Kagyu tradition. They are the palpung monastery, which forms the seat of the Jamgon Kongtrul and Tai Situpa, the Ralung Monastery forming the eat of Gyalwang Drukpa, Surmang Monastery, which is the seat of Trungpa Tulkus and lastly the Tsurphu Monastery, which is the seat of the Gyalwa Karmapa.

The Sakya lineage has just one main monastery the Sakya Monastery that is the seat of the Sakya Trizin.

The Gelug tradition or the Gelugpa lineage has three most important centers; the Ganden Monastery forming the seat of the Ganden Tripa, the home monastery of the Dalai Lama which is the Drepung Monastery and the Sera Monastery all of which are located near Lhasa. One of the three other monasteries with a particular and very important regional influence is Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse region whose founder is the Dalai Lama himself. This monastery is the seat of Panchen Lama. In central and eastern Amdo region one can find the remaining two monasteries, the Labrang and Kumbum Monasteries respectively.A greatly spiritual and historically important pilgrimage site for Buddhists is the Jokhang Temple located in Lhasa which is believed to be built by the King Songtsen Gampo in 647 AD.

Other than these historically and spiritually important sites, monasteries are found all over the world where the roots of Buddhism have penetrated deep into the social and cultural fabric of the society and the West is not an exception. Buddhist monasteries will be found in many places in several countries like the USA, UK, Australia, France wherever the Buddhist migrated to. The Monasteries are an integral part of Buddhist culture and may very well be said the backbone of Buddhism. The essence of Buddhism is reflected in the Monasteries irrespective of the lineage they belong to.

Fortunately, I came across a ritual which has not lost its meaning over time simply due to its nature. The ritual in question is the sky burial performed in Tibet. Tibet has always held an immense fascination for people from the “modern” world with Tibet’s Dalai Lama and its monks and monasteries.

Tibetan Sky Burial Ritual

What fascinated me and caught my attention about this ritual was the immense importance given to details and the clear reasoning provided behind each procedure in the process. Starting, ironically after the death of a person, the ritual is initiated by keeping the body in a special house. Over the course of several days lamas perform chants to help redeem the sins of the deceased. The body is covered in white cloth and a jar mixed with food
and blood is hung at the door of the house. A day before the actual ritual the family of the deceased come with wine and mourn their loss.

Then comes the sky burial where a body cutter along with close family goes atop high ground. Here the body is pierced so that vultures may devour it. The skeleton is left at the burial site. And this marks the end of the ritual. Tibetans believe in reincarnation and life after death. Unlike conventional thinking however, they do not believe that the soul is separable from the body. They believe that the flesh is the carrier of the soul hence it is the flesh which must be transported to the heavens. Like conventional thinking, they do believe in heavens existing in the skies.

The primary importance of the vulture hence is that of a carrier. Tibetans believe that these vultures have the power to transport the soul to the  heavens once they devour it. In essence a judgment on the deceased is also passed by these vultures for they believe that if the whole corpse is not consumed, the person’s sins greatly outweighed the good deeds but if most of the corpse is devoured then the person’s soul is carried to the skies.