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.

It is basically divided into four traditions namely, Nyingma, Kagyu, Gelug and Sakya. These schools include the teachings of the three Buddhism vehicles that are the foundational vehicle, the Mahayana and the Vajrayana. In Gelug, however, Vajrayana is considered to be a part of Mahayana.

According to legends popular in Tibet, Buddhist scriptures mainly Karandavyuha Sutra and relics like Cintamani were brought to Tibet in the fifth century when Lha Thothori Nyantsen ruled. The tale which describes the arrival of these scriptures is based on fantasy; however, researchers believe it to have a historical background which was the arrival of Buddhist missionaries to Tibet.

Tibetan Buddhism History

The earliest influence which seems to be well documented of Buddhist culture on Tibet is observed in the rule of the king Songtsan Gampo who married a Buddhist princess, Wencheng of the Tang dynasty, in the seventh century. Another legend suggests that Songtsan Gampo also married another Buddhist princess, Bhikruti, who was from Nepal but the documentation is not reliable.

Temples of Tibetan Buddhism

Songstan Gampo established the first Buddhist temples in Tibet. By the second half of the 8th century, he was regarded as the embodiment of bodhisattava Avalokiteshvara. In the 8th century, King Trisong Detsen established Buddhism as the state’s official religion. He even invited several Buddhist scholars to his court. During his reign, Padmasambhava arrived in Tibet.

Padmasambhava is believed to have established the old school – Nyingma in Buddhism and has also written several scriptures. A strong exertion of Tibetan Buddhism was observed in countries of central Asia, mainly Mongolia during the 11th century AD.

Tibetan Buddhism Meditation

According to the tradition of Mahayana, the paragon destination of spiritual development lies in achieving enlightenment also called Buddhahood so that one can efficiently help other beings achieve this state. A partial definition of Buddhahood is the state of omniscience in accordance with the Buddhist principle that the mind creates everything.

Tibetan Buddhism Beliefs

On the attainment of Buddhahood, all confusions of the mind clear leading one to the true form of reality, which makes one experience a never ending state of bliss blended with the knowledge of emptiness. It is believed that one who attains this state is capable of removing all his limitations to help other living beings.

It is supposed that there have been many beings who have  reached the heights of Buddhahood. Buddhas’ main aim is to perform activities that benefit all other sentient beings in the world. However, the karmas of sentient beings often prevent Buddhas to help them. Thus, even if Buddhas are devoid of limitations in their ability to help others, it is the sentient beings themselves who limit their help and suffer from the consequences of their own bad actions.

Tibetan Buddhism

The spread of Buddhism to countries like Nepal and certain parts of India can be attributed to the military attacks by People’s republic of China on Tibetan Troops in May, 1950. After generals Tan Guansan and Zhang Guohua reached Lhasa on 26th October, 1951, thousands of troops marched towards Lhasa.

All this led to armed aggression in the later decade. The uprising against the Chinese failed and led to the exile of more than eighty thousand Tibetans, mainly, Buddhist clergy members to India. A few migrated to the west due to which Tibetan Buddhism spread to several western countries where it is popular till date.