New Kadampa Tradition
Encyclopedia
The New Kadampa Tradition ~ International Kadampa Buddhist Union (NKT—IKBU) is a global Buddhist organisation founded by Geshe
Kelsang Gyatso
in England in 1991. In 2003 the words "International Kadampa Buddhist Union" (IKBU) were added to the original name "New Kadampa Tradition". The NKT-IKBU is an international organization registered in England as a charitable, or non-profit, company. It currently lists more than 200 centres and around 900 branch classes/study groups in 40 countries.
The NKT-IKBU is a Mahayana
form of Buddhism
, which has been developed from the Gelug
school of Tibetan Buddhism
. The NKT-IKBU states that it follows the tradition of Kadampa
Buddhism derived from the Buddhist meditators and scholars Atisha
(AD 982–1054) and Je Tsongkhapa
(1357–1419 AD), as taught by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. The New Kadampa Tradition "offers standard Gelugpa teachings based on Geshe Kelsang's books, which present a systematic path to enlightenment."
David V. Barrett
has characterized the NKT-IKBU as "one of the newest and most controversial Buddhist movements". The NKT-IKBU answers various allegations against it on its official "New Kadampa Truth" website.
tradition which was founded by Atisha
in the 11th century and reformed by Je Tsongkhapa
in the 14th century to become what is today known as the Gelug
tradition of Tibetan Buddhism
. Explaining the etymology of the term kadampa (Tib., bKa' gdams pa; Skt. "the sutra-upadesha-ones"), David Barrett says: "The name 'Kadampa' comes from ka, meaning 'word', or the Buddha's teachings, dam, referring to Atisha's special Lamrim
instructions, known as the 'Stages of the Path', and pa, a school or tradition." Taken together, the word kadampa means "those who put all of Buddha's teachings into practice through practising the instructions on Lamrim
(Stages of the Path)." This means that Kadampas take all of Buddha's instructions as personal advice to be put into practice:
The practitioners of the NKT-IKBU refer to themselves as "Kadampa Buddhists", and similarly the Teachers, Dharma Centers and Temples are referred to as "Kadampa Teachers", "Kadampa Buddhist Centers" and "Kadampa Buddhist Temples", respectively.
Whether there exists any ideological significance of the choice of the name 'New Kadampa Tradition' in the context of the NKT-IKBU's dissociation from the present-day Tibetan Gelugpa establishment, is discussed below under New Kadampa Tradition and Gelugpa Tradition.
, karma
and reincarnation
, the preciousness of human life, the role of meditation, death, and the commitments of going for refuge
", as well as "understanding the Four Noble Truths
, developing renunciation, and the training of moral discipline, concentration and wisdom
", followed by "becoming a compassionate bodhisattva
(by developing bodhicitta
and the six perfections), understanding the ultimate truth of emptiness and finally attaining Buddhahood
."
The NKT-IKBU's teachings are based exclusively on the teachings and published works of Geshe Kelsang
, which in turn are commentaries on Gelug
works, especially those of its founder Je Tsongkhapa
's texts. According to Helen Waterhouse, Geshe Kelsang follows the Tibetan Buddhist
custom of studying texts through the teacher's commentaries. With respect to the contents of the teachings she states that "NKT doctrine is not different from that of mainline Gelugpa", with a Prasangika Madhyamaka philosophical orientation, and emphasizing the teachings on dependent arising
and emptiness
. The main practice in the NKT-IKBU is Lamrim
(the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment), Lojong
(Training the Mind), and Vajrayana
Mahamudra
(the practices of Highest Yoga Tantra). The books studied in the NKT are published by the Buddhist publishing house Tharpa Publications
.
Geshe Kelsang regards all his books as "coming from Je Tsongkhapa
, with himself as being like a cassette recorder into which the Wisdom Buddha, the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden
, has placed the cassette of Je Tsongkhapa's teachings". In the preface of his extensive commentary to Lamrim
, Geshe Kelsang states, "I have received these teachings from my Spiritual Guide, Trijang Dorjechang
, who was an emanation of Atisha
; thus the explanations given in this book, Joyful Path of Good Fortune, actually come from him and not from myself."
explained his reason for founding the NKT-IKBU: "I wanted to encourage people to practice purely. Just having a lot of dharma knowledge, studying a lot intellectually but not practicing, is a serious problem. This was my experience in Tibet
. Intellectual knowledge alone does not give peace."
At the heart of the NKT-IKBU are its three study programs: "the open and introductory General Programme, the Foundation Programme for more committed practitioners, and the demanding Teacher Training Programme." The study programs of the NKT-IKBU are what distinguishes it from all other Buddhist traditions. Giving an overview of the purpose of the programs, the NKT-IKBU says: "Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso has designed three special Study Programs for the systematic study and practice of Kadampa Buddhism that are especially suited to the modern world." It is believed by NKT-IKBU followers that the teachings transmit the pure lineage of Je Tsongkhapa in its entirety.
Commenting on the content of the NKT-IKBU's study program, Cozort said they "respond to the desires of Western Dharma students, who feel that Buddhism is mainly about meditation, who want their philosophy mixed with practice, and who want to progress as quickly as possible toward the higher tantric teachings."
The three spiritual programs are:
Speaking to future teachers enrolled in the Foundation and Teacher Training Programs, Geshe Kelsang said, "We shall be able to set a good example for others to follow and help others by giving teachings and advice. Eventually we will be able to give extensive teachings and benefit others in many ways by organizing special programs and so forth. In this way we will make both our own and others' human lives extremely meaningful."
subjects such as "precious human life, death and rebirth
, karma and samsara
, taking refuge
, the development of equanimity, kindness
and compassion
towards all beings, bodhicitta
, understanding emptiness, and relying on a spiritual guide."
Chanted prayers follow "a traditional Tibetan format":
While the Je Tsongkhapa
and Dorje Shugden
practices are recited daily, NKT-IKBU practitioners also regularly perform a number of other ritual practices
, including Avalokiteshvara, Heruka
, Vajrayogini, Tara
, Manjushri, Amitayus and the Medicine Buddha. Bluck notes that "All these sādhanas have either been 'compiled from traditional sources' by Geshe Kelsang or translated under his supervision."
Monthly observances of Buddha Tara
, Je Tsongkhapa, Eight Mahayana Precepts, and Dorje Shugden practices:
Annual holidays common to other Buddhist traditions:
Annual holidays unique to the NKT-IKBU:
In 2004, the dates of lunar month observances were changed to the respective days in the common calendar.
NKT Day commemorates the founding of the NKT-IKBU, while International Temples Day is an opportunity to reflect on the importance of building Kadampa Buddhist Temples throughout the world.
, and include teachings and empowerments from the Spiritual Director, reviews and meditations led by senior NKT Teachers, chanted meditations and offering ceremonies, and meditation retreats. They are attended by between 2000 and 6000 people from around the world.
at Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Center in Cumbria (UK), Ulverston. To ordain, one must ask Geshe Kelsang's permission, and also the permission of his or her parents.
Buddha established both lay and ordained Pratimoksha vows, and established several levels of ordination vows. Traditionally, the different levels of ordination are distinguished by the specific number of vows taken, and by the ceremony in which they were received. In the NKT-IKBU, Geshe Kelsang established a simplified tradition of ordination with ten vows that summarize the entire Vinaya, and a single ordination ceremony.
The 10 vows of the NKT's ordination as a monk or nun are to:
In The Ordination Handbook, Geshe Kelsang describes these vows as being easier to integrate into today's society, saying:
He also says:
The ordination tradition of the NKT-IKBU differs from that of other Buddhist groups in that it is based on the Mahayana Perfection of Wisdom Sutras instead of the Hinayana Vinaya Sutras. According to Geshe Kelsang, "The Perfection of Wisdom Sutras are our Vinaya and Lamrim
is its commentary." Robert Bluck observed that in the NKT-IKBU a Vinaya Sutras-based "full ordination is not available, and those who do ordain remain as novices, though again this is common in Tibet." Instead, the NKT-IKBU emphasizes renunciation as a spiritual transformation over time. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso explains that when a person is first ordained they receive a Rabjung (preliminary) ordination; when their renunciation improves and deepens, their ordination naturally transforms into a Getsul (sramanera) ordination; and when their renunciation becomes "a spontaneous wish to attain nirvana", their ordination naturally transforms into a Gelong (bhikkhu
) ordination. For this reason, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso does not require a separate ritual ordination ceremony.
Monks and nuns in the NKT-IKBU abandon the physical signs of a lay person by shaving their head and wearing the maroon and yellow robes of an ordained person. They are given a new name which starts with "Kelsang", since it is traditional for ordinees to receive part of the ordaining master's name (in this case, Kelsang Gyatso). They also engage in a Sojong ceremony twice a month to purify and restore their vows.
Monastics who break their ordination vows must leave their Centre for a year, with the exception of attending various bigger courses, Celebrations and Festivals. After that year, "with some conditions" they can return but cannot teach or participate in the Teacher Training Program.
Practitioners who wish to ordain approach their Buddhist teacher when they feel ready, and request formal permission once they have their teacher's consent. They may decide to live in one of the NKT-IKBU's many Buddhist centers, but this is not a requirement. They are, in general, not financially provided for by the NKT-IKBU. And, if they live in an NKT-IKBU Dharma center, they still have to pay rent for their accommodation and pay for meals and the spiritual programs. To finance this, some have part-time or full time work. According to Belither, "a few people are sponsored because of their NKT work but others are on 'extended working visits' or work locally, and some are legitimately on employment benefit." When working, they may "wear ordinary clothes if this is more convenient."
The NKT-IKBU traces its spiritual lineage through these main Buddhist figures:
taught and engaged in retreat in India for 18 years. Trijang Rinpoche
, the root Guru of Geshe Kelsang, asked him to be the resident teacher at Manjushri Institute
(now known as Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Centre) in England. Geshe Kelsang taught the General Program at Manjushri from 1976 to 1987.
In 1987, Geshe Kelsang entered a 3-year retreat at Tharpaland in Dumfries
, Scotland
. During his retreat, he wrote five books and established the foundations of the NKT-IKBU. Since that time, the NKT-IKBU has grown to comprise over 1,100 Centres and groups throughout 40 countries.
After completing his retreat in the spring of 1991, Geshe Kelsang announced the creation of the NKT-IKBU, an event which was celebrated by his students in the NKT-IKBU magazine Full Moon as "a wonderful development in the history of the Buddhadharma."
In 1992, the NKT-IKBU was legally incorporated under English law, which constituted the formal foundation of the NKT-IKBU. The many Dharma Centres that were following Geshe Kelsang's spiritual direction were gathered under the common auspices of the NKT-IKBU, with him as their General Spiritual Director (GSD). He remained GSD until August 2009 when he retired and was replaced by his successor, Gen-la Kelsang Khyenrab. Each of the individual Centers is legally and financially independent.
was designated as Geshe Kelsang's future successor. He disrobed in 1995, and Geshe Kelsang provisionally appointed 4 'Gen-las', i.e. Losang Kelsang, Kelsang Jangsem, Kelsang Dekyong and Samden Gyatso
. After about a year, the former two resigned as Gen-las and were re-appointed as Resident Teachers. Samden Gyatso became the Deputy Spiritual Director and successor to Geshe Kelsang while Kelsang Dekyong was appointed as the US National Spiritual Director. From this time onwards, the Deputy Spiritual Director also held the appointment of Resident Teacher at Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Centre.
In February 2007 Samden Gyatso resigned as Deputy Spiritual Director. Kelsang Khyenrab was appointed as Deputy Spiritual Director and became the General Spiritual Director when Geshe Kelsang retired in Summer 2009.
In August 2001, Geshe Kelsang established a system of democratic succession for the General Spiritual Director of the NKT- IKBU. The Internal Rules state:
In 2008, Gen-la Khyenrab became Acting General Spiritual Director, under Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's supervision, and assumed the post of General Spiritual Director in August 2009 for a four-year term. Gen-la Dekyong, the National Spiritual Director of the United States of America, has in turn assumed the post of Deputy Spiritual Director, while retaining her post as US National Spiritual Director in accordance with the Internal Rules.. Gen-la Khyenrab retired as the General Spiritual Director due to ill health in April 2010 and, in accordance with the Internal Rules, Gen-la Dekyong was appointed as General Spiritual Director. Her position as Deputy Spiritual Director was taken by Gen-la Kunsang.
degree."
Cozort has noted that "Several of the most prominent Tibetan teachers have long recognized themselves the need to train Westerners as Dharma teachers." Geshe Kelsang explained the importance of Western Dharma teachers to the flourishing of Dharma in the world, saying that one fully qualified teacher is worth a thousand enlightened students. He expounded on the qualifications of NKT-IKBU teachers in 1990:
Regarding the qualifications of NKT-IKBU teachers, Kay observed that "Whilst personal experience of the teachings is considered important, the dominant view within the NKT is that the main qualification of a teacher is their purity of faith and discipleship."
According to Robert Bluck, "Most teachers are appointed to centres by Geshe Kelsang before they have completed the Teaching Training Programme and continue studying by correspondence, with an intensive study programme at Manjushri each summer." Daniel Cozort explained that this is "rather like graduate students who teach undergraduate courses while pursuing their own Ph.D.'s."
"Kay found that lay people were almost as likely as monastics to be given teaching and leadership roles; and he sees this as an important Western adaptation of Gelug Buddhism, again because this includes tantric practices which Tsongkhapa restricted to those with 'a solid grounding of academic study and celibate monastic discipline'."
Geshe Kelsang has said that monks, nuns, lay men and lay women can all become Spiritual Guides if they have the necessary experience, qualities and training. All NKT-IKBU teachers, lay and ordained, study on the same study and retreat programmes. The Internal Rules specify the criteria for completing the programme:
In addition to the TTP commitment, all Resident Teachers have to attend International Teacher Training Program each year, taught in repeated rotation according to a sixteen-year study scheme.
Ordained and lay Resident Teachers who have taught successfully for four years are given the titles 'Gen' and 'Kadam', respectively.
The New Kadampa Truth website explains: "Its Internal Rules – containing numerous checks and balances on the behavior, election and dismissal of the administrators, teachers, and spiritual directors – also guard against any extreme behavior and are legally binding." An NBO member describes them:
Ken Jones, a Zen Buddhist and founder of the UK Network of Engaged Buddhists, says that the NKT-IKBU provides "sound and well advertised introductions to Buddhism for many who would not otherwise have such ready access."On this basis, Jones contrasts the NKT-IKBU's resultant growth with other traditional Buddhist groups in the UK. The latter's modest publicity tend to make for more introverted, self-contained groups of practitioners. Newcomers must make a "persistent effort" to find them, and there is often a high fallout rate.
In comparison, Waterhouse says the NKT-IKBU "is very good at marketing its product", with Centers and branches producing leaflets that advertise local NKT-IKBU groups in their respective towns, a level of publicity that according to Jones is comparatively more "forceful and extroverted" with regard to other Buddhist groups, and has helped the NKT-IKBU to achieve "a phenomenal increase in membership and centres." Another attraction is the high level of activity at an NKT-IKBU Dharma center, where it is often possible to be taking part at the center every day of the week, in contrast to other groups "which meet on a weekly basis but provide little other support or activity."
Bluck attributes NKT-IKBU's rapid growth to "a wish to share the Dharma rather than ‘conversion and empire-building’." Kay says that the NKT-IKBU is sensitive to criticism on the subject of expansion and cites Geshe Kelsang's response to any criticisms about its outreach efforts, stating that "every organization 'tries to attract more people with appropriate publicity.'" With respect to the underlying intentions of those efforts Geshe Kelsang states:
New Dharma centers are expected to be self-supporting, as neither Geshe Kelsang nor the NKT-IKBU owns the centers.
Center that serves the local, national, and international communities. A KMC is generally more centrally organized than regular Kadampa Buddhist Centers. Besides having a program of courses for the local community, KMCs host major gatherings such as Dharma Celebrations, National Festivals, and International Festivals. They are also home to the International Kadampa Temples. KMCs are non-profit organizations and all their annual profits are donated to the International Temples Project. There are currently 18 KMCs around the world, with several in the US.
in the United Kingdom, as well as in Canada, the United States, and Spain; recently opened a Temple in Brazil, with plans to build one in Germany too. The NKT-IKBU states in its publicity that:
"World Peace Cafés" have opened at some NKT Centers, starting in Ulverston, UK and now in other countries e.g. Atlanta, Georgia.
In 2005 the NKT-IKBU opened their first "World Peace Hotel", called "Hotel Kadampa": a no-smoking, alcohol-free hotel in Southern Spain. (A second Hotel Kadampa opened in Montecatini in Tuscany, Italy, but has since closed). The hotel "functions as a normal hotel but with the benefit of a shrine room and meditation teaching. The absence of alcohol and loud entertainment attracts those who appreciated a quiet and peaceful atmosphere."
professor Peter Clarke sees a paradox here, and has characterised the NKT-IKBU as a "controversial Tibetan Buddhist New Religious Movement
," not because of any moral failings but because of the NKT-IKBU's separation from contemporary Tibetan Buddhism. Madeleine Bunting writes:
and the "New Kadam" Tradition of Je Tsongkhapa
, the latter of which became the Gelug
school of Tibetan Buddhism
.
Critics on the other hand characterize the NKT-IKBU as "a breakaway movement and argue that the New Kadampa Tradition, as it is known today, is not part of the ancient Kadampa Tradition but a split from the [contemporary] Gelug school."
The founder of the Gelug
school, Je Tsongkhapa
, and his disciples were popularly known as the "new school of Kadam." Je Tsongkhapa himself referred to his monastic order as "the New Kadam" (Tib. Kadam Sarpa). The term Gelug came into use only after his death. Je Tsongkhapa's apparent eclecticism
was actually "an attempt to determine which teachings and practices should be considered normative." In creating a new synthesis of Buddhist doctrine, ethics and practice, Je Tsongkhapa endeavored "to rid Tibetan [Buddhism] of its pre-Buddhist shamanic elements," and the NKT-IKBU sees itself as continuing to keep Tsongkhapa's unique form of Buddhism free of non-Buddhist teachings and practices. In this regard, Kelsang Gyatso explains:
In short, Waterhouse says that "the early Gelugpa legacy is one which the NKT wishes to emulate" and that the name of the organization itself makes a statement about its "perceived roots within the 'pure' transmission of [Atisha's] Indian Buddhism into Tibet." According to Lopez, "For Kelsang Gyatso
to call his group the New Kadampa Tradition, therefore, is ideologically charged, implying as it does that he and his followers represent the tradition of the founder, Tsong kha pa
, more authentically than the Geluk
establishment and the Dalai Lama
himself." Kay comments:
Geshe Kelsang uses the terms New Kadampa and Gelugpa synonymously, in accordance with his lineage gurus as well as the current Dalai Lama, who explained: "So we call the teachings of both Atisha and Je Tsongkhapa the Kadampa tradition, and then slowly this becomes the New Kadampa and then finally it is known as the Gelugpa." Geshe Kelsang refers to NKT-IKBU practitioners as Gelugpas, defining Gelug as:
When asked about the relationship between the NKT-IKBU and the Gelug tradition, Geshe Kelsang again self-identified as a Gelugpa:
The closing prayers of all NKT-IKBU spiritual practices include two dedication prayers for the flourishing of the 'Virtuous Tradition' (i.e., the Gelugpas), these being "recited every day after teachings and pujas at all Gelugpa monasteries and Dharma Centres."
Of the words, "New Kadampa Tradition", James Belither (NKT Secretary for 20 years) states that the "word 'New' is used not to imply that it is newly created, but that it is a fresh presentation of Buddhadharma
in a form and manner that is appropriate to the needs and conditions of the modern world."
"has broken away from the school's representatives in India and Tibet
." Cozort confirms that the NKT-IKBU "is not subordinate to Tibetan authorities other than Geshe Gyatso himself." James Belither explained that the NKT-IKBU "does not accept the Dalai Lama's authority 'simply because there is no political or ecclesiastical reason for doing so.'"
Instead of presenting itself as a Tibetan tradition, James Belither has said that the NKT-IKBU is "a Mahayana Buddhist tradition with historical connections with Tibet", saying it wishes "to present Dharma
in a way appropriate to their own culture and society without the need to adopt Tibetan culture
and customs." Bluck sees an "an apparent contradiction between claiming a pure Tibetan lineage and complete separation from contemporary Tibetan religion, culture and politics." The NKT-IKBU disagrees that there is a contradiction, saying "It is possible to be a follower of Je Tsongkhapa's lineage but not a Tibetan Buddhist, just as a child of Russian immigrants to America may consider themselves American but not Russian."
Despite the NKT-IKBU's separation from contemporary Tibetan Buddhism, the commitments undertaken by its members also include maintaining "a deep respect" for all Dharma teachings and other Buddhist traditions. When asked about sectarianism between the Gelugpas and other schools of Tibetan Buddhism
, Geshe Kelsang replied:
, one of the NKT-IKBU's two "essential practices" is of the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden
, as taught by Geshe Kelsang's and the Dalai Lama's root Guru, Trijang Rinpoche
. For NKT-IKBU practitioners, "Shugden is, like Tsongkhapa, an emanation of Manjushri, and equal in status." It is no wonder, then, that controversy arose due to the Dalai Lama's "suppression" of the Dorje Shugden practice within the Tibetan exile community. Acting from of a sense of "spiritual solidarity" for Dorje Shugden practitioners in India, hundreds of members of the NKT-IKBU joined in the Western Shugden Society
in publicly demonstrating against the Dalai Lama's "explicit ban" which resulted in Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's expulsion from his alma mater, Sera Je monastery. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso considered the "political" ban to be "unwarranted meddling in a legitimate spiritual practice," with many of his students regarding the Dalai Lama's "accusations against Dorje Shugden practice absurd" and continuing with it unabated.
In the British press, the NKT-IKBU was widely criticized for engaging in the controversy and picketing the Dalai Lama. In response, Robert Bluck said, "Again a balanced approach is needed here: the practitioner's confident belief may appear as dogmatism to an unsympathetic observer."
Geshe
Geshe is a Tibetan Buddhist academic degree for monks...
Kelsang Gyatso
Kelsang Gyatso
Kelsang Gyatso is a Buddhist monk, "meditation master, scholar, and author" of 22 books based on the teachings of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism...
in England in 1991. In 2003 the words "International Kadampa Buddhist Union" (IKBU) were added to the original name "New Kadampa Tradition". The NKT-IKBU is an international organization registered in England as a charitable, or non-profit, company. It currently lists more than 200 centres and around 900 branch classes/study groups in 40 countries.
The NKT-IKBU is a Mahayana
Mahayana
Mahāyāna is one of the two main existing branches of Buddhism and a term for classification of Buddhist philosophies and practice...
form of Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, which has been developed from the Gelug
Gelug
The Gelug or Gelug-pa , also known as the Yellow Hat sect, is a school of Buddhism founded by Je Tsongkhapa , a philosopher and Tibetan religious leader...
school of Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
. The NKT-IKBU states that it follows the tradition of Kadampa
Kadampa
The Kadampa tradition was a Tibetan Mahayana Buddhist school. Dromtönpa, a Tibetan lay master and the foremost disciple of the great Indian Buddhist Master Atisha , founded it and passed three lineages to his disciples. The Kadampa were quite famous and respected for their proper and earnest...
Buddhism derived from the Buddhist meditators and scholars Atisha
Atisha
Atiśa Dipankara Shrijnana was a Buddhist teacher from the Pala Empire who, along with Konchog Gyalpo and Marpa, was one of the major figures in the establishment of the Sarma lineages in Tibet after the repression of Buddhism by King Langdarma .- Birth :Atisha is most commonly said to have been...
(AD 982–1054) and Je Tsongkhapa
Je Tsongkhapa
Tsongkhapa , whose name means “The Man from Onion Valley”, was a famous teacher of Tibetan Buddhism whose activities led to the formation of the Geluk school...
(1357–1419 AD), as taught by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. The New Kadampa Tradition "offers standard Gelugpa teachings based on Geshe Kelsang's books, which present a systematic path to enlightenment."
David V. Barrett
David V. Barrett
David V. Barrett is a British author who has written on religious and esoteric topics. He is also a regular contributor to The Independent, Fortean Times, and the Catholic Herald....
has characterized the NKT-IKBU as "one of the newest and most controversial Buddhist movements". The NKT-IKBU answers various allegations against it on its official "New Kadampa Truth" website.
Mission statement
The Internal Rules of the NKT-IKBU states that it "shall always be an entirely independent Buddhist tradition" and "shall have no political affiliations." The NKT-IKBU was founded as an "autonomous Gelukpa group."Meaning of the word Kadampa
The name Geshe Kelsang chose for the newly founded organization in 1991 refers to the KadampaKadampa
The Kadampa tradition was a Tibetan Mahayana Buddhist school. Dromtönpa, a Tibetan lay master and the foremost disciple of the great Indian Buddhist Master Atisha , founded it and passed three lineages to his disciples. The Kadampa were quite famous and respected for their proper and earnest...
tradition which was founded by Atisha
Atisha
Atiśa Dipankara Shrijnana was a Buddhist teacher from the Pala Empire who, along with Konchog Gyalpo and Marpa, was one of the major figures in the establishment of the Sarma lineages in Tibet after the repression of Buddhism by King Langdarma .- Birth :Atisha is most commonly said to have been...
in the 11th century and reformed by Je Tsongkhapa
Je Tsongkhapa
Tsongkhapa , whose name means “The Man from Onion Valley”, was a famous teacher of Tibetan Buddhism whose activities led to the formation of the Geluk school...
in the 14th century to become what is today known as the Gelug
Gelug
The Gelug or Gelug-pa , also known as the Yellow Hat sect, is a school of Buddhism founded by Je Tsongkhapa , a philosopher and Tibetan religious leader...
tradition of Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
. Explaining the etymology of the term kadampa (Tib., bKa' gdams pa; Skt. "the sutra-upadesha-ones"), David Barrett says: "The name 'Kadampa' comes from ka, meaning 'word', or the Buddha's teachings, dam, referring to Atisha's special Lamrim
Lamrim
Lamrim is a Tibetan Buddhist textual form for presenting the stages in the complete path to enlightenment as taught by Buddha. In Tibetan Buddhist history there have been many different versions of lamrim, presented by different teachers of the Nyingma, Kagyu and Gelug schools...
instructions, known as the 'Stages of the Path', and pa, a school or tradition." Taken together, the word kadampa means "those who put all of Buddha's teachings into practice through practising the instructions on Lamrim
Lamrim
Lamrim is a Tibetan Buddhist textual form for presenting the stages in the complete path to enlightenment as taught by Buddha. In Tibetan Buddhist history there have been many different versions of lamrim, presented by different teachers of the Nyingma, Kagyu and Gelug schools...
(Stages of the Path)." This means that Kadampas take all of Buddha's instructions as personal advice to be put into practice:
The practitioners of the NKT-IKBU refer to themselves as "Kadampa Buddhists", and similarly the Teachers, Dharma Centers and Temples are referred to as "Kadampa Teachers", "Kadampa Buddhist Centers" and "Kadampa Buddhist Temples", respectively.
Whether there exists any ideological significance of the choice of the name 'New Kadampa Tradition' in the context of the NKT-IKBU's dissociation from the present-day Tibetan Gelugpa establishment, is discussed below under New Kadampa Tradition and Gelugpa Tradition.
Teachings and books
Bluck lists the specific traditional teachings that are seen as important in the NKT-IKBU: "the nature of the mindMindstream
Mindstream in Buddhist philosophy is the moment-to-moment "continuum" of awareness. There are a number of terms in the Buddhist literature that may well be rendered "mindstream"...
, karma
Karma
Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....
and reincarnation
Rebirth (Buddhism)
Rebirth in Buddhism is the doctrine that the evolving consciousness or stream of consciousness upon death , becomes one of the contributing causes for the arising of a new aggregation...
, the preciousness of human life, the role of meditation, death, and the commitments of going for refuge
Refuge (Buddhism)
Buddhists "take refuge" in, or to "go for refuge" to, the Three Jewels . This can be done formally in lay and monastic ordination ceremonies.The Three Jewels general signification is: * the Buddha;* the Dharma, the teachings;...
", as well as "understanding the Four Noble Truths
Four Noble Truths
The Four Noble Truths are an important principle in Buddhism, classically taught by the Buddha in the Dharmacakra Pravartana Sūtra....
, developing renunciation, and the training of moral discipline, concentration and wisdom
Threefold Training
The Buddha identified the threefold training as training in:* higher virtue * higher mind * higher wisdom - In the Pali Canon :...
", followed by "becoming a compassionate bodhisattva
Bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is either an enlightened existence or an enlightenment-being or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." The Pali term has sometimes been translated as "wisdom-being," although in modern publications, and...
(by developing bodhicitta
Bodhicitta
In Buddhism, bodhicitta jang chub sem, Mongolian бодь сэтгэл) is the intention to achieve omniscient Buddhahood as fast as possible, so that one may benefit infinite sentient beings...
and the six perfections), understanding the ultimate truth of emptiness and finally attaining Buddhahood
Buddhahood
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
."
The NKT-IKBU's teachings are based exclusively on the teachings and published works of Geshe Kelsang
Kelsang Gyatso
Kelsang Gyatso is a Buddhist monk, "meditation master, scholar, and author" of 22 books based on the teachings of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism...
, which in turn are commentaries on Gelug
Gelug
The Gelug or Gelug-pa , also known as the Yellow Hat sect, is a school of Buddhism founded by Je Tsongkhapa , a philosopher and Tibetan religious leader...
works, especially those of its founder Je Tsongkhapa
Je Tsongkhapa
Tsongkhapa , whose name means “The Man from Onion Valley”, was a famous teacher of Tibetan Buddhism whose activities led to the formation of the Geluk school...
's texts. According to Helen Waterhouse, Geshe Kelsang follows the Tibetan Buddhist
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
custom of studying texts through the teacher's commentaries. With respect to the contents of the teachings she states that "NKT doctrine is not different from that of mainline Gelugpa", with a Prasangika Madhyamaka philosophical orientation, and emphasizing the teachings on dependent arising
Pratitya-samutpada
Dependent origination or dependent arising is a cardinal doctrine of Buddhism, and arguably the only thing that holds every Buddhist teaching together from Theravada to Dzogchen to the extinct schools. As a concept and a doctrine it has a general and a specific application, both being integral to...
and emptiness
Shunyata
Śūnyatā, शून्यता , Suññatā , stong-pa nyid , Kòng/Kū, 空 , Gong-seong, 공성 , qoγusun is frequently translated into English as emptiness...
. The main practice in the NKT-IKBU is Lamrim
Lamrim
Lamrim is a Tibetan Buddhist textual form for presenting the stages in the complete path to enlightenment as taught by Buddha. In Tibetan Buddhist history there have been many different versions of lamrim, presented by different teachers of the Nyingma, Kagyu and Gelug schools...
(the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment), Lojong
Lojong
Lojong is a mind training practice in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition based on a set of aphorisms formulated in Tibet in the 12th century by Geshe Chekhawa...
(Training the Mind), and Vajrayana
Vajrayana
Vajrayāna Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Vehicle...
Mahamudra
Mahamudra
Mahāmudrā literally means "great seal" or "great symbol." It "is a multivalent term of great importance in later Indian Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism" which "also occurs occasionally in Hindu and East Asian Buddhist esotericism."The name refers to the way one who...
(the practices of Highest Yoga Tantra). The books studied in the NKT are published by the Buddhist publishing house Tharpa Publications
Tharpa Publications
Tharpa Publications is "a major international and multilingual publisher of Buddhist books" by world renowned Buddhist author and scholar Geshe Kelsang Gyatso...
.
Geshe Kelsang regards all his books as "coming from Je Tsongkhapa
Je Tsongkhapa
Tsongkhapa , whose name means “The Man from Onion Valley”, was a famous teacher of Tibetan Buddhism whose activities led to the formation of the Geluk school...
, with himself as being like a cassette recorder into which the Wisdom Buddha, the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden
Dorje Shugden
Dorje Shugden , "Vajra Possessing Strength", or Dolgyal Shugden , "Shugden, King of Dhol" is a deity in Tibetan Buddhism, especially its Gelug school, who is regarded as a Dharma Protector or "guardian angel." The practice of Dharma Protectors is central to most religious Tibetans and...
, has placed the cassette of Je Tsongkhapa's teachings". In the preface of his extensive commentary to Lamrim
Lamrim
Lamrim is a Tibetan Buddhist textual form for presenting the stages in the complete path to enlightenment as taught by Buddha. In Tibetan Buddhist history there have been many different versions of lamrim, presented by different teachers of the Nyingma, Kagyu and Gelug schools...
, Geshe Kelsang states, "I have received these teachings from my Spiritual Guide, Trijang Dorjechang
Trijang Rinpoche
Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche was a Gelug Lama and a direct disciple of Je Pabongka. He was the junior tutor and spiritual guide of the 14th Dalai Lama for forty years. He is also the root lama of many Gelug Lamas who teach in the West including Zong Rinpoche, Geshe Rabten, Lama Yeshe, Lama Gangchen...
, who was an emanation of Atisha
Atisha
Atiśa Dipankara Shrijnana was a Buddhist teacher from the Pala Empire who, along with Konchog Gyalpo and Marpa, was one of the major figures in the establishment of the Sarma lineages in Tibet after the repression of Buddhism by King Langdarma .- Birth :Atisha is most commonly said to have been...
; thus the explanations given in this book, Joyful Path of Good Fortune, actually come from him and not from myself."
Study programs
Geshe Kelsang GyatsoKelsang Gyatso
Kelsang Gyatso is a Buddhist monk, "meditation master, scholar, and author" of 22 books based on the teachings of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism...
explained his reason for founding the NKT-IKBU: "I wanted to encourage people to practice purely. Just having a lot of dharma knowledge, studying a lot intellectually but not practicing, is a serious problem. This was my experience in Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
. Intellectual knowledge alone does not give peace."
At the heart of the NKT-IKBU are its three study programs: "the open and introductory General Programme, the Foundation Programme for more committed practitioners, and the demanding Teacher Training Programme." The study programs of the NKT-IKBU are what distinguishes it from all other Buddhist traditions. Giving an overview of the purpose of the programs, the NKT-IKBU says: "Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso has designed three special Study Programs for the systematic study and practice of Kadampa Buddhism that are especially suited to the modern world." It is believed by NKT-IKBU followers that the teachings transmit the pure lineage of Je Tsongkhapa in its entirety.
Commenting on the content of the NKT-IKBU's study program, Cozort said they "respond to the desires of Western Dharma students, who feel that Buddhism is mainly about meditation, who want their philosophy mixed with practice, and who want to progress as quickly as possible toward the higher tantric teachings."
The three spiritual programs are:
- The General Program (GP), which provides an introduction to basic Buddhist ideas and meditation. Cozort explains that GP classes are "simply the ongoing general instructure for all comers at NKT Centers or wherever NKT teachers find a venue for teaching."
- The Foundation Program (FP), which includes the study of six commentaries written by Geshe Kelsang on the following classical texts. Cozort remarks that the format of study resembles that of a British or American University, "with textbooks, lectures, small and large group discussion, and examinations."
- Joyful Path of Good Fortune – based on AtishaAtishaAtiśa Dipankara Shrijnana was a Buddhist teacher from the Pala Empire who, along with Konchog Gyalpo and Marpa, was one of the major figures in the establishment of the Sarma lineages in Tibet after the repression of Buddhism by King Langdarma .- Birth :Atisha is most commonly said to have been...
's teachings on Lamrim or The Stages of the Path to Enlightenment - Universal Compassion – a commentary on Bodhisattva Geshe ChekhawaGeshe ChekhawaGeshe Chekhawa was a great Kadampa Buddhist meditation master who was the author of the celebrated root text, Training the Mind in Seven Points which is an explanation Buddha's instructions on training the mind or Lojong in Tibetan...
's Training the Mind in Seven Points - Eight Steps to Happiness – a commentary on Bodhisattva Langri Tangpa's Eight Verses of Training the Mind
- Heart of Wisdom – a commentary on the Heart SutraHeart SutraThe Heart Sūtra is a Mahāyāna Buddhist sūtra. Its Sanskrit name literally translates to "Heart of the Perfection of Transcendent Wisdom." The Heart Sūtra is often cited as the best known and most popular of all Buddhist scriptures.-Introduction:The Heart Sūtra is a member of the Perfection of...
- Meaningful to Behold – a commentary on ShantidevaShantidevaShantideva was an 8th-century Indian Buddhist scholar at Nalanda University and an adherent of the Madhyamaka philosophy of Nagarjuna....
's Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life - Understanding the Mind – a commentary and detailed explanation of the mind based on the works of the Buddhist scholars DharmakirtiDharmakirtiDharmakīrti , was an Indian scholar and one of the Buddhist founders of Indian philosophical logic. He was one of the primary theorists of Buddhist atomism, according to which the only items considered to exist are momentary states of consciousness.-History:Born around the turn of the 7th century,...
and DignagaDignagaDignāga was an Indian scholar and one of the Buddhist founders of Indian logic.He was born into a Brahmin family in Simhavakta near Kanchi Kanchipuram), and very little is known of his early years, except that he took as his spiritual preceptor Nagadatta of the Vatsiputriya school, before being...
- Joyful Path of Good Fortune – based on Atisha
- The Teacher Training Program (TTP) is, according to Cozort, the "NKT's most ambitious undertaking," intended for people who wish to train as NKT-IKBU Dharma Teachers who, in turn, will teach Buddhism to newcomers as well as serve as tantric gurus. All Resident Teachers of NKT-IKBU Centers follow this program of study and practice. The program involves the study of 14 texts of Geshe Kelsang, including all of those in the Foundation Program, and the additional 8 listed below. This program also includes commitments concerning one's lifestyle, based on the 5 lay vows of the Pratimoksha, and the completion of specific meditation retreats "on each of the preliminary practices (sngon 'groNgöndroNgöndro refers to the preliminary, preparatory or foundational 'practices' or 'disciplines' common to all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism and also to Bön...
)." There is also a "teaching skills" class every month.- The Bodhisattva Vow – a commentary on Mahayana moral discipline and the practice of the six perfections
- Ocean of Nectar – a commentary on Chandrakirti's Guide to the Middle Way
- Clear Light of Bliss – a commentary on meditations of Highest Yoga TantraHighest Yoga TantraAnuttarayoga Tantra , often translated as Unexcelled Yoga Tantra or Highest Yoga Tantra, is a term used in Tibetan Buddhism in the categorization of esoteric tantric Indian Buddhist texts that constitute part of the Kangyur, or the 'translated words of the Buddha' in the Tibetan Buddhist canon...
- Great Treasury of Merit – a commentary on the puja Offering to the Spiritual Guide by the First Panchen Lama
- Mahamudra Tantra – meditation on the nature of mind according to Tantra
- Guide to Dakini Land – a commentary on the Highest Yoga Tantra practice of Vajrayogini
- Tantric Grounds and Paths – an explanation of the practice of the lower and upper classes of Tantra
- Essence of Vajrayana – a commentary on the Highest Yoga Tantra practice of HerukaHerukaHeruka is also a name for the Tantric deity Chakrasamvara, for which see.Heruka , is the name of a category of wrathful deities, enlightened beings in Vajrayana Buddhism that adopt a fierce countenance to benefit sentient beings. In China and Japan, it was named as Wisdom King. Herukas represent...
Speaking to future teachers enrolled in the Foundation and Teacher Training Programs, Geshe Kelsang said, "We shall be able to set a good example for others to follow and help others by giving teachings and advice. Eventually we will be able to give extensive teachings and benefit others in many ways by organizing special programs and so forth. In this way we will make both our own and others' human lives extremely meaningful."
Religious practices
NKT-IKBU meditation practices include traditional LamrimLamrim
Lamrim is a Tibetan Buddhist textual form for presenting the stages in the complete path to enlightenment as taught by Buddha. In Tibetan Buddhist history there have been many different versions of lamrim, presented by different teachers of the Nyingma, Kagyu and Gelug schools...
subjects such as "precious human life, death and rebirth
Rebirth (Buddhism)
Rebirth in Buddhism is the doctrine that the evolving consciousness or stream of consciousness upon death , becomes one of the contributing causes for the arising of a new aggregation...
, karma and samsara
Samsara
thumb|right|200px|Traditional Tibetan painting or [[Thanka]] showing the [[wheel of life]] and realms of saṃsāraSaṅsāra or Saṃsāra , , literally meaning "continuous flow", is the cycle of birth, life, death, rebirth or reincarnation within Hinduism, Buddhism, Bön, Jainism, Sikhism, and other...
, taking refuge
Refuge (Buddhism)
Buddhists "take refuge" in, or to "go for refuge" to, the Three Jewels . This can be done formally in lay and monastic ordination ceremonies.The Three Jewels general signification is: * the Buddha;* the Dharma, the teachings;...
, the development of equanimity, kindness
Metta
Mettā or maitrī is loving-kindness, friendliness, benevolence, amity, friendship, good will, kindness, love, sympathy, close mental union , and active interest in others. It is one of the ten pāramīs of the Theravāda school of Buddhism, and the first of the four sublime states...
and compassion
Karuna
Karuā is generally translated as "compassion" or "pity". It is part of the spiritual path of both Buddhism and Jainism.-Buddhism:...
towards all beings, bodhicitta
Bodhicitta
In Buddhism, bodhicitta jang chub sem, Mongolian бодь сэтгэл) is the intention to achieve omniscient Buddhahood as fast as possible, so that one may benefit infinite sentient beings...
, understanding emptiness, and relying on a spiritual guide."
Chanted prayers follow "a traditional Tibetan format":
- going for refugeRefuge (Buddhism)Buddhists "take refuge" in, or to "go for refuge" to, the Three Jewels . This can be done formally in lay and monastic ordination ceremonies.The Three Jewels general signification is: * the Buddha;* the Dharma, the teachings;...
, - generating bodhicittaBodhicittaIn Buddhism, bodhicitta jang chub sem, Mongolian бодь сэтгэл) is the intention to achieve omniscient Buddhahood as fast as possible, so that one may benefit infinite sentient beings...
and the ‘four immeasurablesBrahmaviharaThe brahmavihāras are a series of four Buddhist virtues and the meditation practices made to cultivate them. They are also known as the four immeasurables...
’ of boundless loveMettaMettā or maitrī is loving-kindness, friendliness, benevolence, amity, friendship, good will, kindness, love, sympathy, close mental union , and active interest in others. It is one of the ten pāramīs of the Theravāda school of Buddhism, and the first of the four sublime states...
, compassionKarunaKaruā is generally translated as "compassion" or "pity". It is part of the spiritual path of both Buddhism and Jainism.-Buddhism:...
, sympathetic joy and equanimity, - imagining the Buddhas and bodhisattvas as physically present,
- a seven-limbed prayer of prostration, offerings, confession, rejoicing in virtue, asking holy beings to remain, requesting Dharma teachings and dedicating merit,
- offering the mandala (seeing the universe as a Pure LandPure landA pure land, in Mahayana Buddhism, is the celestial realm or pure abode of a Buddha or Bodhisattva. The various traditions that focus on Pure Lands have been given the nomenclature Pure Land Buddhism. Pure lands are also evident in the literature and traditions of Taoism and Bön.The notion of 'pure...
of happiness), - asking for and receiving blessings (becoming filled with ‘rays of light and nectar’ from the Buddha's heart),
- following specific meditation instructions, and
- dedicating the accumulated meritMerit (Buddhism)Merit is a concept in Buddhism. It is that which accumulates as a result of good deeds, acts or thoughts and that carries over to later in life or to a person's next life. Such merit contributes to a person's growth towards liberation. Merit can be gained in a number of ways...
for the happiness of all beings.
While the Je Tsongkhapa
Je Tsongkhapa
Tsongkhapa , whose name means “The Man from Onion Valley”, was a famous teacher of Tibetan Buddhism whose activities led to the formation of the Geluk school...
and Dorje Shugden
Dorje Shugden
Dorje Shugden , "Vajra Possessing Strength", or Dolgyal Shugden , "Shugden, King of Dhol" is a deity in Tibetan Buddhism, especially its Gelug school, who is regarded as a Dharma Protector or "guardian angel." The practice of Dharma Protectors is central to most religious Tibetans and...
practices are recited daily, NKT-IKBU practitioners also regularly perform a number of other ritual practices
Puja (Buddhism)
In Buddhism, puja are expressions of "honour, worship and devotional attention." Acts of puja include bowing, making offerings and chanting...
, including Avalokiteshvara, Heruka
Heruka
Heruka is also a name for the Tantric deity Chakrasamvara, for which see.Heruka , is the name of a category of wrathful deities, enlightened beings in Vajrayana Buddhism that adopt a fierce countenance to benefit sentient beings. In China and Japan, it was named as Wisdom King. Herukas represent...
, Vajrayogini, Tara
Tara (Buddhism)
Tara or Ārya Tārā, also known as Jetsun Dolma in Tibetan Buddhism, is a female Bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism who appears as a female Buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism. She is known as the "mother of liberation", and represents the virtues of success in work and achievements...
, Manjushri, Amitayus and the Medicine Buddha. Bluck notes that "All these sādhanas have either been 'compiled from traditional sources' by Geshe Kelsang or translated under his supervision."
Religious observances
From its inception, NKT-IKBU Dharma centres followed a common calendar for religious observances, including some of the traditional Buddhist religious days. These include the following:Monthly observances of Buddha Tara
Tara (Buddhism)
Tara or Ārya Tārā, also known as Jetsun Dolma in Tibetan Buddhism, is a female Bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism who appears as a female Buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism. She is known as the "mother of liberation", and represents the virtues of success in work and achievements...
, Je Tsongkhapa, Eight Mahayana Precepts, and Dorje Shugden practices:
- Tara Day (8th of each month)
- Tsog Day (10th and 25th of each month)
- Precepts Day (15th of each month)
- Protector Day (29th of each month)
Annual holidays common to other Buddhist traditions:
- Buddha's Enlightenment Day (April 15)
- Turning the Wheel of Dharma Day (June 4 [49 days after Buddha's Enlightenment Day, and also Geshe Kelsang's birthday])
- Buddha's Return from Heaven Day (September 22)
- Je Tsongkhapa Day (October 25)
Annual holidays unique to the NKT-IKBU:
- NKT Day (the first Saturday in April)
- International Temples Day (the first Saturday in November)
In 2004, the dates of lunar month observances were changed to the respective days in the common calendar.
NKT Day commemorates the founding of the NKT-IKBU, while International Temples Day is an opportunity to reflect on the importance of building Kadampa Buddhist Temples throughout the world.
International Buddhist Festivals
Three annual Buddhist NKT Festivals are held each year: (1) The Spring Festival – held at Manjushri KMC in UK; (2) The Summer Festival – held at Manjushri KMC in UK; (3) The Fall Festival – held at various locations outside the UK. These are taught by the General Spiritual Director of the New Kadampa Tradition, currently Gen-la Kelsang KhyenrabKelsang Khyenrab
Kelsang Khyenrab is the former General Spiritual Director of the New Kadampa Tradition , a Western organization based on the traditional Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism...
, and include teachings and empowerments from the Spiritual Director, reviews and meditations led by senior NKT Teachers, chanted meditations and offering ceremonies, and meditation retreats. They are attended by between 2000 and 6000 people from around the world.
Ordination
Within the NKT-IKBU community there are over 700 monks and nuns. Ordination ceremonies are usually held twice a year in the main NKT TempleKadampa Buddhist Temple
The Kadampa World Peace Temple is located at Conishead Priory on the outskirts of Ulverston, Cumbria, England. It was consecrated in July 1997 and functions as the main meditation hall at Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Centre...
at Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Center in Cumbria (UK), Ulverston. To ordain, one must ask Geshe Kelsang's permission, and also the permission of his or her parents.
Buddha established both lay and ordained Pratimoksha vows, and established several levels of ordination vows. Traditionally, the different levels of ordination are distinguished by the specific number of vows taken, and by the ceremony in which they were received. In the NKT-IKBU, Geshe Kelsang established a simplified tradition of ordination with ten vows that summarize the entire Vinaya, and a single ordination ceremony.
The 10 vows of the NKT's ordination as a monk or nun are to:
- abandon killing
- abandon stealing
- abandon sexual activity
- abandon lying and cheating
- abandon taking intoxicants
- practice contentment
- reduce one's desire for worldly pleasures
- abandon engaging in meaningless activities
- maintain the commitments of refuge
- practise the three trainings of pure moral discipline, concentration, and wisdom
In The Ordination Handbook, Geshe Kelsang describes these vows as being easier to integrate into today's society, saying:
He also says:
The ordination tradition of the NKT-IKBU differs from that of other Buddhist groups in that it is based on the Mahayana Perfection of Wisdom Sutras instead of the Hinayana Vinaya Sutras. According to Geshe Kelsang, "The Perfection of Wisdom Sutras are our Vinaya and Lamrim
Lamrim
Lamrim is a Tibetan Buddhist textual form for presenting the stages in the complete path to enlightenment as taught by Buddha. In Tibetan Buddhist history there have been many different versions of lamrim, presented by different teachers of the Nyingma, Kagyu and Gelug schools...
is its commentary." Robert Bluck observed that in the NKT-IKBU a Vinaya Sutras-based "full ordination is not available, and those who do ordain remain as novices, though again this is common in Tibet." Instead, the NKT-IKBU emphasizes renunciation as a spiritual transformation over time. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso explains that when a person is first ordained they receive a Rabjung (preliminary) ordination; when their renunciation improves and deepens, their ordination naturally transforms into a Getsul (sramanera) ordination; and when their renunciation becomes "a spontaneous wish to attain nirvana", their ordination naturally transforms into a Gelong (bhikkhu
Bhikkhu
A Bhikkhu or Bhikṣu is an ordained male Buddhist monastic. A female monastic is called a Bhikkhuni Nepali: ). The life of Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis is governed by a set of rules called the patimokkha within the vinaya's framework of monastic discipline...
) ordination. For this reason, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso does not require a separate ritual ordination ceremony.
Monks and nuns in the NKT-IKBU abandon the physical signs of a lay person by shaving their head and wearing the maroon and yellow robes of an ordained person. They are given a new name which starts with "Kelsang", since it is traditional for ordinees to receive part of the ordaining master's name (in this case, Kelsang Gyatso). They also engage in a Sojong ceremony twice a month to purify and restore their vows.
Monastics who break their ordination vows must leave their Centre for a year, with the exception of attending various bigger courses, Celebrations and Festivals. After that year, "with some conditions" they can return but cannot teach or participate in the Teacher Training Program.
Practitioners who wish to ordain approach their Buddhist teacher when they feel ready, and request formal permission once they have their teacher's consent. They may decide to live in one of the NKT-IKBU's many Buddhist centers, but this is not a requirement. They are, in general, not financially provided for by the NKT-IKBU. And, if they live in an NKT-IKBU Dharma center, they still have to pay rent for their accommodation and pay for meals and the spiritual programs. To finance this, some have part-time or full time work. According to Belither, "a few people are sponsored because of their NKT work but others are on 'extended working visits' or work locally, and some are legitimately on employment benefit." When working, they may "wear ordinary clothes if this is more convenient."
Lineage of teachers
- Buddha Shakyamuni
- VajradharaVajradharaVajradhara is the ultimate primordial Buddha, or Adi Buddha, according to the Gelug and Kagyu schools of Tibetan Buddhism.In the evolution of Indian Buddhism, Vajradhara gradually displaced Samantabhadra, who remains the...
- Manjushri
- AtishaAtishaAtiśa Dipankara Shrijnana was a Buddhist teacher from the Pala Empire who, along with Konchog Gyalpo and Marpa, was one of the major figures in the establishment of the Sarma lineages in Tibet after the repression of Buddhism by King Langdarma .- Birth :Atisha is most commonly said to have been...
- Je TsongkhapaJe TsongkhapaTsongkhapa , whose name means “The Man from Onion Valley”, was a famous teacher of Tibetan Buddhism whose activities led to the formation of the Geluk school...
- Pabongka RinpochePabongka RinpochePabongka Rinpoche , Jampa Tenzin Trinlay Gyatso, was one of the great Gelug lamas of the modern era of Tibetan Buddhism. He attained his Geshe degree at Sera Monastic University, Lhasa, and became a highly influential teacher in Tibet, unusual for teaching a great number of lay people...
- Kyabje Trijang DorjechangTrijang RinpocheKyabje Trijang Rinpoche was a Gelug Lama and a direct disciple of Je Pabongka. He was the junior tutor and spiritual guide of the 14th Dalai Lama for forty years. He is also the root lama of many Gelug Lamas who teach in the West including Zong Rinpoche, Geshe Rabten, Lama Yeshe, Lama Gangchen...
- Geshe Kelsang GyatsoKelsang GyatsoKelsang Gyatso is a Buddhist monk, "meditation master, scholar, and author" of 22 books based on the teachings of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism...
Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
After leaving Tibet in 1959, Geshe KelsangKelsang Gyatso
Kelsang Gyatso is a Buddhist monk, "meditation master, scholar, and author" of 22 books based on the teachings of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism...
taught and engaged in retreat in India for 18 years. Trijang Rinpoche
Trijang Rinpoche
Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche was a Gelug Lama and a direct disciple of Je Pabongka. He was the junior tutor and spiritual guide of the 14th Dalai Lama for forty years. He is also the root lama of many Gelug Lamas who teach in the West including Zong Rinpoche, Geshe Rabten, Lama Yeshe, Lama Gangchen...
, the root Guru of Geshe Kelsang, asked him to be the resident teacher at Manjushri Institute
Manjushri Institute
Manjushri Institute was a large Buddhist college situated at Conishead Priory in England from 1976 until its dissolution in 1991. In 1991 its assets, including Conishead Priory, were transferred to a new Centre, Manjushri Mahayana Buddhist Centre which was later re-named .- The Founding of...
(now known as Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Centre) in England. Geshe Kelsang taught the General Program at Manjushri from 1976 to 1987.
In 1987, Geshe Kelsang entered a 3-year retreat at Tharpaland in Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. During his retreat, he wrote five books and established the foundations of the NKT-IKBU. Since that time, the NKT-IKBU has grown to comprise over 1,100 Centres and groups throughout 40 countries.
After completing his retreat in the spring of 1991, Geshe Kelsang announced the creation of the NKT-IKBU, an event which was celebrated by his students in the NKT-IKBU magazine Full Moon as "a wonderful development in the history of the Buddhadharma."
In 1992, the NKT-IKBU was legally incorporated under English law, which constituted the formal foundation of the NKT-IKBU. The many Dharma Centres that were following Geshe Kelsang's spiritual direction were gathered under the common auspices of the NKT-IKBU, with him as their General Spiritual Director (GSD). He remained GSD until August 2009 when he retired and was replaced by his successor, Gen-la Kelsang Khyenrab. Each of the individual Centers is legally and financially independent.
Successor to Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
From 1991 to 1995 Gelong Thubten GyatsoThubten Gyatso (NKT)
From 1991 to 1995 Gelong Thubten Gyatso was appointed as a 'Gen-la' and Resident Teacher of Madhyamaka Centre and as Geshe Kelsang's future successor. He was described by NKT as "the first qualified English Tantric meditation master in Britain"...
was designated as Geshe Kelsang's future successor. He disrobed in 1995, and Geshe Kelsang provisionally appointed 4 'Gen-las', i.e. Losang Kelsang, Kelsang Jangsem, Kelsang Dekyong and Samden Gyatso
Samden Gyatso
Samden Gyatso was the Deputy Spiritual Director of the New Kadampa Tradition and Resident Teacher of Manjushri KMC, the Mother Center of Kadampa Buddhism, from 1995 through 2006. He replaced the previous deputy Director, Thubten Gyatso .During his tenure, Gen-la Samden Gyatso taught in Europe,...
. After about a year, the former two resigned as Gen-las and were re-appointed as Resident Teachers. Samden Gyatso became the Deputy Spiritual Director and successor to Geshe Kelsang while Kelsang Dekyong was appointed as the US National Spiritual Director. From this time onwards, the Deputy Spiritual Director also held the appointment of Resident Teacher at Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Centre.
In February 2007 Samden Gyatso resigned as Deputy Spiritual Director. Kelsang Khyenrab was appointed as Deputy Spiritual Director and became the General Spiritual Director when Geshe Kelsang retired in Summer 2009.
In August 2001, Geshe Kelsang established a system of democratic succession for the General Spiritual Director of the NKT- IKBU. The Internal Rules state:
In 2008, Gen-la Khyenrab became Acting General Spiritual Director, under Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's supervision, and assumed the post of General Spiritual Director in August 2009 for a four-year term. Gen-la Dekyong, the National Spiritual Director of the United States of America, has in turn assumed the post of Deputy Spiritual Director, while retaining her post as US National Spiritual Director in accordance with the Internal Rules.. Gen-la Khyenrab retired as the General Spiritual Director due to ill health in April 2010 and, in accordance with the Internal Rules, Gen-la Dekyong was appointed as General Spiritual Director. Her position as Deputy Spiritual Director was taken by Gen-la Kunsang.
Other teachers
Alongside Geshe Kelsang, who as founder and former spiritual director was the main teacher of the NKT-IKBU and his successors, all teachings (i.e. the three study programs) are held by Western students; lay persons and ordained alike. Qualification as an NKT-IKBU Dharma teacher is generally achieved by attending the NKT-IKBU's own Teacher Training Program, which Geshe Kelsang regards as "a western equivalent to the traditional Tibetan GesheGeshe
Geshe is a Tibetan Buddhist academic degree for monks...
degree."
Cozort has noted that "Several of the most prominent Tibetan teachers have long recognized themselves the need to train Westerners as Dharma teachers." Geshe Kelsang explained the importance of Western Dharma teachers to the flourishing of Dharma in the world, saying that one fully qualified teacher is worth a thousand enlightened students. He expounded on the qualifications of NKT-IKBU teachers in 1990:
Buddhadharma is beneficial to others only if there are qualified Teachers. Without Teachers, Dharma texts alone are of little benefit. To become a qualified Dharma Teacher requires special preparation and training. It is not easy to become a Dharma Teacher because special qualities are needed: wisdom, correct view, faith, conviction, and pure conduct as an example to others. Also a Teacher needs an inexhaustible reservoir of Dharma knowledge and experience to teach from, otherwise he or she will dry up after one or two years.
Regarding the qualifications of NKT-IKBU teachers, Kay observed that "Whilst personal experience of the teachings is considered important, the dominant view within the NKT is that the main qualification of a teacher is their purity of faith and discipleship."
According to Robert Bluck, "Most teachers are appointed to centres by Geshe Kelsang before they have completed the Teaching Training Programme and continue studying by correspondence, with an intensive study programme at Manjushri each summer." Daniel Cozort explained that this is "rather like graduate students who teach undergraduate courses while pursuing their own Ph.D.'s."
"Kay found that lay people were almost as likely as monastics to be given teaching and leadership roles; and he sees this as an important Western adaptation of Gelug Buddhism, again because this includes tantric practices which Tsongkhapa restricted to those with 'a solid grounding of academic study and celibate monastic discipline'."
Geshe Kelsang has said that monks, nuns, lay men and lay women can all become Spiritual Guides if they have the necessary experience, qualities and training. All NKT-IKBU teachers, lay and ordained, study on the same study and retreat programmes. The Internal Rules specify the criteria for completing the programme:
In addition to the TTP commitment, all Resident Teachers have to attend International Teacher Training Program each year, taught in repeated rotation according to a sixteen-year study scheme.
Ordained and lay Resident Teachers who have taught successfully for four years are given the titles 'Gen' and 'Kadam', respectively.
Internal Rules
The legal document A Moral Discipline Guide: The Internal Rules of The New Kadampa Tradition – International Kadampa Buddhist Union explains that the NKT-IKBU
is defined as the union of Kadampa Buddhist Centres, the international association of study and meditation centres that follow the pure tradition of Mahayana Buddhism derived from the Buddhist meditators and scholars Atisha and Je Tsongkhapa, introduced into the West by the Buddhist teacher Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, the Founder of the New Kadampa Tradition – International Kadampa Buddhist Union; and that follow the three New Kadampa Tradition Study Programmes; and that are guided by the code of moral discipline called The Internal Rules of the New Kadampa Tradition – International Kadampa Buddhist Union set out in this document.
The New Kadampa Truth website explains: "Its Internal Rules – containing numerous checks and balances on the behavior, election and dismissal of the administrators, teachers, and spiritual directors – also guard against any extreme behavior and are legally binding." An NBO member describes them:
Such guidelines are essential for maintaining the integrity of any organisation (and are also to be found in great detail in the VinayaVinayaThe Vinaya is the regulatory framework for the Buddhist monastic community, or sangha, based in the canonical texts called Vinaya Pitaka. The teachings of the Buddha, or Buddhadharma can be divided into two broad categories: 'Dharma' or doctrine, and 'Vinaya', or discipline...
). Reading the booklet later in my room I found that it outlined processes for dealing with possible misdeeds of senior members who may, for example, have misappropriated funds, broke their vows, left the NKT tradition, or disseminated non-NKT teachings.
Growth
The NKT-IKBU currently lists more than 200 centres and around 900 branch classes/study groups in 40 countries, with an estimated 8,000 members. The centres are independent charitable corporations, and the groups are branches off an established center which meet weekly in places such as churches and community centres.Ken Jones, a Zen Buddhist and founder of the UK Network of Engaged Buddhists, says that the NKT-IKBU provides "sound and well advertised introductions to Buddhism for many who would not otherwise have such ready access."On this basis, Jones contrasts the NKT-IKBU's resultant growth with other traditional Buddhist groups in the UK. The latter's modest publicity tend to make for more introverted, self-contained groups of practitioners. Newcomers must make a "persistent effort" to find them, and there is often a high fallout rate.
In comparison, Waterhouse says the NKT-IKBU "is very good at marketing its product", with Centers and branches producing leaflets that advertise local NKT-IKBU groups in their respective towns, a level of publicity that according to Jones is comparatively more "forceful and extroverted" with regard to other Buddhist groups, and has helped the NKT-IKBU to achieve "a phenomenal increase in membership and centres." Another attraction is the high level of activity at an NKT-IKBU Dharma center, where it is often possible to be taking part at the center every day of the week, in contrast to other groups "which meet on a weekly basis but provide little other support or activity."
Bluck attributes NKT-IKBU's rapid growth to "a wish to share the Dharma rather than ‘conversion and empire-building’." Kay says that the NKT-IKBU is sensitive to criticism on the subject of expansion and cites Geshe Kelsang's response to any criticisms about its outreach efforts, stating that "every organization 'tries to attract more people with appropriate publicity.'" With respect to the underlying intentions of those efforts Geshe Kelsang states:
Our intention in teaching Dharma is not just to spread Buddhism. We are trying to help the people of this world by giving them special methods to solve their daily problems and to achieve the permanent happiness of liberation. In itself, the flourishing of Buddhadharma is not important unless it benefits others. This is the main purpose of Buddhism.
New Dharma centers are expected to be self-supporting, as neither Geshe Kelsang nor the NKT-IKBU owns the centers.
Kadampa Meditation Centers
A Kadampa Meditation Centre (KMC) is a Kadampa DharmaDharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
Center that serves the local, national, and international communities. A KMC is generally more centrally organized than regular Kadampa Buddhist Centers. Besides having a program of courses for the local community, KMCs host major gatherings such as Dharma Celebrations, National Festivals, and International Festivals. They are also home to the International Kadampa Temples. KMCs are non-profit organizations and all their annual profits are donated to the International Temples Project. There are currently 18 KMCs around the world, with several in the US.
Temples for World Peace, World Peace Cafés, and Hotel Kadampas
The NKT-IKBU has established a Kadampa Buddhist TempleKadampa Buddhist Temple
The Kadampa World Peace Temple is located at Conishead Priory on the outskirts of Ulverston, Cumbria, England. It was consecrated in July 1997 and functions as the main meditation hall at Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Centre...
in the United Kingdom, as well as in Canada, the United States, and Spain; recently opened a Temple in Brazil, with plans to build one in Germany too. The NKT-IKBU states in its publicity that:
The International Temples Project was established by Venerable Geshe Kelsang in the early nineties. The vision is to build a Kadampa Temple for World Peace in every major city in the world. The project is funded entirely by voluntary donations and revenue from International Buddhist Festivals.
"World Peace Cafés" have opened at some NKT Centers, starting in Ulverston, UK and now in other countries e.g. Atlanta, Georgia.
In 2005 the NKT-IKBU opened their first "World Peace Hotel", called "Hotel Kadampa": a no-smoking, alcohol-free hotel in Southern Spain. (A second Hotel Kadampa opened in Montecatini in Tuscany, Italy, but has since closed). The hotel "functions as a normal hotel but with the benefit of a shrine room and meditation teaching. The absence of alcohol and loud entertainment attracts those who appreciated a quiet and peaceful atmosphere."
International Retreat Centers
International Retreat Centers (IRCs) are centers that offer facilities for those wishing to do both long-term and short-term meditation retreats. Tharpaland International Retreat Centre was founded by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso in 1985, when he began a three-year retreat there, and has since hosted thousands of people. Kailash International Retreat Center was founded in Switzerland in 2007.Separation from contemporary Tibetan Buddhism
The NKT-IKBU is one of the largest Buddhist movements in the UK, which describes itself as "a new organization making an ancient tradition accessible to all", by combining Tibetan tradition with western adaptation. OxfordUniversity of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
professor Peter Clarke sees a paradox here, and has characterised the NKT-IKBU as a "controversial Tibetan Buddhist New Religious Movement
New religious movement
A new religious movement is a religious community or ethical, spiritual, or philosophical group of modern origin, which has a peripheral place within the dominant religious culture. NRMs may be novel in origin or they may be part of a wider religion, such as Christianity, Hinduism or Buddhism, in...
," not because of any moral failings but because of the NKT-IKBU's separation from contemporary Tibetan Buddhism. Madeleine Bunting writes:
The NKT is a fascinating, entirely new chapter in the history of Eastern spirituality in the West. There are no salacious sex scandals here, nor any suggestion of material corruption – there are no fleets of Bhagwan-style Rolls Royces. The spiritual naivety of Westerners has not been exploited for spiritual or material gain, but they have become foot soldiers in a Tibetan feud.
New Kadampa Tradition and Gelugpa Tradition
According to the NKT-IKBU, it is Tibetan in its antecedents and follows the teachings of the historic, "Old" KadampaKadampa
The Kadampa tradition was a Tibetan Mahayana Buddhist school. Dromtönpa, a Tibetan lay master and the foremost disciple of the great Indian Buddhist Master Atisha , founded it and passed three lineages to his disciples. The Kadampa were quite famous and respected for their proper and earnest...
and the "New Kadam" Tradition of Je Tsongkhapa
Je Tsongkhapa
Tsongkhapa , whose name means “The Man from Onion Valley”, was a famous teacher of Tibetan Buddhism whose activities led to the formation of the Geluk school...
, the latter of which became the Gelug
Gelug
The Gelug or Gelug-pa , also known as the Yellow Hat sect, is a school of Buddhism founded by Je Tsongkhapa , a philosopher and Tibetan religious leader...
school of Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
.
Critics on the other hand characterize the NKT-IKBU as "a breakaway movement and argue that the New Kadampa Tradition, as it is known today, is not part of the ancient Kadampa Tradition but a split from the [contemporary] Gelug school."
The founder of the Gelug
Gelug
The Gelug or Gelug-pa , also known as the Yellow Hat sect, is a school of Buddhism founded by Je Tsongkhapa , a philosopher and Tibetan religious leader...
school, Je Tsongkhapa
Je Tsongkhapa
Tsongkhapa , whose name means “The Man from Onion Valley”, was a famous teacher of Tibetan Buddhism whose activities led to the formation of the Geluk school...
, and his disciples were popularly known as the "new school of Kadam." Je Tsongkhapa himself referred to his monastic order as "the New Kadam" (Tib. Kadam Sarpa). The term Gelug came into use only after his death. Je Tsongkhapa's apparent eclecticism
Eclecticism
Eclecticism is a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas to gain complementary insights into a subject, or applies different theories in particular cases.It can sometimes seem inelegant or...
was actually "an attempt to determine which teachings and practices should be considered normative." In creating a new synthesis of Buddhist doctrine, ethics and practice, Je Tsongkhapa endeavored "to rid Tibetan [Buddhism] of its pre-Buddhist shamanic elements," and the NKT-IKBU sees itself as continuing to keep Tsongkhapa's unique form of Buddhism free of non-Buddhist teachings and practices. In this regard, Kelsang Gyatso explains:
It is the tradition of both Atisha and Je Tsongkhapa to base all their teachings on the word of Buddha and never to teach anything that contradicts Buddha's teachings. According to these two great Teachers, unless an instruction is referred to in either the Sutras or the Tantras it cannot be regarded as an authentic Buddhist teaching, even if it is a so-called 'termaTerma (Buddhism)Terma are key Tibetan Buddhist and Bön teachings, which the tradition holds were originally esoterically hidden by various adepts such as Padmasambhava and his consorts in the 8th century for future discovery at auspicious times by other adepts, known as tertöns. As such, they represent a...
', or 'hidden treasure text'. Whenever they gave teachings or composed texts, both Atisha and Je Tsongkhapa quoted liberally from both the Sutras and the Tantras. In this way they showed their great respect for Buddha's original teachings and emphasized the importance of being able to trace instructions back to them.
In short, Waterhouse says that "the early Gelugpa legacy is one which the NKT wishes to emulate" and that the name of the organization itself makes a statement about its "perceived roots within the 'pure' transmission of [Atisha's] Indian Buddhism into Tibet." According to Lopez, "For Kelsang Gyatso
Kelsang Gyatso
Kelsang Gyatso is a Buddhist monk, "meditation master, scholar, and author" of 22 books based on the teachings of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism...
to call his group the New Kadampa Tradition, therefore, is ideologically charged, implying as it does that he and his followers represent the tradition of the founder, Tsong kha pa
Je Tsongkhapa
Tsongkhapa , whose name means “The Man from Onion Valley”, was a famous teacher of Tibetan Buddhism whose activities led to the formation of the Geluk school...
, more authentically than the Geluk
Gelug
The Gelug or Gelug-pa , also known as the Yellow Hat sect, is a school of Buddhism founded by Je Tsongkhapa , a philosopher and Tibetan religious leader...
establishment and the Dalai Lama
14th Dalai Lama
The 14th Dalai Lama is the 14th and current Dalai Lama. Dalai Lamas are the most influential figures in the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, although the 14th has consolidated control over the other lineages in recent years...
himself." Kay comments:
In defining the movement in this way, the organisation is not simply maintaining that it represents Buddhism adapted for westerners; it is also striving to underline its separation from the Tibetan Gelug sect and emphasise the point that the West – via the NKT – is now the guardian and custodian of the pure tradition of Tsongkhapa in the modern world. From an NKT viewpoint, Geshe Kelsang has played a unique role in the transmission of Tsongkhapa's pure teachings, and the organisation and study structures he has created in the West are now believed to protect and preserve a tradition that is all but lost in its indigenous Eastern context.
Geshe Kelsang uses the terms New Kadampa and Gelugpa synonymously, in accordance with his lineage gurus as well as the current Dalai Lama, who explained: "So we call the teachings of both Atisha and Je Tsongkhapa the Kadampa tradition, and then slowly this becomes the New Kadampa and then finally it is known as the Gelugpa." Geshe Kelsang refers to NKT-IKBU practitioners as Gelugpas, defining Gelug as:
The tradition established by Je Tsongkhapa. The name 'Gelug' means 'Virtuous Tradition'. A Gelugpa is a practitioner who follows this tradition. The Gelugpas are sometimes referred to as the 'new Kadampas'.
When asked about the relationship between the NKT-IKBU and the Gelug tradition, Geshe Kelsang again self-identified as a Gelugpa:
The closing prayers of all NKT-IKBU spiritual practices include two dedication prayers for the flourishing of the 'Virtuous Tradition' (i.e., the Gelugpas), these being "recited every day after teachings and pujas at all Gelugpa monasteries and Dharma Centres."
Of the words, "New Kadampa Tradition", James Belither (NKT Secretary for 20 years) states that the "word 'New' is used not to imply that it is newly created, but that it is a fresh presentation of Buddhadharma
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
in a form and manner that is appropriate to the needs and conditions of the modern world."
Kadampa Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism
According to Waterhouse, Geshe Kelsang GyatsoKelsang Gyatso
Kelsang Gyatso is a Buddhist monk, "meditation master, scholar, and author" of 22 books based on the teachings of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism...
"has broken away from the school's representatives in India and Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
." Cozort confirms that the NKT-IKBU "is not subordinate to Tibetan authorities other than Geshe Gyatso himself." James Belither explained that the NKT-IKBU "does not accept the Dalai Lama's authority 'simply because there is no political or ecclesiastical reason for doing so.'"
Instead of presenting itself as a Tibetan tradition, James Belither has said that the NKT-IKBU is "a Mahayana Buddhist tradition with historical connections with Tibet", saying it wishes "to present Dharma
Dharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
in a way appropriate to their own culture and society without the need to adopt Tibetan culture
Tibetan culture
Tibetan culture developed under the influence of a number of factors. Contact with neighboring countries and cultures- including Nepal, India and China - have influenced the development of Tibetan culture, but the Himalayan region's remoteness and inaccessibility have preserved distinctive local...
and customs." Bluck sees an "an apparent contradiction between claiming a pure Tibetan lineage and complete separation from contemporary Tibetan religion, culture and politics." The NKT-IKBU disagrees that there is a contradiction, saying "It is possible to be a follower of Je Tsongkhapa's lineage but not a Tibetan Buddhist, just as a child of Russian immigrants to America may consider themselves American but not Russian."
Despite the NKT-IKBU's separation from contemporary Tibetan Buddhism, the commitments undertaken by its members also include maintaining "a deep respect" for all Dharma teachings and other Buddhist traditions. When asked about sectarianism between the Gelugpas and other schools of Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
, Geshe Kelsang replied:
Dorje Shugden controversy
Alongside the Guru yoga of Je TsongkhapaJe Tsongkhapa
Tsongkhapa , whose name means “The Man from Onion Valley”, was a famous teacher of Tibetan Buddhism whose activities led to the formation of the Geluk school...
, one of the NKT-IKBU's two "essential practices" is of the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden
Dorje Shugden
Dorje Shugden , "Vajra Possessing Strength", or Dolgyal Shugden , "Shugden, King of Dhol" is a deity in Tibetan Buddhism, especially its Gelug school, who is regarded as a Dharma Protector or "guardian angel." The practice of Dharma Protectors is central to most religious Tibetans and...
, as taught by Geshe Kelsang's and the Dalai Lama's root Guru, Trijang Rinpoche
Trijang Rinpoche
Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche was a Gelug Lama and a direct disciple of Je Pabongka. He was the junior tutor and spiritual guide of the 14th Dalai Lama for forty years. He is also the root lama of many Gelug Lamas who teach in the West including Zong Rinpoche, Geshe Rabten, Lama Yeshe, Lama Gangchen...
. For NKT-IKBU practitioners, "Shugden is, like Tsongkhapa, an emanation of Manjushri, and equal in status." It is no wonder, then, that controversy arose due to the Dalai Lama's "suppression" of the Dorje Shugden practice within the Tibetan exile community. Acting from of a sense of "spiritual solidarity" for Dorje Shugden practitioners in India, hundreds of members of the NKT-IKBU joined in the Western Shugden Society
Western Shugden Society
The Western Shugden Society is a campaigning group established in 2008 to protest against the 14th Dalai Lama's ban of the practice of Dorje Shugden within the Tibetan exile community....
in publicly demonstrating against the Dalai Lama's "explicit ban" which resulted in Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's expulsion from his alma mater, Sera Je monastery. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso considered the "political" ban to be "unwarranted meddling in a legitimate spiritual practice," with many of his students regarding the Dalai Lama's "accusations against Dorje Shugden practice absurd" and continuing with it unabated.
In the British press, the NKT-IKBU was widely criticized for engaging in the controversy and picketing the Dalai Lama. In response, Robert Bluck said, "Again a balanced approach is needed here: the practitioner's confident belief may appear as dogmatism to an unsympathetic observer."
Official websites
- NKT-IKBU official website
- Tharpa Publications – Publisher of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso's books
- New Kadampa Truth: Replying to the smear campaign against the NKT by New Kadampa Truth
Media reviews of the NKT centres and retreats
- Derbyshire: Settings for an Inner Journey by Susan Marling, Daily Telegraph, 26 October 2002
- The Peace Dividend by Fiachra Gibbons, The Guardian, 20 October 2001
Critical views of the NKT-IKBU
- Many Bodies, One Mind: Movements in British Buddhism by Ken Jones, New Ch'an Forum, 20 July 1997
- Battle of the Buddhists by Andrew Brown, The Independent, London, 15 July 1996