World's Apart: A Look into Tibetan Buddhism

By Kirsten Graffeo and Elise Sexton

• 6% of the world practices Buddhism
• There are about 360 million practitioners of Buddhism
• China, Thailand, and Vietnam are the three countries with the highest Buddhist population in the world
• Tibetan Buddhism makes up 6% of the entire Buddhist community
• 56% of Buddhists are followers of the Mahayana branch
• Today’s Tibetan region is now half the size it used to be
• Source: 2007 report from Buddhist Tourism, a New Delhi agency

Once the center of Tibetan Buddhism, southwestern China’s Tibetan region is now the center of worldwide controversy. Its inhabitants claim that the region is autonomous of China and they prefer to adhere to their own practice of the religion.

Despite the current controversy, Buddhism has deep roots in the area, going as far back as 173 A.D. Buddhism is divided into four different schools of thought, each based on different teachings, but they encourage community between all, according to ReligionFacts.com, an unaffiliated online encyclopedia of religion information.

The youngest and largest school is the School of the Virtuous, or the Yellow Hats, of which the Dalai Lama is a follower and leader.

Every school teaches the four basic truths, says Elizabeth Wilson, professor of comparative religion at Miami University of Ohio.

• The first two truths teach that life is suffering or bitter, and that the cause of this unhappiness is people trying to hold onto things that are not permanent.
• The last two truths explain that life does not have to be dissatisfying because nirvana can be reached through a path of meditation and morality.

Adherents of the religion desire to reach nirvana, a final state of bliss and contentment in which there is no longer a need for reincarnation, Wilson says.
Followers can reach this state through meditation, worship, chants, and the performance of rituals.

Sonam Tsomo (pictured at right with her mother) is a sophomore at Miami University and the only Tibetan student on campus. She says Buddhism is, to her, more open for personal interpretation than many Abrahamic religions are.

“In Christianity, the Bible tells you what is right and what is wrong, but in Buddhism, you have to think more on your own,” describes Tsomo.

Tsomo also says that the Buddha himself told his followers not to take his word, that he had merely given them a path and it was up to them to take it or not.

Buddhists do not attend a weekly church ceremony, Tsomo says, but she has a prayer book that she recites from every day. She also keeps a small altar in her room to which she makes water offerings every morning and evening.

She explains that the offering of water is symbolic of equality because it’s a universally available offering element, regardless of social status.

Sonam Tsomo is the first Tibetan student to attend Miami University under the exchange program set up in 2008 between Miami and the Institute of Buddhist Dialects in Dharamsala, India. Learn more about her.

Tibetan Buddhism is a combination of Mahayana Buddhism, Tantrism, and other local religions focused on the idea of God and the universe as identical, ReligionFacts.com reports.

Buddhists have rejected the caste system, according to the Religious Studies Program at the University of Wyoming. Its monks have dedicated their lives to religious pursuits as well as the good of others. They take a vow of poverty and beg for food from lay people, who oblige in exchange for good karma and religious services.

Similar to traditional Buddhism, Tibetans believe in nonviolence and practice good deeds while aspiring to have peaceful thoughts.

Tibetan Buddhism is known as an accelerated path to nirvana, Wilson says. It plays a daily role in the lives of its believers, she says.

“Even if they’re not very religious, many followers are worried about the consequences of their actions,” Wilson says.

Everyone is invested in the idea of karma - whether avoiding bad karma or wanting to behave in a way which will ensure positive consequences, she adds.

Although Christianity and Buddhism seem to be polar opposites, both have similar methods of worship such as the use of incense, prayer, and the ringing of bells, according to a 2007 report by Buddhist Tourism, an agency based in New Delhi, India.

The original Buddhist doctrine did not entail any godly figures, although later texts introduced several gods. The Abrahamic religions of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, however, have always believed in one God.

The idea of reincarnation is perhaps what sets Buddhism apart from these other religions the most, according to Wilson. Buddhists have many chances to reach eternal life, while Christianity, Islam, and Judaism emphasize a single lifetime to reach the afterlife.


Kirsten Graffeo is a sophomore strategic communication major. Elise Sexton is a junior pre-strategic communication major,  political science minor.