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 (particularly in Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Dharamsala, Lahaul and Spiti in Himachal Pradesh, and Sikkim). It is also practiced in Mongolia and parts of Russia (Kalmykia, Buryatia, and Tuva) and Northeast China. Tibetan Buddhism includes the teachings of the three vehicles of Buddhism: the Foundational Vehicle, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. In the wake of the 1959 Tibetan uprising, a Tibetan diaspora has made Tibetan Buddhism more widely accessible to the rest

of the world. Tibetan Buddhism has since spread to many Western countries, where the tradition has gained popularity.It was declared the state religion of Tibet a mere 100 years after its introduction to the region in the 7th Century AD. Although it experienced some problems it was firmly established as the dominant religion by the end of the 10th Century.Tibetan Buddhism, commonly referred to as Lamaism, is mainly practiced in areas inhabited by Tibetans and Mongolians. During the 13th Century AD Lamaism intertwined with the political powers to create a form of theocratic government.Tibetan Buddhism is characterized by

its theocratic nature, devout believers and the belief in the system of reincarnation that produces the principle of the Living Buddha. Its artistic heritage has borrowed from all areas of Buddhism in Asia, but has been dominated by Indian Buddhist art since the 14th Century. Today, Tibetan Buddhism is adhered to widely in the Tibetan Plateau, Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia, Kalmykia (on the north-west shore of the Caspian), Siberia (central Russia, specifically Buryatia and Chita Oblast), and the Russian Far East .