Geshe

Geshe (Tib. ) is the name of a Buddhist scholar's degree in Tibetan Buddhism ( Lamaism ).

A Geshe has studied the knowledge of Buddhism and is a specialist in logic texts, rituals, and correct processes; Geshes are the guardians of Buddhist knowledge.

The Geshe degree ends with one of four Geshe degrees, ( Dorampa, Lingtse, Tsorampa and Lharampa ), the highest is the Geshe Lharampa. The training for this highest degree takes about 20 years and after a series abzulegender annual exam, which should represent among other things, the ability of the candidate to the dialectical debate on all aspects of Buddhist theology and philosophy prove awarded. To this end, traditional six departments of study through:

• The teachings of Transcendental Wisdom Prajnaparamita
• The teachings of the Middle Way Madhyamika
• The Buddhist logic Pramana
• The teachings of the Vinaya discipline
• The teachings of the higher knowledge Abhidharma

If you visit a Tantric College, you can earn the title of Geshe Ngagrampa.

The training for Buddhist scholars ( Geshe ) takes place in Tibetan monastic universities. The best known are the huge monastic universities of Sera Je and Sera Me, Ganden, Drepung (all near Lhasa ) and Tashilhunpo, which are all under the aegis of the Gelug School, but attended by talented monks of all schools. These large monasteries are a kind of elite universities that form the scholars of all the monasteries.

Since the Chinese occupation originated in South India the same monastic universities, which today form the foundation of Buddhist learning and are visited by thousands of monks. After studying reverse most of these monks back to their home monasteries, where they are henceforth scholars for the monks in Tibet.

The Geshe degree in Sakya tradition developed in accordance with the Ka -shi - or Ka -chu- degree of the Sakya school, which (later Rato ) was acquired in the Sakya monasteries in Samphu, Kyormolung and Dewachen. In the Kagyu school is called the trained scholars Khempo, a term which in turn referred to the Gelug school an abbot.

A Geshe is a scholar, not a spiritual master (Lama ). A llama has spiritual experience (or insight) with which he or she promotes the spiritual development of pupils. For the term Lama speaking there are no official title assignments, although monastic universities monks with special qualities, regardless of their education (ie Geshe or not) to appoint llamas (Lama - Tongo ). Also Lamas and Rinpoche ( Tulku, born-again champion) often undergo the traditional training to Geshe (for example, the 14th Dalai Lama is also a Geshe Lharampa ), but this plays no special role for the position which they occupy as Lama. Due to the ban on religion during the Cultural Revolution can be found for example in Tibet tulkus who are highly revered as llamas, however they have not received training ( in this life ).