Mahayana Buddhism is the state religion of Bhutan, and Buddhists comprise 98% of its population. Although originating in Tibetan Buddhism, the Buddhism practiced in Bhutan differs significantly in its rituals, liturgy, and monastic organization. The state religion has long been supported financially by the government through annual subsidies to monasteries, shrines, monks, and nuns. In the modern era, support of the state religion during the reign of Jigme Dorji Wangchuck includes the manufacture of 10,000 gilded bronze images of the Buddha, publication of elegant calligraphied editions of the 108-volume Kangyur (Collection of the Words of the Buddha) and the 225-volume Tengyur (Collection of Commentaries), and the construction of numerous chorten (stupas) throughout the country. Guaranteed representation in the National Assembly and the Royal Advisory Council, Buddhists constitute the majority of society and are assured an influential voice in public policy. Two Fourth Buddhist Councils were held. ... Blue-eyed Central Asian and East-Asian Buddhist monks, Bezaklik, Eastern Tarim Basin, 9th-10th century. ... A statue depicting Nagarjuna at the Samye Ling Monastery, Dumfriesshire, Scotland Nāgārjuna (నాగార్జున in Telugu, 龍樹 in Chinese) (c. ... Asanga (also called Aryasanga), born around 300 C.E., was a great exponent of the Yogacara. ... Vasubandhu (Sanskrit. ... Bodhidharma (early 6th century CE) was the Buddhist monk traditionally credited as founder of Zen. ... Relief image of the bodhisattva Kuan Yin from Mt. ... A silhouette of a Buddha statue at Ayutthaya, Thailand. ... Nations with state religions:  Buddhism  Islam  Shia Islam  Sunni Islam  Orthodox Christianity  Protestantism  Roman Catholic Church A state religion (also called an official religion, established church or state church) is a religious body or creed officially endorsed by the state. ... This article is about historical/cultural Tibet. ... A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value, which is prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. ... A liturgy is the customary public worship of a religious group, according to their particular traditions. ... Monastery of St. ... Buddhist monastery near Tibet A monastery is the habitation of monks. ... Eastern Orthodox shrine Buddhist shrine just outside Wat Phnom. ... A Roman Catholic monk A monk is a person who practices monasticism, adopting a strict religious and ascetic lifestyle, usually in community with others following the same path. ... In general, a nun is a female ascetic who chooses to voluntarily leave the world and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Media:Example. ... The Kangyur are a collection of Sanskrit classics that date back to the times of Buddha. ... The Tengyur (Wylie: Bstan-gyur is the Tibetan collection of commentaries to the Buddhist teachings, or Translated Treatises. The Bejing version covers 3626 texts in 224 volumes, but numbers vary depending on the version. ... The Great Stupa at Sanchi. ...

Organizations

In 1989 some 1,000 monks (lam, or gelong, novices) belonged to the Central Monastic Body in Thimphu and Punakha, and some 4,000 monks belonged to district monastic bodies. The hierarchy was headed by the Je Khenpo, who was assisted by four lonpon or masters, each in charge of religious tradition, liturgy, lexicography, or logic. The lonpon, one of whom, the Dorji Lonpon, normally succeeded the current Je Khenpo, had under them religious administrators and junior monastic officials in charge of art, music, and other areas. Gelugpa monks were celibate, but Nyingmapa's consist of not only monks but also householders, allowing them to marry, raise families, and work in secular occupations while performing liturgical functions in temples and homes. In all, there were some 12,000 monks in Bhutan in the late 1980s. There were also active congregations of nuns, but no figures were readily available. The majority of Bhutan's Buddhists are adherents of the Drukpa subsect of the Kargyupa (literally, oral transmission) school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. St. ... View of Tashichoedzong, Thimphu Thimphu from Sangey Gang Thimphu (Tibetan script: ཐིམ་ཕུ་) is the capital of Bhutan, and also the name of the surrounding valley and dzongkhag, the Thimphu District. ... Punakha is a dzong in Punakha District, Bhutan. ... The Je Khenpo (Tibetan: རྗེ་མཁན་པོ།; Wylie: Rje Mkhan-po), formerly called the Dharma Raj by orientalists, is the title given to the highest religious official of Bhutan. ... The Drukpa is a major sect within the Kagyupa school of Tibetan Buddhism. ... The Kagyu (Tibetan: བཀའ་བརྒྱུད་; Wylie: Bka-brgyud) school, also known as the Oral Lineage and the Spotless Practice Lineage school, is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the other three being Nyingma (Rnying-ma), Sakya (Sa-skya), and Gelug (Dge-lugs). ... Tibetan Buddhism is the body of religious Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet, the Himalayan region (including northern Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and Ladakh), Mongolia, Buryatia, Tuva and Kalmykia (Russia), and northeastern China (Manchuria: Heilongjiang, Jilin). ...

Since July 2002, Menjong Chöthün Tshogpa, currently a nationwide non-profit organization in Bhutan, has been formed by the Supreme Dharma King or His Holiness of Bhutan mainly to preserve the indigenous Buddha's Teachings as their age-old culture and tradition. Subsequently His Eminence Trizin Tsering Rimpoche has been enthroned as the chairman by His Holiness Truku Jigme Chödrag Rinpoche 70th Kyabje Dorjechang (Supreme Dharma King) of Bhutan himself since June 2003.

Later in 2004, His Eminence Trizin Tsering Rimpoche founded the Buddha Dordenma Image Foundation, under the patron of His Holiness of Bhutan, with an aim to fulfill a former prophecy in a terma of Guru Padmasambhava to bestow blessings on world peace and glorious happiness through the currently running Buddha Dordenma Project. Termas are key Tibetan Buddhist teachings, many of which were hidden by Guru Padmasambhava around the Tibetan region for future discovery at auspicious times. ... Guru Rinpoche - Padmasambhava statue - near Kullu, India Padmasambhava (also Padmakara or Padma Raja) (Ch: 蓮華生上師, Pinyin: Lian Hua Sheng Shang Shi; Tib: Pema Jungne, Wylie: padma byung gnas), in Sanskrit meaning lotus-born, is said to have brought Tantric Buddhism to Tibet in the 8th century. ... The Buddha Dordenma statue is a large bronze statue of the Buddha being constructed on the mountainside above Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. ...

The Shabdrung

Prior to 1907, the highest Buddhist leader in Bhutan was the Shabdrung, a tulku who is seen as the reincarnation of Bhutan's founder. The Shabdrung also had a degree of political influence. In 1907 a monarchy was established which eliminated the Shabdrung's political role. The royal family suffered from questions of legitimacy in its early years, with the various reincarnations of the Shabdrung posing a threat. In 1931 when the 6th Shabdrung, Jigme Dorji, made an appeal to Mahatma Gandhi to oust the monarchy, the Shabdrung was assassinated by royalist forces. Since 1962, the Shabdrung has lived in India. Year 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The Shabdrung (also Zhabdrung) is the most important tulku lineage in Bhutan, equivalent in many ways to the Dalai Lama lineage of Tibet. ... In Tibetan Buddhism, a tulku is the reincarnation of a lama or other spiritually significant figure. ... Year 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Gujarati: , Hindi: , IAST: mohandās karamcand gāndhī, IPA: ) (October 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948), was a major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian independence movement. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In early 2007, reports alleged that the current Shabdrung, who is a small child, has been held under house arrest in Bhutan along with his parents since 2005.[1] Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Monasteries

Monasteries and convents are common in Bhutan. Both monks and nuns keep their heads shaved and wear distinguishing maroon robes. Their days are spent in study and meditation but also in the performance of rituals honoring various bodhisattvas, praying for the dead, and seeking the intercession of bodhisattvas on behalf of the ill. Some of their prayers involved chants and singing accompanied by conch shell trumpets, trumpets made from human thighbones, metal horns up to three meters long, large standing drums and cymbals, hand bells, temple bells, gongs, and wooden sticks. Such monastic music and singing, not normally heard by the general public, has been reported to have "great virility" and to be more melodious than its Tibetan monotone counterparts. Buddhist monastery near Tibet A monastery is the habitation of monks. ... This article is about an abbey as a religious building. ... Prince Siddhartha Gautama as a bodhisattva, before becoming a Buddha. ... A Buddhist chant is a form of musical verse or incantation, in some ways analogous to Hindu or Christian religious recitations. ... A conch shell A Conch is a sea creature, a marine gastropod. ...

Buildings and objects

To bring Buddhism to the people, numerous symbols and structures are employed. Religious monuments, prayer walls, prayer flags, and sacred mantras carved in stone hillsides are prevalent. Among the religious monuments are chorten, the Bhutanese version of the Indian stupa. They range from simple rectangular "house" chorten to complex edifices with ornate steps, doors, domes, and spires. Some are decorated with the Buddha's eyes that see in all directions simultaneously. These earth, brick, or stone structures commemorate deceased kings, Buddhist saints, venerable monks, and other notables, and sometimes they serve as reliquaries. Prayer walls are made of laid or piled stone and inscribed with Tantric prayers. Prayers printed with woodblocks on cloth are made into tall, narrow, colorful prayer flags, which are then mounted on long poles and placed both at holy sites and at dangerous locations to ward off demons and to benefit the spirits of the dead. To help propagate the faith, itinerant monks travel from village to village carrying portable shrines with many small doors, which open to reveal statues and images of the Buddha, bodhisattavas, and notable lamas. The Taj Mahal, commissioned by the Muslim Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, as a mausoleum for his wife, Arjumand Banu Begum. ... Prayer Flags are typically related to Tibet and linked to Tibetan Buddhism, but their origin lies in the Tibetan pre-Buddhist tradition of Bön, just as the the so-called Wind Horse which is often found on them. ... In Tibet, many Buddhists carve mantras into rocks as a form of devotion. ... Categories: Buildings and structures stubs | Buildings and structures ... Media:Example. ... The shrine of Saint Hildegard of Bingen in the parish church of Eibingen in Germany A reliquary (also referred to as a shrine, chasse or monstrance) is a container for holy relics. ... Lama (Tibetan: བླ་མ་; Wylie: bla-ma) is a title for a Tibetan religious teacher. ...

Bön in Bhutan

Before the introduction of Buddhism, Bön religion was prevalent in Bhutan. Imported from Tibet and India, perhaps in the eighth century, Bön doctrine became so strongly reinvigorated by Buddhism that by the eleventh century it reasserted itself as an independent school apart from Buddhism. Bön continues to be practiced in modern Bhutan. Before the introduction of Buddhism in Bhutan, Bön religion was prevalent in Bhutan. ... Bön[1] (Tibetan: བོན་; Wylie: bon; Lhasa dialect IPA: [) is the oldest spiritual tradition of Tibet. ...

References

This article contains references from Bhutan Buddhist Winter Retreatwritten by Tsewang Rinchen

• This article contains material from the Library of Congress Country Studies, which are United States government publications in the public domain.

The Country Studies are works published by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress ( USA), freely available for use by researchers. ... The U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1789 by a constitutional convention, sets down the basic framework of American government in its seven articles. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

External Links

Additional articles

• Buddhism in Bhutan - more detailed entry at Citizendium

Organisations Citizendium (a citizens compendium of everything) is an online wiki-based encyclopedia first intended to begin as a progressive or gradual fork of the English Wikipedia,[1] though a decision to start largely from scratch was then made before launch. ...

• Menjong Chöthün Tshogpa
• Buddha Dordenma Image Foundation
• Bhutan Buddhism Introductions

• Bhutan Buddhist Winter retreat