Tibetan Buddhist academic degree
Geshe
(Tib.
dge bshes
, short for
dge-ba'i bshes-gnyen
, "virtuous friend"; translation of Skt.
kaly??amitra
) or
geshema
is a
Tibetan Buddhist
academic degree
for
monks
and
nuns
. The degree is emphasized primarily by the
Gelug
lineage, but is also awarded in the
Sakya
and
Bon
traditions.
[1]
[2]
The equivalent
geshema
degree is awarded to women.
[3]
History
[
edit
]
The title
Geshe
was first applied to esteemed
Kadampa
masters such as Geshe
Chekawa Yeshe Dorje
(1102?1176), who composed an important
lojong
text called
Seven Points of Mind Training
and Geshe
Langri Tangpa
(
dGe-bshes gLang-ri Thang-pa
, 1054?1123).
The
geshe
curriculum represents an adaptation of subjects studied at Indian Buddhist monastic universities such as
N?land?
. These centers were destroyed by Islamic invaders of India, leaving Tibet to continue the tradition. It first developed within the
Sakya
monastic lineage, where it was known as
ka-shi
("four subjects") or
ka-chu
("ten subjects"). The Sakyas also granted degrees at the conclusion of these studies, on the basis of proficiency in
dialectical
ritualized
debate
. In
Tsongkhapa
's time the Sakya degree was awarded at Sangphu, Kyormolung and Dewachen (later Rato) monasteries.
The
geshe
degree flowered under the
Gelug
monastic lineage. Under Gelug domination, monks from various monastic lineages would receive training as
geshes
through the great Gelug monasteries. Gelugpa
geshes
often went on to study at one of Lhasa's tantric colleges,
Gyuto
or
Gyume
. (The tantric colleges also grant a "geshe" title for scholarship in the tantras.)
Under Sakya and Gelug influence, the Kagyu and Nyingma monastic lineages developed their own systems of scholarly education. Their schools grant the degree of
ka-rabjampa
("one with unobstructed knowledge of scriptures") as well as the title
Khenpo
, which the Gelug tradition reserves for
Abbot (Buddhism)
. The course of study which prevails in Kagyu and Nyingma circles emphasizes commentary over debate, and focuses on a somewhat wider selection of classics (with accordingly less detail). It ideally lasts for nine years, concluding with a three-year, three-month meditation retreat.
In April 2011, the
Institute for Buddhist Dialectical Studies
(IBD) in Dharamsala, India, conferred the degree of
geshe
on
Venerable Kelsang Wangmo
, a German nun, thus making her the world's first female geshe.
[4]
[5]
In 2013, Tibetan women were able to take the
geshe
exams for the first time.
[6]
In 2016, twenty Tibetan Buddhist nuns became the first Tibetan women to earn
geshema
degrees.
[3]
[7]
[8]
The
geshema
degree is the same as a
geshe
degree, but is called a
geshema
degree because it is awarded to women.
[3]
Curriculum
[
edit
]
The Geshe curriculum consists of the "Collected Topics" (
Tibetan
:
??????????
,
Wylie
:
bsdus-grwa
) which were preliminary to the syllabus proper, as well as the
five major topics
, which form the syllabus proper.
The exoteric study of Buddhism is generally organized into "five topics", listed as follows with the primary Indian source texts for each:
- Abhidharma
(Higher Knowledge, Wylie Tib.:
mdzod
)
- Prajn? P?ramit?
(Perfection of Wisdom, Wylie Tib.:
phar-phyin
)
- Madhyamaka
(Middle Way, Wylie Tib.:
dbu-ma
)
- Logic
(
pram??a
Wylie Tib.:
tshad-ma
)
- Treatise on Valid Cognition (
Pram??avarttika
) by
Dharmak?rti
- Compendium on Valid Cognition (
Pram??asamuccaya
) by
Dign?ga
- Vowed Morality
(
vinaya
, Wylie Tib.:
'dul-ba
)
- The Root of the Vinaya (
Vinaya-m?la-s?tra
,
Dulwa Do Tsawa
, Wylie Tib.: '
dul-ba mdo rtsa-ba
) by the
Pandita Gunaprabha
Conferral of the Degree
[
edit
]
In the Gelug school, the degree may not be earned by laypeople (though some recipients later give up their robes), or until recently by women (including
nuns
). The first geshema degree was conferred to a German nun, Kelsang Wangmo, in 2011.
[9]
[10]
[11]
The Gelug curriculum, which lasts between 12 and 40 years, centers around textual memorization and ritualized
debate
, and is invariably taught through the medium of the
Tibetan language
.
[
citation needed
]
Each year an examination is held for those who have completed their studies. In it their performance is evaluated by the abbot of the particular college. The topics for their dialectical examination are drawn from the whole course of study and the topic to be debated is selected by the abbot on the spot, so that students have no chance to do specific preparation. Thus, it is a real test of a student's abilities and the depth of their study. At the conclusion the abbot assigns each candidate to a category of
geshe
according to their ability. There are four such categories,
Dorampa
,
Lingtse
,
Tsorampa
and
Lharampa
,
Lharampa
being the highest. After this, in order to qualify, the candidates are not allowed to miss even one of the three daily debate sessions during the subsequent eight months.
[
citation needed
]
See also
[
edit
]
Sources
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Staff.
"The Passing of Ven. Geshe Gyeltsen - 1924 / 2009"
. Urban Dharma: Buddhism in America
. Retrieved
2010-02-04
.
- ^
Quotation: The
geshe
degree in the Gelug school is comparable to a western doctorate in Buddhist philosophy. The difference is that it usually takes more than twenty years to complete.
- ^
a
b
c
"Twenty Tibetan Buddhist nuns are first ever to earn Geshema degrees - Lion's Roar"
. Lionsroar.com. 2016-07-15. Archived from
the original
on 2016-10-05
. Retrieved
2016-10-04
.
- ^
Haas, Michaela (18 May 2011).
"2,500 Years After The Buddha, Tibetan Buddhists Acknowledge Women"
.
Huffington Post
. Retrieved
2018-01-18
.
- ^
"The Joy of Study: An Interview with Geshe Kelsang Wangmo"
(Interview). Archived from
the original
on 2016-03-04.
- ^
Haas, Michaela (2013-07-07).
"Buddhist nun professors or none?"
.
The Washington Post
. Archived from
the original
on 2013-06-07.
- ^
"Tibetan Buddhist Nuns Make History: Congratulations Geshema Nuns! - The Tibetan Nuns Project"
.
Tibetan Nuns Project
. 2016-07-14
. Retrieved
2018-01-18
.
- ^
Meade Sperry, Rod (2016-07-15).
"Twenty Tibetan Buddhist nuns are first ever to earn Geshema degrees"
.
Lion's Roar
. Archived from
the original
on 2016-10-05
. Retrieved
2018-01-18
.
- ^
Rinpoche II, Tsenzhab Serkong.
"Overview of the Gelug Monastic Education System"
. Berzin, Alexander (trans.). Study Buddhism
. Retrieved
2016-06-06
.
Translated and compiled by Alexander Berzin, September 2003.
- ^
Quotation: The monastic education system in the Gelug monasteries covers five major topics, based on five great Indian scriptural texts studied through the medium of logic and debate ? "tsennyi" (
mtshan-nyid
, definitions) in Tibetan.
- ^
In December 2005 Dalai Lama said that talks was going on with the Department of religion to start honoring Buddhist nuns with the title Geshema ?
Buddhism is All We Have - Dalai Lama