Page 46 - EH69

44 EASTERN HORIZON | FACE TO FACE

Geshe-la teaching Eight Verses of Mind Training to a group of Europeans, Nov 18, 2022

Benny Liow first contacted Geshe-la when he was offered by people to senior teachers, who may not be
invited to Malaysia to give a 2-day workshop on a reincarnation but who are very much respected by
Nagarjuna’s Letter to a Friend to members of the people because of his or her learning, discipline and
Buddhist Gem Fellowship. After a decade, Benny Liow kindness.
contacted Geshe-la again and asked him some basic
questions on common misconceptions about Tibetan Many lamas are monastics but some are lay people
Buddhism, and he has very kindly provided a summary who wear robes that looks like that for monastics.
of his response to be shared with readers of Eastern Is there a way we can differentiate between a lama
Horizon, as follows: who is a monk or a lay person?

Your title Geshe is a Tibetan Buddhist academic Strictly speaking the monks should wear red or maroon
degree. Is it only for monastics and is it used in all cloth and lay people should wear more dark coloured
schools of Buddhism? cloth or white cloth and keep hair. Some people do not

follow this properly and hence people get confused.
Geshe is a title used by those who had completed
studying all the five major texts, Wisdom Perfection, Sometimes Tibetan Buddhism is used to refer to
Madhymika, Abhidharma, Vinaya and Pramana. This Vajrayana Buddhism. Is this correct, or is there a
title is mainly given in the Gelug schools for the monks differentiation between the two terms?
who have studied many years in the monastery. But you
remain a geshe even if you later disrobe because this is It is not correct to equate Tibetan Buddhism only to
an academic achievement. Vajrayana Buddhism because Tibetan Buddhism has
Sravakayana, Bodhisattavayana and Mahayana. And in
What about the word Rinpoche? Is this term used Mahayana we have sutrayana and Vajrayana (Tantra).
only for reincarnated Lamas or just any respected
monastic or lay teacher? It has been said that Tantra was never taught by
Sakyamuni Buddha but became part of Tibetan
The word Rinpoche means precious one. It is Buddhism due to Hindu influence many centuries
mainly used for reincarnated lamas, both layman after his passing away. How do you explain this from
and monastics, man or woman. But this title is also the perspective of Tibetan Buddhism?