Gelug

According to John Powers, Tsongkhapa's work "contains a comprehensive view of Buddhist philosophy and practice that integrates sutra and tantra, analytical reasoning, and yogic meditation.

[7] Samding Dorje Phagmo The Gelug school was founded by Je Tsongkhapa, an eclectic Buddhist monk and yogi who traveled Tibet studying under Kadam, Sakya, Drikung Kagyu, Jonang and Nyingma teachers.

Ganden) order grew extremely quickly through the efforts of Tsongkhapa's disciples who founded numerous new monasteries and spread the doctrine throughout Tibet.

"[22] By the end of the fifteenth century, Tsongkhapa had come to be seen as a second Buddha among in the Gelug tradition, and various hagiographies were written by his disciples (like Khedrup Je and Tokden Jampel Gyatso).

These texts developed the great myths of the Buddha Tsongkhapa (including stories of his previous births and his various mystical visions) and helped established the new identity of the Gelug school as an authentic lineage (traced back to Manjushri).

"[17] This initial period of growth also saw scholastic debates and exchanges between the new Gelug tradition and the earlier sects like the Sakya school, who wrote critiques of Tsongkhapa's philosophy, such as Rongton Shakya Gyaltsen (1367–1449) (and his work led to a response by Khedrup Je).

[17][26] In 1577 Sönam Gyatso, who was considered to be the third incarnation of Gendün Drup,[27] formed an alliance with the then most powerful Mongol leader, Altan Khan.

[28] The Gelug-Mongol alliance was further strengthened as after Sonam Gyatso's death, his incarnation was found to be Altan Khan's great-grandson, who became the 4th Dalai Lama.

According to Thupten Jinpa "an important legacy of this relationship has been the tradition of young Mongols studying at the great Geluk centers of learning in Amdo and central Tibet.

"[21] Following violent strife among the sects of Tibetan Buddhism, the Gelug school emerged as the dominant one, with the military help of the Mongol Güshri Khan who invaded Tibet in 1642 in order to defeat the king of Tsang.

According to Tibetan historian Samten Karmay, Sonam Chophel[31] (1595–1657), treasurer of the Ganden Palace, was the prime architect of the Gelug's rise to political power.

He established a formal theocratic system of government, opened diplomatic relations with Qing dynasty China, built the Potala Palace in Lhasa, institutionalized the Tibetan state Nechung Oracle, and spurred a major renaissance in art and book printing.

According to Thupten Jinpa, the 5th Dalai Lama's rule "would bring Tibet into a semblance of political unity for the first time since the collapse of the Tibetan empire some seven hundred years earlier.

One of his students (and political successor as regent), Desi Sangye Gyatso was also known as a great scholar who wrote various works on topics like Tibetan medicine, astrology, biography and calligraphy.

[41] The Fifth Dalai Lama is also known for having recognized Zanabazar (1635–1723) as the first official Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, the spiritual leader (Bogd Gegeen) of the Mongolian Gelug tradition.

He is credited with having launched a renaissance of Mongolian culture in the seventeenth century, with having created the Soyombo script and with widely promoting Buddhism among the Mongols.

[18] Changkya Rölpé Dorjé is also known for his knowledge of languages and translation work and for being the main teacher in the Qing court of the Qianlong Emperor.

[53] During the 18th century, Thuken Losang Chökyi Nyima (1737–1802), a student of Changkya, took the tenets genre one step further with his Crystal Mirror of Philosophical Systems.

Some western students of diaspora Gelug lamas (some of which spent time as monastics) have also become scholars of Buddhism as well as translators and teachers, including Alexander Berzin, B. Alan Wallace, Robert Thurman, Robina Courtin, Jeffrey Hopkins, Donald S. Lopez Jr., José Cabezón, Guy Martin Newland, Nicholas Vreeland, Barry Kerzin, Glenn H. Mullin, and Gareth Sparham.

[70] After the brutal repression of Buddhism during the Maoist period, three Gelug scholars became important figures in the revival of Tibetan studies in the People's Republic of China.

There are also various other expositions of the Lamrim by other figures such as the 3rd Dalai Lama's Essence of Refined Gold and Panchen Losang Chökyi Gyaltsen's Easy Path (de lam).

[76] As the name indicates, this is a gradual path model in which the practitioner accomplishes varying stages of contemplation and training based on classical Indian Mahayana Buddhism.

[73] The proper view of emptiness in the Gelug school is considered to be the prāsangika mādhyamika philosophy of Nagarjuna and Chandrakirti as interpreted by Tsongkhapa.

Gelug meditation includes an analytical kind of insight practice which is "the point-by-point contemplation of the logical arguments of the teachings, culminating in those for the voidness of self and all phenomena.

[105] According to John Powers, "although the Gélukpa tradition recognizes some people as tülkus—beings who are reincarnations of great lamas—the various levels of scholarly achievement are open to any male who is able to complete the program successfully.

"[106] There are no major restrictions on a monk's ability to attain the various scholastic ranks and geshe degrees other than skill, and they may come from any social class, family or region.

[106] Powers also writes that:[105] the primary method of examination is oral debate, in which a monk must be able quickly to evaluate a wide range of philosophical positions, defend any of them against any other, and triumph (or at least hold his own) in a no-holds-barred intellectual contest.

The debates are generally very lively...The stated purpose of the exercise is to develop the intellects of the monks, and it is felt that direct dialectical confrontation accomplishes this goal by training them to defend philosophical positions, to think on their feet, and to critically examine their doctrines and positions.Alexander Berzin notes that in Tibet, there used to only be two examinations (rgyugs-sprod): memorization exam (blo-rgyugs) and debate exams (rtsod-rgyugs).

"[102] After attaining a monastic degree, it is common to enter a long meditation retreat, often lasting three years or proceed to tantric (Vajrayana) studies.

According to Powers "the logic behind this system is based on the idea that one should first gain a thorough grounding in Buddhist scriptures, philosophy, doctrines, and practice before engaging in full-time meditation.