New Kadampa Tradition

The New Kadampa Tradition (NKT) also known as the International Kadampa Buddhist Union (IKBU) is a global Buddhist organization founded by Kelsang Gyatso.

Kelsang Gyatso is a Tibetan Teacher and Scholar, trained at the Gelugpa Sera Monastery, who came to England in 1977 by an invitation of Lama Thubten Yeshe. Later, he took the center over from Lama Thubten Yeshe (against Lama Yeshe's wishes) and subsequently founded the New Kadampa Tradition in the 1990's. The NKT is not the Kadampa Tradition and not the Gelug tradition.

NKT was founded by Kelsang Gyatso in order to be completely independent from Gelug School and Tibetan Buddhism, because he refused to back down from the orders of HH Dalai Lama, his own monastary, and the Ganden Tripa - the head of the Gelug tradition. This disagreement resulted in his expulsion from Sera Monastery.

Because New Kadampa Tradition sees themself as a Western tradition of Buddhism and not as a part of Tibetan Buddhism or Gelug school, the Ganden Tripa (head of the Gelugpas), HH the Dalai Lama and all the Gelug teachers and all non-NKT teachers are not accepted as teachers or authorities of the New Kadampa Tradition. However, Kyabje Trijang Dorjechang and also his teacher, Pabongkha Rinpoche, are recognised lineage Gurus. The NKT expresses its lineage of the teachings as follows:

Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche had died before Kelsang Gyatso formed the NKT. His rebirth, Chogtrul Trijang Rinpoche is not associated with the NKT and his rebirth is not accepted by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso.

The New Kadampa Tradition differs from the Gelukpa school in some particular ways: It doesn't offer one of Tsongkhapa's central thrusts regarding the union of Guhyasamaja, Heruka and Yamantaka, and it also does not use Tsongkhapa's own texts, but relys upon commentaries by Kelsang Gyatso. There is little or no emphasis on logic or debate, and, distinct from all ancient Buddhist traditions, but similar to the FWBO and some other modern traditions, they have introduced a new ordination lineage.

The NKT tradition was developed based on a selection of Atisha's and Je Tsongkhapa's teachings, and was established to be completely independent from the tibetan community and the four main tibetan buddhist schools. Many westeners feel very attracted to the NKT and appreciate Ven. Geshe Kelsang Gytaso and his presentation of the Dharma and inspirations very much.

To date, Kelsang Gytaso has written and published about eighteen books and these are studied within NKT, and are considered to encapsulate the entire path of enlightenment, thereby making redundant the study of any other texts, including the remaining works of Atisha and Tsongkhapa, Sutras, Tantras and Indian commentaries.

For tibetan people and many Buddhists the New Kadampa Tradition is seen as controversial (see the letter below). Due to these controversies some Buddhist Unions have refused to allow NKT centres to become members, and several forums have banned NKT members completely. The NKT are well-known for being criticised by the Tibetans for their practice of worshipping Dorje Shugden.

The New Kadampa Tradition has expanded rapidly. NKT says: As of 2005 they claim to have over 900 established centres and branch groups meeting worldwide. Some of these centres are residential communities, but most are branch groups that meet weekly in Quaker meeting houses and community centres.

Some controversial issues

Critics of NKT say

NKT is not the Kadampa Tradition or Kadampa Buddhism as they claim to be because this lineage was absorbed into Gelug school and the other tibetan schools there is no extra Kadampa lineage or Kadampa Tradition nowadays. NKT deceives people if they wrongly claim this in their advertisements or name their presentation of the Dharma as Kadampa Buddhism and wrongly state "... is a Mahayana Buddhist school founded by the great Indian Buddhist Master Atisha (AD 982-1054)". Sometimes Geshe Kelsang also said NKT is Gelug Tradition but then it follows that NKT is necessarily also a part of the Gelug school. They would herefore be obliged to follow the Ganden Tripa, the head of the Gelugpas - but they do not. Also the main tantric practice in Gelug Tradition is the union of the three tantras Ghuyasamaja, Heruka and Yamantaka but these are not practiced by the NKT members. Also Je Tsongkhapa or Lord Atisha didn't even mentioned Shugden, their main protector practice. Je Tsongkhpa taught Mahakala, Vairavana and Kalarupa. So NKT is neither Gelug nor Kadampa school, it is a complete new school for the west based on a variety of Gelug teachings.

NKT claims to be a "pure tradition" but Geshe Kelsang does not pass the full range of Gelug teachings and the full range of the Vinaya vows for ordained monks and nuns in the traditional context (the Mulasarvastavadin lineage) and does not allow other Full Ordained monks, Geshes, Masters or Lamas to teach in his centers - only NKT teachers can teach there. The vows for ordained people in the Mulasarvastavadin lineage are 36 (novice monk - tib. Getsul) or 253 (full ordained - tib. Gelong). However Geshe Kelsang only gives 10 vows. Also for a proper ordination ceremony there have to be 5 full ordained monks and 36 or 253 vows. But NKT has less than 5 fully ordained or novice monks. So by this NKT has given up the Vinaya - the root of the doctrine - as taught by the Buddha. Then they can not claim to be a buddhist tradition following the teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni.

Disputations made by NKT practitioners

The NKT's claim of "purity" comes from Geshe Kelsang's firm belief that a teacher should teach only what his teacher taught him - arguing that this is the way a lineage retains it's essential purity and meaning. This is also why they practice what Trijang taught rather than what the Dalai Lama decrees. Numerous Masters and Monks teach in NKT centres, following the classic teacher ---> student lineage. This means that the tradition is now becoming Westernised, a good thing for the West but uncomfortable for those who wish to hold power in Tibet.

NKT Monks and Nuns take 10 vows and are very honest about the fact that an ordained life is very different in the West, and that the traditional vinaya would prevent them from fully practising the Bodhisattvas way of life because some of the Vinaya rules are not appropriate in Western society. When Buddhism moves from country to country, it must inevitably adapt to the culture of that country, as happened when Atisha brought Dharma to Tibet. The ordination vows are valid because they are taken with the motivation of renunciation and contain the essential commitments of all vows - to abandon delusions and deluded behaviour. The NKT Vinaya is the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra (a Mahayana sutra, whereas the Vinaya sutra is a Hinayana sutra) and its commentary is Lamrim. Skillful practitioners can also see all the 253 contained within the 10, the 10 contained within the three higher trainings (one of the vows is to practise the Three Higher Trainings)

Other discussions are: Is the NKT Buddhist?

Some Buddhists [1],[2], Kelsang Gyatsoism (and others) are concerned about the status of the NKT as a Buddhist organisation at all, using arguments that are similar to those that question the status of the Nichiren Shoshu as a Buddhist organisation:

This is due to the Buddhist notion of refuge - to be a Buddhist one must take refuge in the Triple Gem. Refuge within the Buddhist context means that

Buddhists are expected to respect Shakyamuni Buddha and agree that he managed to achieve Nirvana.
Buddhists are expected to study and meditate upon the Tripitaka - the collection of sutras, vinaya and abhidharma.
Buddhists are expected to revere and support the Sangha community - the fully ordained monks and nuns from an unbroken lineage going back to Shakyamuni Buddha himself.

The arguments about the status of the NKT are roughly as follows:

By recognising Geshe Kelsang Gyatso as a Buddha in a manner that is distinct from the various Tibetan traditions - indeed as the object of refuge in Buddha, the NKT are not ably distinguishing Shakyamuni Buddha from Geshe Kelsang Gyatso (called the third Buddha by NKT, after Shakyamuni Buddha and Je Tsongkhapa), and therefore there is doubt that the NKT are taking refuge in Buddha in a manner that is in accordance with Buddhists. (Note that the Geluk do not assert that Je Tsongkhapa achieved Buddhahood until the moment of his death).

According to Buddhism, Buddhas manifest the 32 major and 80 minor marks of a Buddha, something that Geshe Kelsang Gyatso clearly does not. Moreover, if he were a Buddha, then what is made of the prediction by Shakyamuni that the next Buddha would be Maitreya?

Because the NKT are prohibited from reading, studying and meditating on any text that is not authored by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, the NKT appear to have destroyed their refuge in the Dharma. Moreover, the NKT do not even have a set of translations of the works of Je Tsongkhapa, let alone the Tripitaka, so it would be hard for them to read, study and meditate upon the Dharma as recognised by Buddhism.

Finally, because the NKT do not support an unbroken tradition of fully ordained Sangha, they appear to have destroyed their refuge in the Sangha.

External links

Pro NKT

Critical of NKT