Context:- Tibetan Buddhism : The Dalai Lama has named a US-born Mongolian boy as the 10^th Khalkha JetsunDhampa, the head of the Janang tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.

The 9^th Khalkha JetsunDhampa died in 2012 at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Since then, there had been a wait for his reincarnation.

• Buddhism, originated in India, became the predominant religion in Tibet by the 9^th century AD.
• It evolved from the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions of Buddhism, incorporating many tantric and shamanic practices of both post-Gupta period Buddhism in India.
• Tibetan Buddhism also incorporates from the Bon religion which was spread across Tibet before Buddhism’s arrival.
• Tibetan Buddhism has 4 major schools:
  1. Nyingma (8^th century)
  2. Kagyu (11^th century)
  3. Sakya (1073)
  4. Gelug (1409)
• The Janang school (12^th century) is one of the smaller schools that grew as an offshoot of the Sakya school.
• Gelug School – Since 1640, the Gelug School has been the predominant school of Tibetan Buddhism.
• The Dalai Lama belongs to Gelug School.
• Reincarnation – The Dalai Lama is the foremost spiritual and temporal authority of Tibet.
• The 5^th grand lama of the school, NgawangLobsang Gyatso, was first conferred the title of Dalai Lama (‘Dalai’ means ‘ocean’ in Mongol).
• To consolidate his rule, he instituted the tradition of succession through reincarnation in the Gelug School.
• He himself claimed to be the reincarnation of Avalokiteshvara, one of the most important Bodhisattvas in Mahayana traditions.
• According to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the spirit of a deceased lama is reborn in a child.
• Several procedures are followed to recognise Tulkus (recognised reincarnations).
• Over the past 70 years of Chinese occupation, he has been living in exile in Dharamshala, India.