Question: I heard that there is a monastic college. What do they teach inside?
by Khenpo Tashi
She-dra (Tibetan) means ‘Knowledge Center’, or ‘where explanations are given’. This article will introduce a special quality of Tibetan Buddhism compared to other Buddhist traditions – the Shedra.
A large part of this article is based on the Namdroling Shedra of the Nyingma Palyul tradition. There are Shedra systems in other Tibetan Buddhist traditions such as the Karma Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug.
GOAL
As a layperson, we may not have the time or diligence to study these topics in the Shedra. Still, we can admire the Buddha’s vast wisdom by knowing this.
For example, after knowing about how vast the scope of Buddhism is, we may start feeling greater importance in ‘Taking Refuge’ in the Buddha. This is because Buddha’s wisdom is really unquantifiable or immeasurable.
MAIN TOPICS
There are nine levels to the Shedra. A Shedra graduate is called a Lop-pon. When the individual studies and teaches for another three years, he becomes a Khenpo.
There are 13 Indian commentaries and 10 Tibetan commentaries to be studied across nine years. They are summarized into three main topics:
1) Middle Way: taught from Levels 1 – 4
2) Perfection of Wisdom: taught from Levels 5 – 6
3) Buddhist Tantras: taught from Levels 7 – 9
In Buddhism, there are three main methods to internalize the Buddha’s teachings. (tho-sam-gom-sum)
- Listening
- Contemplating
- Meditating/Habituating
The Shedra’s purpose is to fulfil the first two – listening and contemplating. When a Buddhist has clarified all of the Buddha’s teachings (completed the first two), then, it will be smooth for her to meditate/habituate on it (the third method).
MAIN PERSONAS
There are more than 20 main Buddhist scholars to be studied in the nine levels of the Shedra. However, these are the main scholars (and their topics):
MIDDLE WAY:
Nagarjuna (100-200 AD), Indian Scholar; Aryadeva (200-250 AD), Indian Scholar; Khenchen Shantarakshita (725-788 AD), Indian Scholar
Mipham Rinpoche (1846-1912), Tibetan Scholar
Dharmakirti (died around 660 AD), Indian Scholar: Pramana or Logic
PERFECTION OF WISDOM:
Buddha Maitreya (written by Asanga (300-370AD), Indian Scholar): 5 Treatises: About Buddha-nature, Perfection of Wisdom
Vasubhandu (4th to 5th Century AD), Indian Scholar: Abhidharma
Patrul Rinpoche (1808-1887): Tibetan commentaries
BUDDHIST TANTRA:
Jikme Lingpa, Longchenpa, Guru Rinpoche, Patrul Rinpoche, Khenpo Nueden, Mipham Rinpoche
CONCLUSION
We are very busy and we do not have time to practice a lot of Buddhism. We can just practice Amitabha Buddha all our life. That is more than enough. However, many times, we get bored. And, as Buddhists, we want to know other things in our tradition.
Also, the Buddha’s vast teachings are to serve the unlimited number of dispositions and characters of sentient beings. So, it is good to be familiar with the different teachings of the Buddha.
Read the next article.