History of Buddhism

The general principle regarding sexual ethics is to try to minimize any problematic and compulsive aspects of our sexual behavior, motivated by disturbing emotions.

A survey of the political interaction of Buddhist and Bon factions in Tibet from the earliest time to the 11th-century revival of Buddhism.

The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE) was the first Arab empire in the Middle East. It was the first Muslim empire to interact with Buddhists in parts of Central Asia and the western regions of the Indian subcontinent.

The Four Buddhist Councils were convened to codify Buddha's teachings. Because of differing opinions among the participants, different Buddhist traditions and tenet systems emerged from many of them.

The Tibetan monastic tradition of wearing yellow hats began with the revival of the monk ordination in the 11th century and was later adopted by the Gelug tradition as a symbol of renewed monastic purity.

The first women ordained as nuns were Buddha’s maternal aunt and 500 female followers. They were given additional vows to those given to the monks in order to avoid suspicion of this mixed-gender celibate order from society at that time.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama invokes the spiritual masters of the Nalanda tradition.

The Mulasarvastivada bhikshu ordination was established in Tibet on three occasions. It was never possible, however, for the Mulasarvastivada bhikshuni ordination lineage to be transmitted to Tibet.

The “three turnings of the wheel of Dharma” were transmissions of the Dharma by the Buddha, skillfully teaching different topics at different times in his life to suit the place and times of the occasion and meet the needs and capacities of his audience.

Deriving primarily from India over several centuries through the efforts of a large number of teachers and translators, Tibetan Buddhism gradually evolved into four main traditions.