Tibetan Buddhism is the body of religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of
Buddhism in
Tibet,
Mongolia,
Tuva,
Bhutan,
Kalmykia, Buryatia and certain regions of the
Himalayas, including northern
Nepal, and
India (particularly in
Arunachal Pradesh,
Ladakh,
Dharamsala,
Lahaul and Spiti district in
Himachal Pradesh and
Sikkim). It is the
state religion of
Bhutan. It is also practiced in
Mongolia and parts of
Russia (
Kalmykia,
Buryatia, and
Tuva) and
Northeast China.
Religious texts and commentaries are contained in the
Tibetan Buddhist canon such that
Tibetan is a
spiritual language of these areas. Tibetan Buddhism preserves the
Vajrayana teachings of eighth century India. Tibetan Buddhism aspires to Buddhahood or
rainbow body.