The Historical Role of Tibetan Buddhism in the Inheritance of Ethnic Cultures

Abstract

Religion, as the longest-lasting and most widely distributed human cultural phenomenon, has a deep and profound influence on human life and the degree of it is selfevident. Religion can be found everywhere in spiritual activities, belief patterns, mental states, behaviors, ethics and customs of human. We should adhere to make the past serve the present, weed through the old to bring forth the new; and we should treat religions discriminatively, inherit the essence of them, discard those that are contrary to the times and requirements of social progress, and abandon the heterodoxies, outdated conventions and bad customs that are inconsistent with the laws and current policies of the nation; and we should combine the ancient ideas of Tibetan Buddhism with new practices in the new era. In this way, we can achieve the creative transformation and innovative development of the Tibetan Buddhism culture, rejuvenating the vitality of Tibetan Buddhism in today's society.