There is a lot to study. At the tantric college they memorise many hundreds of pages of commentary (tika) and then recite it by heart in public with all the other monks. The tantric subjects are also debated. It is not only sutra that has debate—geshes are examined through debate on tantra as well.

As far as education is concerned, it is only in the Tibetan tradition that the complete Buddhist teachings of Hinayana, Mahayana Paramitayana and Mahayana Vajrayana are learned in depth, preserved and spread. Many people are not aware of this.

There are some people who understand that Tibetan Buddhism is complete. They know that although some individuals make mistakes, the Buddhist teachings themselves are pure, and have been preserved and spread. But there are many others who have no idea.

They don’t go to the monasteries to check what is being studied, or how it is studied. They don’t realise that the program begins with extensive study of the five great sutra treatises and then moves on to tantra. They don’t go to the monasteries to seek out the high lamas, abbots and many learned teachers to do research and ask questions. They don’t go and check all the texts for themselves to find out whether tantra was taught by the Buddha or not.

They simply believe what other people tell them—that tantra is Hindu, blah blah blah, and many other misconceptions. There are many great lamas and geshes they could ask, but they don’t do that because there is not much connection. Of course there are some who check, and some who then go on to take initiations from great lamas. But many don’t. They simply believe what they have been told.

—Lama Zopa