Sherpa wedding dancing in a traditional local home
The Sherpa people live among the Himalaya in the Solukhumbu, Rowaling and Langtang areas of Nepal. Originally from Mongolia by way of Tibet, they settled in Nepal around 450 years ago.
Even with the impact of trekkers and climbers, Sherpa culture has remained intact due to the geographical isolation of the mountains and strong community values. Over the centuries, they nurtured, respected, and made the Himalaya a part of their lives.
Sherpa is an Anglicized word. The Sherpa speak a Tibeto-Burman language and call themselves “Sharwa” meaning “People from the East.”
The Sherpa are of the Nyingmapa sect of Tibetan Buddhism or the “school of the ancients” and the first of four main schools of Mahâyâna Buddhism, also known as the Red Hat Sect (although the hats worn in this ceremony are yellow).
The Sherpa are of the Nyingmapa sect of Tibetan Buddhism or the “school of the ancients” and the first of four main schools of Mahâyâna Buddhism, also known as the Red Hat Sect (although the hats worn in this ceremony are yellow).
The Nyingmapa school of Buddhism was founded in the eighth century CE by Guru Rinpoche, and then transmitted orally by lay practitioners from one generation to the next. Guru Rinpoche (Tib.) or Padmasambhava (Skt.) is one of the identifiable historical founders of Tibetan Buddhism, who built the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet at Samye.
In the Nyingma school, Guru Rinpoche is known as the “second Buddha.” Padmasambhava was a mystic with powers to subdue both spiritual forces and existing religions, so that Buddhism could flourish. He is also know to Hindus as Shiva-ge, one of the many manifestations of the god, Shiva.
