Yellow Caps
🧘♂️ Who are the Yellow Cap Monks?
The Yellow Cap Monks, also known as Yellow Hats, are members of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. They get their name from the distinctive yellow headdresses they wear during religious ceremonies and rituals. This headdress distinguishes them from other Tibetan Buddhist schools, which often wear red hats.
🧱 Origin of the Movement
The Gelug school was founded in the 15th century by an important Buddhist teacher and reformer named Tsongkhapa. He placed great emphasis on:
Strict ethical discipline
In-depth study of Buddhist philosophy
Meditation and spiritual practice
A clear monastic life
His movement saw itself as a return to the original values of Buddhism.
🏛️ Monasteries and Organization
The Yellow-Capped Monks live in monasteries that also serve as training centers for philosophy, meditation, and logic. The most important include:
Ganden (the first monastery founded by Tsongkhapa)
Drepung and Sera (near Lhasa)
Tashilhunpo (seat of the Panchen Lama)
The structure of these monasteries is well-organized and hierarchical, with rigorous training over many years.
👑 The Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of the Gelug school. Since the 16th century, this title has been closely associated with the Gelug tradition. For many generations, the Dalai Lama was considered not only a religious leader but also the political leader of Tibet.
🌏 The Gelug School Today
After the 14th Dalai Lama fled into exile, the Gelug tradition spread worldwide. Today, there are monasteries, meditation centers, and spiritual communities in many countries that continue to spread the teachings—in India, Europe, North America, and beyond.
The Gelug school is the most influential branch of Tibetan Buddhism today.
🧘♂️ Bardon's reference to Yellow and Red Caps – what does he mean?
In Frabato the Magician and other works, Bardon suggests that there are various esoteric schools in Tibet, some of which preserve profound magical knowledge – sometimes in a very secret, initiatory form.
The terms:
Yellow Caps → stands for the Gelug school (the more "official," disciplined, monastic-oriented school)
Red Caps → refers to other Tibetan schools, e.g., the Nyingma or Kagyu schools, which are more tantric and mystical in orientation
