Kadampa - New Kadampa Tradition

New Kadampa Tradition

To emphasize that he was training in the same spirit as Atisha's original disciples, Je Tsongkhapa named his school "the New Kadampa" (Tib. Kadam Sarma). In 1991, Kelsang Gyatso (Bskal-bzang Rgya-mtsho), a Buddhist monk trained at Sera Monastery, a Gelug university in Je Tsongkhapa's tradition, founded a spiritual organization which he named the "New Kadampa Tradition - International Kadampa Buddhist Union" (NKT-IKBU).

As mentioned above, Je Tsongkhapa referred to his monastic order as "the New Kadam." The term Gelug came into use only after his death. The NKT-IKBU explains that they are independent of other contemporary Tibetan Buddhist centers and Tibetan politics, although they are in the same tradition as the Gelugpas (i.e., New Kadampas). They explain that the purpose of using the term "Kadampa Buddhism" is not to introduce confusion about the origins of these teachings, but to encourage students to emulate the purity and sincerity of the ancient Kadampas.