Tibetan Buddhist Monk Hat

Tibetan Buddhist Monk Hat – Real Monks hat bought at Nepals holiest temple, Boudanath.

One Size

Worn at formal occasions in Tibetan Monk calendar. Available in Red or Yellow

More Info We have been working with artisans overseas since 2007 bringing you unique and fresh products.

We continue to travel all over the developing world to personally meet with craftspeople, women’s initiatives and small family businesses and work with these groups to build ongoing, progressive business relationships built on mutual respect and sustainability. This allows us to personally ensure that the principles and standard of fair trade are upheld by our craftspeople.

All our Tibetan Monk items are bought in Nepal near the countries most famous and holiest temple, Boudenath. We bring them to you with the help of our local contact and clothing maker Uttam.  For more information on tibetan buddhist clothing see this link.  We buy it where the local monks buy it!

Tibetan Buddhist Hat Background

The Gelugpa monks wear yellow hats, the Nyingma monks wear red hats, and the Kagyu monks wear white hats in summer.

Gelug Sect (Yellow Hat)

The monks of Gelug sect wear yellow hats.
Gelugpa is a sect of Tibetan Buddhism in China. In Tibetan, Gelug means good discipline, and the school emphasizes strict observance of the precepts, hence it’s named. The monks of this school wear yellow hats, so they are also known as the Yellow Sect.

The founder Tsongkhapa was originally a Kadam school monk, so the school is also known as the new Kadampa. Tsongkhapa had studied under the major religious sects in Tibet in the 14th century, such as Sakya and Kagyu. He advocated religious reform in response to the abolishment of monks’ discipline and the corruption of monastery life in Tibetan Buddhism. He proposed that monks should strictly obey the precepts, not do farm work, not marry, and strengthened the management of the monastery system.

Regarding the practice, he advocated an equal emphasis on Exoteric Buddhism and Esoteric Buddhism, Exotoric Buddhism first then Esoteric Buddhism, and emphasized doctrine and Buddhist Logic, etc., which can be helpful to get free from suffering.

It is worth mentioning that the Yellow Sect implements the reincarnation system of living Buddhas. The most famous are the Panchen Lama, Dalai Lama, and Pabala Living Buddha.

Nyingma Sect (Red Hat)

The monks of Nyingma sect wear red hats so it is also called the Red Sect.
Nyingma Sect is one of the four major lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. Because the monks of this school wear red hats, it is also called the Red Sect.

It is an old sect compared with the other three lineages (White Sect-Kagyu Sect, Flower Sect-Sakya Sect, Yellow Sect-Gelug Sect), and has the longest history. The term Nyingma means “ancient” or “old”, so Nyingmapa is an ancient school or an old school. The “ancient” refers to its scriptures that were handed down from the 8th century AD and have a long history; “old” refers to some of its doctrines and rules that are based on the old secret mantras of Tubo.

Nyingma Sect is closely related to the Yongzhong Bon religion inherent in Tibet. From the 8th to 9th centuries AD, Tantric Buddhism was introduced to Tibet from India and passed down from father to son. It happened that the mystery of Tantric Buddhism was very similar to Yongzhong Bon which had already placed a great influence on the Tibetan people. Then, the two gradually merged.