Kadam

The Kadam were a tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, the earliest of the “later diffusion” traditions in Tibet. Founded on the teachings of the famous Indian scholar Atisha (982–1054) and his student Dromton (1005–1064), the Kadam emphasized monastic discipline, Buddhist ethics, Mahayana scriptural study, and madhyamaka philosophy. Many later Tibetan traditions grew out of Kadam lineages, to the point that the Kadam no longer existed as an organized tradition. The Geluk tradition, founded by Tsongkhapa (1257–1419) views itself as the intellectual successor to the Kadam, and sometimes calls itself the “New Kadam.”