The Gyuto Monks of Tibet

The Gyuto Monks of Tibet

The Gyuto Monks of Tibet are monks of the Gyuto Order, a Tibetan tantric Buddhist order founded in 1475 by Jetsun Kunga Dhondup within the Gelug school. The order is also spelled Gyütö or Gyüto.

Gyuto Monastery is one of the main tantric colleges in the Gelug tradition. Monks who complete geshe studies often continue there, or at the smaller Gyume monastery, to gain a grounding in vajrayana practice. Both monasteries were once based in Lhasa and are later re-established in India.

The order is known for overtone singing, a style that gains wider attention in the West through recordings made by David Lewiston in 1978 and through a 1990 release on Windham Hill Records.