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The other kind of lineages found in Tibet are that of clans and their cults of mountain gods. Tibetan society is organized around clan lineages and the origin myths of pre-Buddhist religion, the Bön, describe in loving detail layers upon layers of clannic geneaology, much of it mythical and magical. With each clan, there were important associations with deities who would protect the wealth, health, and harmony of communities. Curiously, the mountain cults are what Samten Karmay refers to as Tibetan “secularism”.

It's this factor of lineages, both monastic and clannic, that makes the question of a Tibetan “nation” so tricky. Literally, every valley has its own monastery and mountain cult and frequently its own dialect of Tibetan. In this sense, Tibet is not unusual. Other areas organized around clan like the Middle East have not fit easily into the modern idea of the nation-state. Really, there isn’t one Tibet but many.

You can see the magical elements of clannic and monastic lineage within the line of the Dalai Lamas. Every Dalai lama is said to be a rebirth of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. It’s for this reason writers from the 19th and 20th century, especially Chinese writers, referred to the thirteenth and fourteenth Dalai lamas as “god-kings”. According to one account of the origin of the Tibetans, Avalokiteshvara took the form of a divine monkey. A wild ogress aggressively pestered him and out of compassion, he made love to her. The resulting offspring were the unruly Tibetans.

Avalokiteshvara is said to have later manifested as the kings who brought Buddhism to Tibet. This began with the famous king, Songtsen Gampo, continued with the equally influential Trisong Detsen, and culminated with the line of the Dalai lamas. Thus, the mythology surrounding the Dalai lamas subtly weaves together in a very Tibetan manner the idea of Buddhist and clan lineages and the mythical and religious implications that go with both. This is something to keep in mind when looking at the Epic of Gesar which does something very similar.