Tibetan, or Vajrayana, Buddhism is one of the four major schools of Mahayana Buddhism. The other three are Zen, Nichiren and Pure Land.

The term Mahayana has two distinct usages. Firstly, it refers to one of the two branches of Buddhism, the other being the Theravada. Mahayana Buddhism in this sense includes Tibetan Buddhism. Secondly, within Tibetan Buddhism, Mahayana refers to the second of the three levels of teachings, the other two being Hinayana and Vajrayana.

In some of the other schools of Mahayana Buddhism, the studying of sutras plays a crucial role in understanding reality. In Tibetan Buddhism, more emphasis is placed on studying the texts of the Prasangika-Madyamaka school (supposedly derived from Nagarjuna's teachings). Also some schools of Tibetan Buddhism constantly engage in philosophical debates on Buddhist principles to cultivate their wisdom. However, it must be noted that both the the Mahayana sutras and Prasangika-Madyamaka schools study the emptiness philosophy of Nagarjuna. So, in essence, they should be the same (differences only arising in the conceptual dimension).

The most famous book in Tibetan Buddhism is the Tibetan Book of the Dead, which can be seen not only literally as dealing with the states after death, but also with the consciousness states.

Another difference betwen Tibetan Buddhism and other Mahayana schools is that Tibetan Buddhists will often practice tantra, which they believe is higher than the highest practices of the other Mahayana schools.