HBR - Spread of Buddhism in Tibet

History of Buddhist Religion

Spread of Buddhism in Tibet Introduction

Dr. Tashi Tsering

Spread of Buddhism in Tibet

• Buddhism was believed to be came to Tibet during the reign of King Lha Tho tho ri nyen tsen. • However, actual spread of Buddhism in Tibet can be consider from the 7th century AD • Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo sent few young Tibetans to to learn script and literature. • Due to harsh weather most of the students could not make it India.

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• Among them Thonmi Sambhot made it to India and studied Indian script and Sanskrit literature. • He returned back to Tibet with 21 related to the Avalokiteshvara, the deity of compassion and translated them into Tibetan. • He devised and composed eight grammar texts. • In due course of time six of them lost and we have only two available to us. • Emperor Tsongtsen Gampo married to a Chinese and Nepali princess.

• Since Buddhism was practiced in these two countries, these two queens build two Buddhist temples viz. Ramoche and . • Hence, the seed of Buddhism was sawed during his reign.

2 HBR - Spread of Buddhism in Tibet

Spread of Buddhism in Tibet

• During the reign of Me- Aktsom invited two Indian scholars. But they could not come. But they sent five Buddhist texts to the king. King with great veneration, build five small temples to keep them. However, there is no document saying the study of these texts by the Tibetans.

Spread of Buddhism in Tibet

• During the reign of his son the great Trisong Deutsen (8the century AD) Tibet saw great revolution in it culture and religion. • He invited Acharya Shantarakshita and Acharya from India. • They invited 12 additional Bhikshus from India and ordained 7 Tibetans in the Buddhist order for the first time of her history. • These young monks studied Sanskrit and Buddhist philosophy; prepared for the future translators of Tibet.

3 HBR - Spread of Buddhism in Tibet

Spread of Buddhism in Tibet

• He build the first Buddhist monastery of Tibet Tibet. • He established few departments, such as department of translation, department of meditation and so forth. • Samye was built on the pattern of Odantapuri Monastery in India

Spread of Buddhism in Tibet

• First they prepared Sanskrit-Tibetan dictionaries of Buddhist terminology • To form a uniform translation, the King passed a decree for translation to the translators. • Tibetan translations are very literal. They even could translate each and every word of a sentence in same order that of Sanskrit.

4 HBR - Spread of Buddhism in Tibet

Spread of Buddhism in Tibet

• During the reign of Trisong Deutsen, held the famous Samye Debate between Chinese monk Mahayana and Kamalshila from India. • The king organized the debate witnessed by the follower from both side. • The debate was mostly on the practical side of meditation and • Kamalshila categorically defeated the Chinese monk and wrote one of the most best known treatise The Stages of Meditatiion.

• Translation of Buddhist Sanskrit texts continued for few centuries. • The 41st King Tri-Ralpa-chan (866-901 AD) continued the great work of his ancestors. • During his reign he assigned seven families each to look after the necessities of a monk. • He even tied scarf on his head and let the monks and the Tantrics to sit on it in respect. • This may be the cause of his assassination by his elder brother Lang Darma.

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• When Lang- came into the power, he started destruction of Buddhism. • Most of the monks fled other places such as far east and far west of Tibet. • Gradually, the empire of unified Tibet collapsed. • His son Yumten and Ösung ruled over Tibet separately. • Then the son of Ösung ruled over Ladakh. • For about hundred years Tibet lived in fragment. There was no centralized ruler. Buddhism faced the worst period after its spread in Tibet.

• In the 11th century, King of Western Tibet send few students to India. They went to Vikramshila university to study as well as to invite Atisha to Tibet. • Lha Yeshi Öd gave away his life for Buddhism to invite Atisha. • His younger brother Jangchub Öd continued to fulfill the wishes of his brother.

6 HBR - Spread of Buddhism in Tibet

• Atisha came to Tibet and met with Rinchen Zangpo, one of the greatest scholar and translator of Tibet. • He said, there is no need for me to come to Tibet since such a gifted scholar is present in Tibet. • On the request of the king he wrote the masterpiece of Bodhipathapradipa (The lamp of the Path to Enlightenment). • Later this text became the main source of practice on the stages of Path as well as the many works by the Tibetan masters.

• It is said that Atisha spent his last years at Nyethang Dolma Lhagang. • It is believed that his remains were preserved at this place. • Later the Bengali people requested for the remains since Atisha was Bengali. • It is also believed that the remains for great saint Naropo was also preserved here.

7 HBR - Spread of Buddhism in Tibet

History of Buddhist Religion

Spread of Buddhism in Tibet

Dr. Tashi Tsering

Name of Name of Founded Related Main Practice 2 Famous Main Centre the the in Year Colour scholars schools Founder Padmasam 8th Red Zogchen Longchen Samyes bhava century Rabjam -Ju Mipham Kagyud Marpa 11 th White Chagchen -Marpa Tsorphu Century -Rangjung Dorje Monastery

Sakya Khon 1073 Multi Khordes Yermed - Pandita Sakya Konchog Colored -Sonam Tsemo Monastery Gyalpo JeTsongkh 14 th Yellow Detong Yermed -Gyaltsab Darma Gaden apa Century -Khesdup Gelek Monastery

Kadam Domton 11 th - -Nagtso Lotsava Reting Gyalway Century -Domton Gyal Monastery

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Name of the Main Features schools 1. Nyingma The Nyingma School is well known for its unbroken lineage. Central to the Nyingma tradition is a genre of scriptures recognized as terma , or “treasure texts”. These are works believed to be written by Padmasambhava and hidden as spiritual treasures to be discovered by specially blessed masters when the time is most ripe for their reception. 2. Kagyud The Kagyü tradition places great emphasis on intensive meditation practice, and on guru yoga, the power of devotion and the transmission from master to disciple. 3. Sakya Sakya was responsible for developing much of the scholastic disciplines of the Tibetan monastic tradition. The central teaching of the Sakya School is lamdre, the Path and its Fruition tradition. Its tradition is mainly based on Lineage.

Name of the Main Features schools 4. Gelug The Gelug tradition stresses a deep and intensive study of the Buddhist scriptures. The primary teachings of the Geluk School are , or the “Stages of the path”, and the systematic cultivation of the view of emptiness. 5. Kadam They were known for their down-to-earth approach to practice, which was famous for its strict monastic discipline, its ritualism, and for its meditation practice. In public they laid great emphasis on the practice of sutra and kept their personal practice of tantra hidden.

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Name of Place in Found Name of the Re-established in ed in the mother Tibet Year Founder exile Monastry 1. Mindroling central Tibet 1676 Rigzin Terdak Lingpa Clementown, Dehradun, India 2. Namdroling lower 1665 Rigzin Kunsang Sherab Bylakuppe, Karnataka, India 3. Dorje Drak Dhokham 1632 Dordag Rigzin Wangpo Shimla, H.P. India 4. Kathok lower Kham 1159 Ka Dampa Desheg Bir, H.P. India

5. Dhokham 1685 Drubwang Zogchen Kollegal, Karnataka, india. Pema Rigzin 6. Shechen Upper 1735 Shechen Rabjam Kathmandu, Nepal Dhokham Gyurmé Bodhgaya, Bihar, India Kunzang Namgyal

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