Ti/et Takes to Buddhi$m

THE Tibetan chronicles, which one would

naturally consult in seeking information about
the introduction and spread of Buddhism in
Tibet, are unfortunately full of exaggerated
facts and pure legend. However, the esential
facts can be gleaned from these chronicles which
date from the eleventh century onwards and
are corroborated from other sources such as
Chinese, Nepali, Mongolian and Khotanese
records.
The Tibetan accounts of the rise of Buddhism
in Tibet, though full of legends and incon
sisten t reports, do agree that Buddhism was
introduced during the reign of King Sron tsen
Gam-po (617-50 A.C.). Buddhism does not
seem to have gained any footing as to deserve
anv mention before his time, though we cannot
ovr-rule the possibility of stay missionaries
entering Tibet prior to his rule. Accordig to
a Khotanese document, the 'red faces'
(Tibetans) destroyed the temples and shrines
earlier but an ardent protector of the Good
Religion was found in Sron tsen Gam-po.
Conversion of a Kg
The conversion of Sron tsen Gam-po is said to
have been efected by his two wives, the
Chinese princess Wencheng given over to him
in marriage about 64 I A.C., perhaps for
political reasons, by her father who was unable
to resist the Tibetan attacks on the Chinese
borderland, and the Nepali princess Bhrkuti,
daughter of king Amsuvarman. A Tibetan work
called the Rgyal-rabs selwai me-Ion records
that Sron tsen Gam-po sued for the hand of
the Nepali princess as follows:
" ), the king of barbarous Tibet, do not
practise the ten virtUes, but should you be
pleased to bestow on me your daughter, I shall
42
RATNA HANDURUKANDE
practise the ten virtues, I shall build fve
thousand temples, ..... " etc. Whether he
carried out his promises earnestly and on 5uch
a lavish scale is uncertain. In fact, the glimpse
got of him in Chinese hi5tory shows him
actively engaged in numerous wars with
neighbouring states, which must have left him
lirtle time f or Buddhist activities.
Culture
However, it seems reasonably certain that the
fmt Buddhist temples were erected in central
Tibet during his reign partiularly 10 enshrine
the image, received as doW)' from Ntpal
and China. There is also evidence to show that
he sent messengers to India, Nepal and
Chin a for Buddhist books and teachers.
Thon-mi Sambhota, one such emissary sent
to India, de5erves special mention as the
founder of the Tibetan alphabet (which appears
to be an adaptation of the Sanskrit alphabet)
and as the writer of a Tibetan grammar and the
translator of several texts stili preserved in the
Tengyur collection of the Tibetan scriptures.
The service of Sron tsen Gam-po as the frt
patron of the Law and learng have been
justly recognised by the Tibetan Buddhists
who canonized him as the incarnatlOn of
Avalokitesvara, the most popular bodhiattva
in Tibet. The two queens, Bhrkuti and Wen
cheng were called the white and green
Tal a, the consorts of Avalokitesvara.
That little or no efort had been made by
Sro;l. tsen Gam-po for the consolidation of the
Buddhist doctrine among the masses is clear
from the course of events that took place
immediatelv after his death. From the second
half ot the eventh centurv, lillie ofcial interest
was show in Buddhism.

Religion became
I
(
r
I
The Fint Sermoll ymboliJfd on the roof oj Jokhang monfSlry, Tibet.
involved in domestic politics, and if a king
supported Buddhism, his relatives and the
ministers usuall" opp05ed it. The welcome
given to the refugee monks ftom Khotan,
Gilgit and India bv king Me-ak-tsom (704-55
.-.C.) and the events leading to their eventual
expulsion, may ,ell b linked with the murder
oj" the kig himselr. It is reported that a t this
time an order was enacted forbidding the
practice of the dotrine.
Re-Vivification and PadDlasarbhava
.- revival of Buddhism took place again during
the reign of Tri Song-den-tsen (755-804 .".C.),
the son of the murdered king. The inscriptional
evidence of hi3 enthusiasnl for the doctllne
and the promulgation of Buddhist literary
activity explai why he was recognised as an
incarnation ot the bodhisattva Manjusri.
The most remarkable event that Occurred
during his reign was the arrival of the Buddhist
monk Padmasambhava, whom the Tibetans
referred to as Guru R.in -po-che, the Precious
Teacher. He was the founder of the Lamaist
(priestly) Order in Tibet. Padmasambbava
appears to have been a member of the tantric
Yogacarya school, a resident at 0alanda when
the Indian sage Sangharakshita summoned
him at the request of the Tibetan king.
Uddivana, Padmasambhava's native land,
was famed lor the prcfciency of its priests in
sorcery, exorcism and magic, as we under stand
Crom Hieun Tsang's accounts.
It is dificult to ascertain the exact nature
+3
y-
pf the creed taught by Padmasambhava, for the
works attributed to him are said to have
been composed by his disciples several centuries
later. But, considering the background he
came f rom and the association of his name
with lamaist sorceries, it is evident that his
teaching was a magical type of Mahayana
.
Buddhsm, very diferent frorr. early Buddhism.
At the time of the arrival of Padmasambhava,
the indigenous beliefs of the .Tibetans, known
as the Bon religion, with its worship of the
wonder-working powers of nature, magic,
soothsayig and oracles, was held in respect.
Padmasambhava appears to have overcome
whatever opposition he had from the Bon
believers by comig to terms with their beliefs
and incorporating them within the framework of
the new religion. -
Padmasambhava was responible for the
establishment of the frst Tibetan monastery,
Sam-ya, where seven Tibetan monks took
the monastic vows. These monks adhered to
the Sarvastivada school of Buddhsm, which
explains why the scriptures of ths school
form an essential part of the Tibetan canon.
Soon after founding the monastery and
etablishing the Buddhist church, Padmasam
bhava departed from Tibet leaving his disciples
to carry on his work.
Translation Actvity
The next important event i the history of
Tibetan Buddhism was the translation of
works of reputed authors like Vasubandhu and
Kagarjuna, during the reign of Ral-pa-chen
who ruled in the latter half of the ninth century.
Ral-pa-chen's brother, Lan Dharma was
irreligious. He was soon assassinated and the
lamas became the regents during the period of
14
the minority of his sons. From this time, the
lamaist church grew in influence until its .
culmination in the istitution of priest-kings,
the Dalai Lamas.
Atisa
The eleventh century is an important era in
lama ism since it marks the beginning of
the sectarian movement, which began \lith
the reformation started by the Indian monk
Atlsa. At the time of Atisa's arrival in 1038 A.C,
the lamas were a large and infuential body,
.
possessing a good amount of translations 01
the Mahayana canon which taught a Buddhism
diferent from that practised in Tibet. Atsa,
whle adhering to Tantrism, began a reformation
on the lines of purer Mahayana. He enforced
celibacy and a high standard of morality
whe discouraging the practice of magic and
demonolatry. These reforms resulted in the
formation of the sect called Khadampa, the
sect' bound by the orders'. The lamas who,
unreformed, adhered to the old practices
were called nin-ma-pa, 'the old ones '. They
wore red caps, while the lamas of the
Kargyupa sect founded by Marpa 10 the
.
latter half of the eleventh century wore white
caps. The leading adherents of this white
cap sect were Tilopa, Naropa, Maropa and
Milarepa, the hermit saint of Ttbet. The
. Khadampa sect was re-organised at the
beginning of the ffteenth century by Tsong
kapa, who gave the title Gelugpa, 'the
virtuous order,' to the re-organised sect. As the
adherents of this sect wore yellow caps, it came
to be called the Yellow Cap secl. fhls sect
eclipsed al other sects and ohtained the
pr;rst-kingship of Tibet which it continues.