The History of Bengal (Vol. I: Hindu Period; Vol. II: Muslim Period 1200–1757) v1.c19.s10.13

v1.c19.s10.13

It is a matter of common knowledge that the form of Buddhist religion and monastic order in Tibet was largely shaped by a number of famous Buddhist teachers from Bengal. Fortunately, the Tibetan chronicles have preserved a detailed account of a large number of Indian Paṇḍits from the Pāla kingdom who visited the Land of Snow, and not only preached the Buddhist religion and translated Indian texts, but transmitted to that inaccessible region the various elements of Indian culture and civilisation. Their literary and religious activities have been treated in a general way in Chs. XI and XIII. Here we would refer to only a few distinguished persons among them who may be regarded, on reasonable grounds, to be inhabitants of Bengal. The detailed accounts of their lives are culled from Tibetan sources, and though much of them may be merely traditional, unsupported by positive testimony, they are still of great value, at least in so far as they hold out before us a general picture of the honour and respect accorded to the Bengali scholars and religious teachers in Tibet.