Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s1.t4: Tibetan Buddhism

Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s1.t4

Language: English

Tibetan Buddhism

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*Bod brgyud nang bstan chos lugs*, also known as Tibetan Buddhism, is one of Chinese major Buddhist sects, Mahayana Buddhism, one of three languages of Buddhism.

Tibetan Buddhism emerged in the 8th and 9th centuries CE and matured in the 12th and 13th centuries CE and it was characteristic of Indian Buddism in the middle and late period. In the 7th century CE, Buddhism spread from India, Nepal, the Tang Dynasty and the Western Region to Tibet and evolved into Tibetan Buddhism characterised by humane and geological environment, undergoing epoch-making dynastic history of *bstan pa snga dar* and *bstan pa phyi dar*.

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*Bstan pa snga* started from King Songtsan Gampo (the middle 7th century CE) and ended in the period of Gldarma banning Buddhism (the middle 9th century CE) and it lasted for about 200 years, entering into a golden period of Buddhism spreading to Tibet and evolving into Tibetan Buddhism. In the 8th century CE, Tibet sent envoy to India to invite eminent monks such as *Santiraksita/zhi ba vtsho* (the 8th century CE), *pad ma vbyung gnas* (the 8th century CE), Bimalamitra (the 8th century CE) and Kamalashila (740-795 CE) to build temples, form monk groups, translate Sanskrit scriptures and teach

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Image of Princess Wen Cheng at Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Tibet, China

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Tripitaka (Three Treasures) in Turo. In the heyday of Buddhism, Tibet banned the spread of Buddhism, making Tibetan Buddhism entre into centennial dark ages.

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*Bastan pa phyi dar* started from the 10th century CE and ended during the emergence of *dge lugs pa* in the 15th century CE and it lasted for 400 to 500 years. In *bstan pa phyi da*, Tibetan Buddhism resurrected in Tibet and ushered a new era after being banned for a period when some young Tibetans converted to Buddhist and went to India to study. In the early 10th century CE, a large number of young Tibetans went to India to study *dharma*, of which *lo chen rin chen bzang po* (958～1055 CE), *vbrog mi shakya ye shes* (993～1074 CE), *nag tsho lo tsaw ba tshul khrims rgyal ba* (1011～1064 CE) and *mar pa chos kyi blo gros* (1012～1097 CE) stood out from others. After completing study in India and returning to hometown, they taught *sutra* and *dharma* and translated *sutra* at the same time, launching a campaign for spreading Buddhism in Tibet. It is worth mentioning that Aatisha (982～1054 CE) made disciples and taught dharma in Tibet, making a great contribution to the formation and development of various Tibetan Buddhist sects.

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Tibetan Buddhism is renowned for complete *Tripitaka* (Three Treasures), namely *Sutra Pitika*, *Vinaya Pitika* and *Abhidharma Pitika* including Chinese *Tripitaka* of *bkav vagyur* (Sutra Pitika and Vinaya Pitika) and *bstan vgyur* (Abhidharma Pitika) as well as numerous well-preserved and spread literatures and sutras which boast all-inclusive contents and encompass rig gnas bcu such as technology, medicine, phonetics, Astika, Buddhism, rhetoric, rhetorique, prosody, drama and astrology and humanities and social sciences and natural science including Buddhism, philosophy, logic, history, culture, ethics, moralities, geology, ecology, literature, arts, architecture, astrology, calendar and medicine.

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Tibetan Buddhism acquired mastery of theg dman (*sthaviravada*), theg chen and rdo rje theg pa (Trantrism), Tripitaka (Three Treasures) or three teachings and developed Tibetan Buddhist theoretical system and practice methods for percept lineage, systematic doctrines, sectarian insights, Tantric lineage, practice sequence and achieving complete Buddihahood. Therefore, Tibetan Buddhism is characterised by integration, system and lineage. Additionally, it achieved great attainments in theoretical system such as Tantric lineage, reincarnation of living Buddha, temple education, religious rites, literatures and sutras, *Nyaya sutras* and *Madhyamika* and developed unique sectarian style and distinctive religious culture.

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Tibetan Buddhism split into more than 20 relatively independent sects and schools with different doctrines and distinctive style, including five major sects such as dge lugs pa, rnying ma pa, sa skya pa, bkav brgyud pa, jo nang ba plus other sects and schools such as bkav gdams pa, zhi byed pa, gcod lugs and bu lugs. In particular, bkav brgyud-pa featured complicated *dharma* and many branch sects including three dharma lineages such as shangs pa bkav brgyud, mar pa bkav brgyud and dwags po bkav brgyud. Among them, dwags po bkav brgyud developed its own style and had four branch sects such as karma bkav brgyud, tshal pa bkav brgyud, phag gru bkav brgyud and vbav ram bkav brgyud and eight branches such as vbrug pa bkav brgyud, vbri gung bkav brgyud, stag lung bkav brgyud, gayav bzang bkav brgyud, khro phu bkav brgyud, shug gseb bkav brgyud, yel pa bkav brgyud and smar tshang bkav brgyud, which spread across Tibet.

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The Tripiṭaka edition composed by Jinzhi, preserved at the Drepung Monastery, Lhasa

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Meanwhile, Tibetan Buddhist sects emerged and developed in an imbalanced way. Due to variation in space and times and subjective and objective conditions, some sects such as shangs pa bkav brgyud were ephemeral; some sects such as Kadampa and Zhi-byed-pa assimilated into other sects by means of proselytism and the dharma lineage had link with others; some sects such as dwags po bkav brgyud achieved prosperity and spread widely.

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Tibetan Buddhism spread in the minorities' areas where Tibetan, Mongolian, Tu Nationality, Yugur and Naxi Nationality resided, some domestic regions such as Wutai Mountain in Shaanxi and Chengde, Hebei Province and some foreign countries and regions such as Bhutan, Nepal, India, Mongolia, Russia, North America and Europe.

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(*Kalsang gyal*)

Cites (1)

Nyāyasūtra — Akṣapāda Gautama, Sanskrit