A History of Indian Literature v2.c19.s6.t4.373

v2.c19.s6.t4.373

In the 8th century Śāntarakṣita wrote a large philosophical work Tattva-Saṃgraha,³ in which, from the standpoint of the Svātantrika Yogācāra school, he criticises numerous other philosophical systems of his day, both Buddhist and non-Buddhist. He himself does not mention the names of the teachers whom he attacks, but we learn them from the commentary which his pupil Kamalaśīla wrote on the work. Among Buddhist teachers we find there Vasumitra, Dharmatrāta, Ghoṣaka, Buddhadeva, Saṅghabhadra, Vasubandhu, Dignāga and Dharmakīrti. Besides these, teachers of the Lokāyata, the Jain philosophy, and of Sāṃkhya, Nyāya and Mīmāṃsā are also named. The Madhyamakālaṃkāra-Kārikās, with the author's own commentary, are a shorter work of Śāntarakṣita. The work has come down only in the Tibetan translation.¹ Tibetan sources also allow us to glean something as to the life of Śāntarakṣita. He came from Nālandā to Tibet, where he founded the monastery of Sam-ye in the year 749 A.D., the first proper Buddhist monastery in Tibet. He lived there for thirteen years, and died in 762 A.D. Padmasambhava, who is usually mentioned as the founder of Lamaism, is said to have been the brother-in-law and collaborator of Śāntarakṣita.²