2. Sources of Tibetan religious traditions

Abstract

‘Sources of Tibetan religious traditions’ describes the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet in the fourth century ce. The Tsenpo, or emperor, Tri Songdetsen founded Tibet's first Buddhist monastery, Samyé, in c. 779 and invited the Indian teacher Śāntarakṣita to ordain the first Tibetan Buddhist monks. Together, Tri Songdetsen, Śāntarakṣita, and the adept Padmasambhava are revered as the trinity of the Tibetan conversion. The ‘sudden’ and ‘gradual’ views of enlightenment are then described, followed by the fall of the Tibetan empire, the decline of Buddhist monasticism, and the emergence of the Bön religion. The beginnings of Nyingmapa – tantric Buddhism – and the nine vehicles are also discussed.