On the Dissemination of Buddhist Tantras in Tibet. A Historical Introduction

Abstract

Abstract This study outlines the phases of dissemination and development of the Buddhist tantras in Tibet. Analysing the earliest imperial catalogues, we trace, among the Buddhist scriptures that were translated from Sanskrit and Chinese into Tibetan, the first tantric texts that spread to Tibet. We then examine the doxographies and the classifications of the various categories of tantras conceived by Tibetan scholars over time, which converged in the process of formation and compilation of the different Tibetan canons of the “New” and of the “Ancient” schools. The gter ma phenomenon is analysed, considering it the way in which tantric Buddhist doctrines have been redefined over time, to adapt to various historical changes. Finally we take into consideration the creation of the Bon tantric literature, its classification and organisation in the Bon canon that, despite its development outside the mainstream schools, played an important role in the religious history of Tibet.