We will explore the Tibetan Buddhism by watching a 30 minutes DVD on a lecture on this subject by Professor Malcolm David Eckel of the Boston University. The brief notes below are quotes taken from Dr Eckel’s Course Guidebook, pages 40-43. You may want to think about the question at the bottom of these notes before you watch the DVD!
Summary: “The “First Diffusion” of the Dharma in Tibet began in the seventh century when the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo built a temple in Lhasa to house an image of Buddha. The early history of Tibetan Buddhism was shaped by models borrowed from India. The Indian saint Padmasambhava, or Guru Rinpoche, gave Tibetan Buddhism a strong Tantric flavor, and Shantarakshita introduced Tibetans to the intellectual traditions of the Indian monasteries. Eventually, Tibetan Buddhist developed a tradition of four schools, the Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu and Geluk, each with it’s own distinctive characteristic. Today the Tibetan tradition is best known in the figure of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, recipient of the Nobel Prize in 1989 for his peaceful campaign of resistance to Chinese domination in Tibet.”
1. “During the seventh century, a line of kings in central Tibet united the Tibetan tribes and began to extend their military influence outside the Tibetan plateau. As they turned their tradition beyond Tibet, they encountered the lively Buddhist culture of India, Nepal and China, and Central Asia. ...
2. “According to Tibetan tradition, King Songtsen Gampo (c.609-49) invited one of his two wives to help him introduce the cult of the Buddha to Tibet. …
3. “The next major series of events in Tibetan Buddhist history occurred in the eight century, during the reign of King Thrisong Detsen. …
4. “Thrisong Detsen sponsored the construction of a monastery at Samye, the Buddhist monastery in Tibet. …
5. “Tibetan tradition also tells us that Thrisong Detsen sponsored a debate at Samye to determine the character of Tibetan Buddhism. …
6. “According to Tibetan tradition, the king decided in favour of the Indian party and permanently oriented Tibet toward India. …
7. “The First Diffusion of Buddhism came to an end around the year 836, when a king named Langdarma attempted to suppress Buddhism. He was assassinated, and the line of Tibetan kings was broken. …
8. “The “Later Diffusion” of the Dharma in Tibet took place during the eleventh century. …
9. “The important teacher, such as Atisha (982-1054) and the Tantric saint Marpa (1012-96), reintroduced the tradition of monastic learning from eastern India. …
10. “From these tentative beginnings and others like them, grew most of the schools that have dominated Tibetan Buddhism to the present day. …
11. “The Nyingma, or “Old”, school traces its origin back to the First Diffusion of the Dharma, in the eighth century C.E. …
12. “The Kagyu, or “Teaching Lineage,” School traces its origin to the Lama (guru) Marpa, whose disciple Milarepa (1040-1123) became one of Tibet’s most beloved saints. The story of Milarep’s first meeting with Marpa gives a sense of the robust, down-to-earth quality of this tradition. …
13. “The Sakya School emerged in the eleventh century under the leadership of Drogmi (992-1074). Drogmi was the teacher of Konchog Gyeltsen who, in 1073, found the Sakya Monastery that gave the school its name. …
14. “The Geluk, or “Virtuous Way,” School (also know as the “Yellow Hats”) emerged in the early fourteenth century under the leadership of the scholar Tsongkhapa founded several major monasteries in central Tibet, including Ganden, his home monastery. These have been some of the most influential religious institutions in the history of Tibet. … [Emphasis is mine for you to remember for exams!]
15. “The Tibetan Buddhism is personified for many people today by the figure of the Dalai Lama. …
16. “The present Dalai Lama represent a line of incarnations that goes back to the fourteenth century. …
17. “The title “Dalai Lama” was given to the third member of the linage, Sonam Gyatso (1543-1589) by a Mongol leader named Altan Khan. … [Dalai means ocean; teacher or guru (lama) with ocean of wisdom]
18. “The “Great Fifth” Dalai Lama (1617 – 1683) made the Dalai Lamas the spiritual, as well as the temporal or political leaders of Tibet, bringing the ideal of the righteous king and the charismatic monk together in the same person. …
19. “The first Dalai Lama to become enmeshed in international politics was the thirteenth (1876-1935). …
20. “The weight of international responsibility has fallen most heavily, however on Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama. …
21. “The fourteenth Dalai Lama functions as a bridge between the ancient cultural traditions of Tibet and the complex challenges that face many modern Buddhist at the turn of the twenty-first century. …
Question to Explore:
Give a brief account of the various developments that shaped the Tibetan Buddhism that is now led by the Dalai Lama.
Summary: “The “First Diffusion” of the Dharma in Tibet began in the seventh century when the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo built a temple in Lhasa to house an image of Buddha. The early history of Tibetan Buddhism was shaped by models borrowed from India. The Indian saint Padmasambhava, or Guru Rinpoche, gave Tibetan Buddhism a strong Tantric flavor, and Shantarakshita introduced Tibetans to the intellectual traditions of the Indian monasteries. Eventually, Tibetan Buddhist developed a tradition of four schools, the Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu and Geluk, each with it’s own distinctive characteristic. Today the Tibetan tradition is best known in the figure of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, recipient of the Nobel Prize in 1989 for his peaceful campaign of resistance to Chinese domination in Tibet.”
1. “During the seventh century, a line of kings in central Tibet united the Tibetan tribes and began to extend their military influence outside the Tibetan plateau. As they turned their tradition beyond Tibet, they encountered the lively Buddhist culture of India, Nepal and China, and Central Asia. ...
2. “According to Tibetan tradition, King Songtsen Gampo (c.609-49) invited one of his two wives to help him introduce the cult of the Buddha to Tibet. …
3. “The next major series of events in Tibetan Buddhist history occurred in the eight century, during the reign of King Thrisong Detsen. …
4. “Thrisong Detsen sponsored the construction of a monastery at Samye, the Buddhist monastery in Tibet. …
5. “Tibetan tradition also tells us that Thrisong Detsen sponsored a debate at Samye to determine the character of Tibetan Buddhism. …
6. “According to Tibetan tradition, the king decided in favour of the Indian party and permanently oriented Tibet toward India. …
7. “The First Diffusion of Buddhism came to an end around the year 836, when a king named Langdarma attempted to suppress Buddhism. He was assassinated, and the line of Tibetan kings was broken. …
8. “The “Later Diffusion” of the Dharma in Tibet took place during the eleventh century. …
9. “The important teacher, such as Atisha (982-1054) and the Tantric saint Marpa (1012-96), reintroduced the tradition of monastic learning from eastern India. …
10. “From these tentative beginnings and others like them, grew most of the schools that have dominated Tibetan Buddhism to the present day. …
11. “The Nyingma, or “Old”, school traces its origin back to the First Diffusion of the Dharma, in the eighth century C.E. …
12. “The Kagyu, or “Teaching Lineage,” School traces its origin to the Lama (guru) Marpa, whose disciple Milarepa (1040-1123) became one of Tibet’s most beloved saints. The story of Milarep’s first meeting with Marpa gives a sense of the robust, down-to-earth quality of this tradition. …
13. “The Sakya School emerged in the eleventh century under the leadership of Drogmi (992-1074). Drogmi was the teacher of Konchog Gyeltsen who, in 1073, found the Sakya Monastery that gave the school its name. …
14. “The Geluk, or “Virtuous Way,” School (also know as the “Yellow Hats”) emerged in the early fourteenth century under the leadership of the scholar Tsongkhapa founded several major monasteries in central Tibet, including Ganden, his home monastery. These have been some of the most influential religious institutions in the history of Tibet. … [Emphasis is mine for you to remember for exams!]
15. “The Tibetan Buddhism is personified for many people today by the figure of the Dalai Lama. …
16. “The present Dalai Lama represent a line of incarnations that goes back to the fourteenth century. …
17. “The title “Dalai Lama” was given to the third member of the linage, Sonam Gyatso (1543-1589) by a Mongol leader named Altan Khan. … [Dalai means ocean; teacher or guru (lama) with ocean of wisdom]
18. “The “Great Fifth” Dalai Lama (1617 – 1683) made the Dalai Lamas the spiritual, as well as the temporal or political leaders of Tibet, bringing the ideal of the righteous king and the charismatic monk together in the same person. …
19. “The first Dalai Lama to become enmeshed in international politics was the thirteenth (1876-1935). …
20. “The weight of international responsibility has fallen most heavily, however on Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama. …
21. “The fourteenth Dalai Lama functions as a bridge between the ancient cultural traditions of Tibet and the complex challenges that face many modern Buddhist at the turn of the twenty-first century. …
Question to Explore:
Give a brief account of the various developments that shaped the Tibetan Buddhism that is now led by the Dalai Lama.
