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Tibet Before and After Buddhism
Jeffrey L. Richey, Ph.D.
REL 231
Religions of India and Tibet
Berea College
Fall 2003
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TIBETAN RELIGION BEFORE
THE 7TH CENTURY CE
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Cult of divine king:
Descendant of celestial beings
who reach earth via “sky rope”
Perennially reborn essence of
royal ancestors
Giver of law ( = cosmic order)
Priestly class (also regarded as
incarnations of predecessors):
Bon (“reciters”) – preside over
coronations, funerals, sacrifices
Shen – shamans who
communicate with spirit world
Since 1000 CE, Bönpo tradition
has claimed continuity with preBuddhist Tibetan religion
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THE ADVENT OF
BUDDHISM IN TIBET
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By 600s CE, Tibet is major unified
power in Asia, rivaling both
Chinese Tang Empire (618-907)
and Hindu kingdoms in India
During reign of King Songtsen
Gampo (c. 627-650), Chinese- and
Nepalese-born Buddhist wives
allegedly bring Buddhist traditions
to the Tibetan court
With Buddhist traditions come
Sanskrit and development of
Sanskrit-based written script for
Tibetan language
By 700s, Indian (Tantric) Buddhist
missionaries active in Tibet, and
indigenous religion suppressed by
royal decree
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THE VAJRAYĀNA
(TANTRIC) TRADITION
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Rooted in tantra (Sanskrit:
“warp” of loom, “strands” of
braid) – Indian esoteric tradition
in Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism
Outgrowth of Mahāyāna
speculation about “Buddhanature” and “sudden”
enlightenment, as well as
interaction with Hindu bhākti
Devotees regard the universe
(macrocosm) as concrete
manifestation of enlightened
consciousness that creates and
maintains it
Using the body and other
microcosms of universe, devotees
utilize power of enlightened
consciousness for liberation
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Devotees visualize and identify with
Buddhas and bodhisattvas within in
order to achieve enlightenment, using
ritual elements as catalysts for
transforming consciousness:
kāma (desire, especially sexual)
mantra (sacred words)
mandala (cosmic diagrams)
mudrā (ritual gestures)
Strong emphasis on authority of guru
(Tibetan: lama), who may be an
incarnate Buddha or bodhisattva
“Right-handed” tantra tends toward
internalization and spiritualization of
practice (“knowing”-oriented)
“Left-handed” tantra tends toward
externalization and concretization of
practice (“doing”-oriented)
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THE FALL AND RISE OF
TIBETAN BUDDHISM
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Padmasambhava, an Indian Tantric
master later regarded as a Buddha
by Tibetans, establishes the first
Tibetan Buddhist monastery (c.
779)
Last of Tibetan kings, Lang Darma
(r. 836-842), persecutes Buddhism,
destroying monasteries and texts
His subsequent assassination leads
to 200-year period of disunity in
which Buddhist and Bönpo
partisans struggle for supremacy
By 1000, Buddhism reintroduced
and ties with Indian Buddhism
renewed at a time of increasing
peril for Buddhism in India
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TIBETAN BUDDHISM AND
THE TIBETAN STATE
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Mongol annexation of Tibet (c.
1200) leads to establishment of
Sakya Pandita (d. 1251), monk of
Sakyapa sect, as viceroy of Tibet
During Mongol (Yuan) reign over
China (1280-1368), rule of Tibet by
Sakyapa leaders continues
(extending Tibetan Buddhist
influence to China)
As Mongol rule wanes, Tibetan
Buddhism takes on nationalistic,
xenophobic flavor, marked by
“discovery” of gTer-ma (“treasure
texts”) from India – supposedly
long hidden and karmically timed
to be revealed at opportune
moments
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By 1400, Tibetan Buddhism
increasingly independent of both
Chinese-Mongol political control
and Indian religious influence
The Mādhyamika scholar Tsong
Kha-pa (1357-1419) leads reform
of Buddhist sects, revival of
intellectual rigor, and promotion of
monastic discipline in Tibet
Leaders of his Gelugpa (“system of
virtue”) sect, called Dalai Lama
(Mongolian: “Ocean Guru”),
regarded as tulku (incarnations) of
Avalokiteśvara
In 1642, fifth Dalai Lama becomes
spiritual-political ruler of Tibet and
asserts himself as equal to Chinese
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and Mongol heads of state
THE MANDALA IN
TIBETAN BUDDHISM
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Mandala is Tantric tool for
accessing and utilizing the
enlightened consciousness both
without (in Buddhas) and within
(in Buddha-nature) that creates
and sustains universe
Mandala is grid or template for
tracking flow of power in universe,
with source at center and all else
radiating outward, becoming
instrument for manipulating one’s
consciousness
Thus, mandala = mesocosm that
bridges microcosm (human body)
and macrocosm (universe)
Mandalas constructed of painted
sand often destroyed to symbolize
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truth of impermanence
INVASION AND EXILE
(1904-PRESENT)
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1904: British invade Tibet to force
acceptance of trade treaty
1907: Manchurian rulers of China
invade Tibet to assert Chinese
claim of political supremacy
1912: Manchurian (Qing) dynasty
falls, temporarily ending threat
1959: 14th Dalai Lama escapes to
India to avoid assassination by
Chinese following 1950 invasion
1959-1979: 95% of Tibetan
monasteries destroyed and Tibetan
population displaced by massive
Chinese immigration
1989: 14th Dalai Lama awarded
Nobel Peace Prize for efforts to
negotiate settlement with China
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