-Tibetan Buddhist Civilization includes Mongol, Ladakh, -Sikkim, and Bhutan, the Himalayan kingdom.
-Tibetan Buddhism is known as the direct successor of -Indian Buddhism.
- The four sects of Tibetan Buddhism are Ningma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Geluk.
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- Tibet became a unified kingdom in the reign of Sontsen Gampo (AD 617- 649). According to a legend, Buddhism was introduced into Tibet by Munsung, the princess of Tang dynasty who was a wife of Sontsen Gampo. Tongmi
Sambhota invented the Tibetan script.
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-Buddhism became the national religion in the reign of Tisong
Detsen (755/756-797). His armies took Changan in 763.
- He invited Shantarakshita, a great Indian Buddhist scholar as well as Padmasambhava, the founder of
Ningma school of Tibetan Buddhism, and built Samye, the first Tibetan
manastery.
- The Chan master Moheyan debated with Kamalashila, one of the chief disciples of Shantarakshita, at Samye.
Buddhism was persecuted by king Lang Darma (838-842), but he was
assassinated by a Buddhist monk.
The gap of power was created (850-950) before the Sakya hegemony under the Mongol patronage.
- The great Buddhist monk-scholar Atisha (982-1054) was invited to Tibet for his teachings.
-Kadam by Atisha’s
successors, Sakya by the Kon family, Kagyu by Marpa (1012- 1097)
-The golden lineage of Kagyu:
Naropa-Marpa-Milarepa (1040-1123)-Gampopa
Bon, the indigenous Tibetan religion, and Ningma
propagated their teachings
widely by termas (hidden books) around 1150.
- Sakya Pandita(1182-1251) was one of the greatest scholars in Tibetan Buddhism.
- He was invited by the Mongol ruler in 1246 and was instrumental for the strong bond between Tibet and Mongol.
-His nephew Phagpa (1235-1280) became the teacher of Kubilai Khan.
Buton (1290-1364) compiled the Tibetan Tripitaka.
-Tsong kha pa (1357-1419) founded the Geluk school of Tibetan Buddhism.
- Later, Altan Khan of Mongol conferred Sonam Gyamtsho of Geluk the title
“Dalai Lama” (the Ocean-guru) by Altan Khan of Mongol.
- Gushri khan of Mongol conquered the entire Tibet and appointed 5th Dalai Lama (1617-1682) as the supreme leader of Tibet in 1642.
Later, Machu rulers directly governed the eastern Tibet-Amdo and Kham-, but the Rime (Non-sectarian) movement arose there.
The 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatsho exiled from Tibet 1959 and founded the exiled government in Dharlmsala.
