Chan Buddhism was introduced to the
Nyingma school of
Tibetan Buddhism in three principal streams: the teachings of Kim Hwashang transmitted by Sang Shi in c750 CE; the lineage of
Baotang Wuzhu was transmitted within Tibet by Yeshe Wangpo; and the teaching of
Moheyan, which were a synthesis of the East Mountain and Baotang schools. Legend states that
Trisong Detsen (742–797) invited Moheyan to teach at
Samye. Moheyan had been teaching at
Dunhuang, which the
Tibetan Empire had conquered in 786, but he lost an important philosophical debate on the nature of emptiness from the Indian master
Kamalaśīla and the king declared Kamalaśīla's philosophy should form the basis for Tibetan Buddhism rather than Chan. This legendary "great debate" was known as "the Council of Lhasa" and is narrated and depicted in a specific
cham dance held annually at
Kumbum Monastery,
Qinghai. Ray (2005) holds that the first documented dissemination of Chan to Tibet, chronicled in what has become known as the
Statements of the Sba Family, occurred around 761 when Trisong Detsen sent a party to
Yizhou to receive the teachings of Kim Hwashang, whom they encountered in Sichuan. The party received teachings and three Chinese texts from Kim, who died soon after. == Notes ==