Pre–6th century Centuries after
Buddhism originated in India, the
Mahayana Buddhism
arrived in China through the Silk Route in 1st century CE via
Tibet. During the 3rd century CE, Buddhism began to spread into the Tibetan region, and its teachings affected the Bon religion in the
Kingdom of Zhangzhung.
First dissemination (7th–9th centuries) While some stories depict Buddhism in Tibet before this period, the religion was formally introduced during the
Tibetan Empire (7th–9th century CE).
Sanskrit Buddhist scriptures from India were first translated into Tibetan under the reign of the Tibetan king
Songtsän Gampo (618–649 CE). This period also saw the development of the
Tibetan writing system and
classical Tibetan. In the 8th century, King
Trisong Detsen (755–797 CE) established it as the official religion of the state and commanded his army to wear robes and study Buddhism. Trisong Detsen invited Indian Buddhist scholars to his court, including
Padmasambhāva (8th century CE) and
Śāntarakṣita (725–788), who are considered the founders of
Nyingma (
The Ancient Ones), the oldest tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Padmasambhava, who is considered by the Tibetans as Guru Rinpoche ("Precious Master"), is also credited with building the first monastery building named "Samye" around the late 8th century. According to some legend, it is noted that he pacified the Bon demons and made them the core protectors of Dharma. Modern historians also argue that Trisong Detsen and his followers adopted Buddhism as an act of international diplomacy, especially with the major power of those times such as China, India, and states in Central Asia that had strong Buddhist influence in their culture.
Yeshe Tsogyal, the most important female in the Nyingma Vajrayana lineage, was a member of Trisong Detsen's court and became Padmasambhava's student before gaining enlightenment. Trisong Detsen also invited the
Chan master
Moheyan to transmit the Dharma at
Samye Monastery. Some sources state that a debate ensued between Moheyan and the Indian master
Kamalaśīla, without consensus on the victor, and some scholars consider the event to be fictitious.
Era of fragmentation (9th–10th centuries) A reversal in Buddhist influence began under King
Langdarma (r. 836–842), and his death was followed by the so-called
Era of Fragmentation, a period of disunity during the 9th and 10th centuries. During this era, the political centralization of the earlier Tibetan Empire collapsed and civil wars ensued. In spite of this loss of state power and patronage however, Buddhism survived and thrived in Tibet. According to
Geoffrey Samuel this was because "Tantric (Vajrayana) Buddhism came to provide the principal set of techniques by which Tibetans dealt with the dangerous powers of the spirit world [...] Buddhism, in the form of Vajrayana ritual, provided a critical set of techniques for dealing with everyday life. Tibetans came to see these techniques as vital for their survival and prosperity in this life." This includes dealing with the local gods and spirits (
sadak and
shipdak), which became a specialty of some Tibetan Buddhist lamas and
ngagpas (
mantrikas, mantra specialists).
Second dissemination (10th–12th centuries) The late 10th and 11th centuries saw a revival of Buddhism in Tibet with the founding of "New Translation" (
Sarma) lineages as well as the appearance of "
hidden treasures" (
terma) literature which reshaped the
Nyingma tradition. In 1042 the Bengali saint,
Atiśa (982–1054) arrived in Tibet at the invitation of a west Tibetan king and further aided dissemination of Buddhist values in Tibetan culture and in consequential affairs of state. His erudition supported the translation of major Buddhist texts, which evolved into the canons of Bka'-'gyur (Translation of the Buddha Word) and Bstan-'gyur (Translation of Teachings). The ''Bka'-'gyur
has six main categories: (1) Tantra, (2) Prajñāpāramitā, (3) Ratnakūṭa Sūtra, (4) Avataṃsaka Sūtra, (5) Other sutras, and (6) Vinaya. The Bstan-'gyur'' comprises 3,626 texts and 224 volumes on such things as hymns, commentaries and supplementary tantric material. Atiśa's chief disciple,
Dromtön founded the
Kadampa school of Tibetan Buddhism, one of the first Sarma schools. The
Sakya (
Grey Earth) school, was founded by
Khön Könchok Gyelpo (1034–1102), a disciple of the great
scholar, Drogmi Shākya. It is headed by the
Sakya Trizin, and traces its lineage to the
mahasiddha Virūpa.
Mongol dominance (13th–14th centuries) Tibetan Buddhism exerted a strong influence from the 11th century CE among the peoples of
Inner Asia, especially the
Mongols, and Tibetan and
Mongolian Buddhism influenced each other. This was done with the help of
Kublai Khan and Mongolian
theologians influenced by the
Church of the East. The
Mongols invaded Tibet in 1240 and 1244. They eventually annexed
Amdo and
Kham and appointed the great scholar and abbot
Sakya Pandita (1182–1251) as Viceroy of Central Tibet in 1249. In this way, Tibet was incorporated into the
Mongol Empire, with the Sakya hierarchy retaining nominal power over religious and regional political affairs, while the Mongols retained structural and administrative rule over the region, reinforced by the rare military intervention. Tibetan Buddhism was adopted as the
de facto state religion by the Mongol
Yuan dynasty (1271–1368) of
Kublai Khan.
From family rule to Ganden Phodrang government (14th–18th centuries) in Lhasa, chief residence and political center of the
Dalai Lamas. With the decline and end of the Mongol Yuan dynasty, Tibet regained independence and was ruled by successive local families from the 14th to the 17th century.
Jangchub Gyaltsän (1302–1364) became the strongest political family in the mid 14th century. During this period the reformist scholar
Je Tsongkhapa (1357–1419) founded the
Gelug school which would have a decisive influence on Tibet's history. The
Ganden Tripa is the nominal head of the Gelug school, though its most influential figure is the Dalai Lama. The Ganden Tripa is an appointed office and not a reincarnation lineage. The position can be held by an individual for seven years and this has led to more Ganden Tripas than Dalai Lamas. Internal strife within the
Phagmodrupa dynasty, and the strong localism of the various fiefs and political-religious factions, led to a long series of internal conflicts. The minister family
Rinpungpa, based in
Tsang (West Central Tibet), dominated politics after 1435. In 1565, the Rinpungpa family was overthrown by the
Tsangpa Dynasty of
Shigatse, which expanded its power in different directions of Tibet in the following decades and favoured the
Karma Kagyu sect. They would play a pivotal role in the events which led to the rise of power of the Dalai Lama's in the 1640s. In China, Tibetan Buddhism continued to be patronized by the elites of the Ming Dynasty. According to
David M. Robinson, during this era, Tibetan Buddhist monks "conducted court rituals, enjoyed privileged status and gained access to the jealously guarded, private world of the emperors". The Ming
Yongle Emperor (r. 1402–1424) promoted the carving of printing blocks for the
Kangyur, now known as "the Yongle Kanjur", and seen as an important edition of the collection. The Ming Dynasty also supported the propagation of Tibetan Buddhism in Mongolia during this period. Tibetan Buddhist missionaries also helped spread the religion in Mongolia. It was during this era that
Altan Khan the leader of the
Tümed Mongols, converted to Buddhism, and allied with the Gelug school, conferring the title of Dalai Lama to
Sonam Gyatso in 1578. During a Tibetan civil war in the 17th century,
Sonam Choephel (1595–1657 CE), the chief regent of the
5th Dalai Lama, conquered and unified Tibet to establish the
Ganden Phodrang government with the help of the
Güshi Khan of the
Khoshut Mongols. The
Ganden Phodrang and the successive Gelug
tulku lineages of the Dalai Lamas and
Panchen Lamas maintained regional control of
Tibet from the mid-17th to mid-20th centuries.
Qing rule (18th–20th centuries) , a temple of the Gelug tradition in
Beijing established in the Qing Dynasty. The
Qing dynasty (1644–1912) established a Chinese rule over Tibet after a
Qing expeditionary force defeated the
Dzungars (who controlled Tibet) in 1720, and lasted until the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1912. The
Manchu rulers of the Qing dynasty supported Tibetan Buddhism, especially the
Gelug sect, during most of their rule. The reign of the
Qianlong Emperor (respected as the
Emperor Manjushri) was the high mark for this promotion of Tibetan Buddhism in China, with the visit of the
6th Panchen Lama to Beijing, and the building of temples in the Tibetan style, such as
Xumi Fushou Temple, the
Puning Temple and
Putuo Zongcheng Temple (modeled after the potala palace). This period also saw the rise of the
Rimé movement, a 19th-century nonsectarian movement involving the
Sakya,
Kagyu and
Nyingma schools of Tibetan Buddhism, along with some
Bon scholars. Having seen how the
Gelug institutions pushed the other traditions into the corners of Tibet's cultural life, scholars such as
Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820–1892) and
Jamgön Kongtrül (1813–1899) compiled together the teachings of the
Sakya,
Kagyu and
Nyingma, including many near-extinct teachings. Without Khyentse and Kongtrul's collecting and printing of rare works, the suppression of Buddhism by the Communists would have been much more final. The Rimé movement is responsible for a number of scriptural compilations, such as the
Rinchen Terdzod and the
Sheja Dzö. During the Qing, Tibetan Buddhism also remained the major religion of the
Mongols under Qing rule (1635–1912), as well as the state religion of the
Kalmyk Khanate (1630–1771), the
Dzungar Khanate (1634–1758) and the
Khoshut Khanate (1642–1717).
20th century photo of
Gandantegchinlen Monastery in 1913,
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia In 1912, following the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Tibet became de facto independent under the 13th
Dalai Lama government based in
Lhasa, maintaining the current territory of what is now called the
Tibetan Autonomous Region. During the
Republic of China (1912–1949), the "Chinese Tantric Buddhist Revival Movement" () took place, and important figures such as
Nenghai (, 1886–1967) and Master Fazun (, 1902–1980) promoted Tibetan Buddhism and translated Tibetan works into Chinese. This movement was severely damaged during the
Cultural Revolution, however. After the
Battle of Chamdo, Tibet was annexed by
China in 1950. In 1959 the
14th Dalai Lama and a great number of clergy and citizenry fled the country, to settle in India and other neighbouring countries. The events of the
Cultural Revolution (1966–76) saw religion as one of the main political targets of the
Chinese Communist Party, and most of the several thousand temples and monasteries in Tibet were destroyed, with many monks and lamas imprisoned. During this time, private religious expression, as well as Tibetan cultural traditions, were suppressed. Much of the Tibetan textual heritage and institutions were destroyed, and monks and nuns were forced to disrobe. After 1980, under the leadership of Tulku Yanban Shire Jangtsen (
Karma Rinpoche),
Changlei Monastery was gradually rebuilt. Outside of Tibet, however, there has been a renewed interest in Tibetan Buddhism in places such as Nepal and Bhutan. Meanwhile, the spread of Tibetan Buddhism in the Western world was accomplished by many of the refugee Tibetan Lamas who escaped Tibet, After the liberalization policies in China during the 1980s, the religion began to recover with some temples and monasteries being reconstructed. Tibetan Buddhism is now an influential religion in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and overseas Chinese communities. Widespread reports document the arrests and disappearances of nuns and monks, while the Chinese government classifies religious practices as "gang crime". Reports include the demolition of monasteries, forced disrobing, forced reeducation, and detentions of nuns and monks, especially those residing at
Yarchen Gar's center, the most highly publicized.
21st century meeting with U.S. President
Barack Obama in 2016. Due to his widespread popularity, the Dalai Lama has become the modern international face of Tibetan Buddhism. Today, Tibetan Buddhism is adhered to widely in the
Tibetan Plateau,
Mongolia, northern
Nepal,
Kalmykia (on the north-west shore of the Caspian),
Siberia (
Tuva and
Buryatia), the
Russian Far East and northeast China. It is the
state religion of
Bhutan. The Indian regions of
Sikkim and
Ladakh, both formerly independent kingdoms, are also home to significant Tibetan Buddhist populations, as are the Indian states of
Himachal Pradesh (which includes
Dharamshala and the district of Lahaul-Spiti),
West Bengal (the hill stations of
Darjeeling and
Kalimpong) and
Arunachal Pradesh. Religious communities, refugee centers and monasteries have also been established in
South India. The 14th Dalai Lama is the leader of the
Tibetan government in exile which was initially dominated by the Gelug school, however, according to Geoffrey Samuel:The Dharamsala administration under the Dalai Lama has nevertheless managed, over time, to create a relatively inclusive and democratic structure that has received broad support across the Tibetan communities in exile. Senior figures from the three non-Gelukpa Buddhist schools and from the Bonpo have been included in the religious administration, and relations between the different lamas and schools are now on the whole very positive. This is a considerable achievement, since the relations between these groups were often competitive and conflict-ridden in Tibet before 1959, and mutual distrust was initially widespread. The Dalai Lama's government at Dharamsala has also continued under difficult circumstances to argue for a negotiated settlement rather than armed struggle with China. Buddhist center in
Paris. In the wake of the
Tibetan diaspora, Tibetan Buddhism has also gained adherents in
the West and throughout the world. Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and centers were first established in
Europe and
North America in the 1960s, and most are now supported by non-Tibetan followers of Tibetan lamas. Some of these westerners went on to learn Tibetan, undertake extensive training in the traditional practices and have been recognized as lamas. Fully ordained Tibetan Buddhist Monks have also entered Western societies in other ways, such as working academia. Samuel sees the character of Tibetan Buddhism in the West as ==Teachings==