KING SRONGTSAN GAMPO.

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century A.D., begins with King Srongtsan Gampo, who was born in the year 617 A.D. and died 698.1 This king is highly extolled by them on account of his successful efforts in propagating Buddhism. He even went so far as to send to India, in the year 632 A.D., his primeminister, Thumi Sambhota, with sixteen companions, who had orders to study carefully the sacred Buddhist books and the Indian language; the members of this mission were also instructed to bring back to Tíbet a complete system of the alphabet as used in India, with a view to its being hereafter adapted to the Tibetan language. After the safe return of the party from a journey which is described as fraught with incredible difficulties, Thumi Sambhota constructed the Tibetan letters from the Devanagari alphabet, whereupon King Srongtsan Gampo ordered the sacred Indian books treating on Buddhists doctrines to the translated into Tibetan. At the same time he

3

Respecting this distinction of the two periods see Csoma's Grammar, p. 196, Note 18.-The year of Srongtsan's death is given on the authority of Ssanang and Klaproth; in Csoma's list it is not mentioned.

2 A previous mission is said to have been compelled by the malignant spirits to return, after reaching the frontier. For Tibetan accounts of the attempts of Srongtsan to form a Tibetan alphabet, see Schmidt's notes to "Ssanang Ssetsen," p. 326.

3 Respecting the striking resemblance of the Tibetan capital letters to the ancient Devanagari characters much interesting information is furnished in the comparative tables given by Hodgson in his "Notices," As. Res., Vol. XVI., p. 420. Schmidt, "Ueber den Ursprung der tib. Schrift," Mém. de l'Acad. de Pet., Vol. I., p. 41. Csoma, "Grammar," p. 204.-Thumi Sambhota is said to be an incarnation of the Bodhisattva Manjusri. This divine person, in Tibetan called Jamjang, is to be viewed in a double sense. He appears to be an historical personage who taught Buddhist doctrines in Népal in the 8th or 9th century A.D.; but he is also worshipped as a mythological person of the divine nature of a Bodhisattva (his Sakti is Sarasvati, Tib. Ngagi lhamo), who is believed to have inspired with his divine intelligence many a person who has much contributed to the propagation of Buddhist theories. He is

issued severe laws with the intent of abolishing once. and for ever some of the rude manners of his subjects.

In all these praiseworthy actions King Srongtsan Gampo was most energetically supported by his two wives, one of whom was a Nepalese the other a Chinese princess; both of them, who throughout their life-time proved most faithful votaries to the faith of Buddha, are worshipped either under the general name of Dolma (in Sanskrit Tārā), or under the respective names of Dolkar and Doljang. These princesses are said to have brought with them to Tíbet a variety of valuable religious books, with wonderful miracle-working images, and relics of Sakyamuni, besides building numerous temples and colleges.' Attracted by these acts of benevolence, which soon became widely known, many foreign priests settled in Tíbet during the lifetime of these

the God of wisdom, swinging the "sword of wisdom" (Tib. Shesrab ralgri) with a flamed point to dissipate the darkness among men. Chinese books say of his faculties: "When he preaches the great law, every demon is subjugated, every error that may deceive man is dissipated, and there is not a heretic but returns to his duty." Manjusrī is also "the ruler of the year," which epithet refers to the first day of the year being consecrated to him. Foe koue ki, p. 116. Compare Hodgson, "Classification of the Nevars," in Journ. As. Soc. Beng., Vol. XII., p. 216. Burnouf, "Le Lotus,” pp. 498-511. Lassen, "Indische Alterthumskunde,” Vol. III., p, 777.

In pictures they are both represented in identical attitudes, the right foot hanging down over the throne, the right hand holding the blue lotus Utpala (Nelumbium speciosum, "Encyclopædia of India," by Balfour, p. 1291, a plant which occurs in Kashmir and Persia). But the complexion is different; Dolkar is of white colour, Doljang of green colour. Doljang is also implored by women for fecundity, and it is in allusion to this virtue that in a picture of ours a flat dish in which apples are heaped up, is drawn at their feet. The fullest Tibetan account of the legends concerning these deities is found in the Mani Kambum (see p. 84) and in a book mentioned to Adolph to be entitled, "a clear mirror of royal pedigree." A hymn addressed to Doljang is given by Klaproth, "Reise in den Kaukasus," Vol. I., p. 215.

KING THISRONG DE TSAN.

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princesses, and thus contributed to a more general knowledge of Buddhism.

Under the successors of King Srongtsan Gampo the religion did not greatly flourish, but under one of them, Thisrong de tsan, who lived in the years 728-786 A.D.1 Buddhism began to revive, owing to revive, owing to the useful regulations proclaimed by this king. He it was who successfully crushed an attempt made by the chiefs during his minority to suppress the new creed, and it is principally due to him that the Buddhist faith became henceforth permanently established. He induced the learned Pandit Santa Rakshita (Tib. Zhiva tso), commonly called Bodhisattva, to leave Bengál and settle in Tíbet; and at his recommendation the great Guru Padma Sambhava (in Tibetan Padma jungne, or Urgyen) from Kafiristán (Udyāna), who was famed far and wide for his extraordinary knowledge of Dharanis and their application and rites, also changed his residence to become a Tibetan subject. The Indian sages who were now induced to settle in Tíbet for ever superseded the influence of the Chinese priests and the doctrines propounded by them. The latter had been the first Buddhist missionaries in Tíbet, and seem to have taught the principles of Nagarjuna with the modifications established by the Yogacharya school; for we learn from the history of Buddhism of the Tibetan Puton or Buston, who wrote in the fourteenth century, that in their system man is not allowed to make any notion the object of his meditation. Padma

Ssanang Ssetsen, 787-845. Klaproth, 778.

Sambhava and subsequent Indian priests, however, explained the law in the sense of the Madhyamika school, which in India at this period had just gained influence over the Yogacharya system; they insisted upon assiduity in undisturbed meditation. But King Thisrong de tsan, who did not wish two opposing doctrines to be taught, ordered a disputation to take place between the Chinese Mahāyāna (a name evidently symbolical of the system he defended) and the Hindu Kamalasila. Mahāyāna was defeated and obliged to leave Tíbet, and since this period Indian priests only were called and Madhyamika doctrines taught. King Thisrong built the large monastery and temple of Bima at Samyé, and ordered the translation of the sacred books into the Tibetan language to be carried on energetically.

1

A later ruler of the name of Langdar, or Langdharma, again tried to abolish Buddhist doctrines. He commanded all temples and monasteries to be demolished, the images to be destroyed, and the sacred books to be burnt; but so intense was the indignation excited by these acts of sacrilege, that he was murdered, in the year 900 A.D. Langdar's son and successor is also said to have died in his 64th year "without religion." Bilamgur Tsan, Langhdarma's grandson, proved, on the other hand,

2

See p. 54.-Wassiljew, "Der Buddhismus," p. 350; comp. pp. 324, 355. Rémusat, Nouv. Journ. As. 1832, p. 44. The Bhodimör designates the two doctrines Tonmin and Tsemin; Georgi, "Alphab. Tibet," p. 222, by Dote (from the m Do or Sūtras) and Gyute (from the Gyut or Tantras); these names imply that Tantrika principles had gradually crept into the Madhyamika systems.

2 Ssanang Ssetsen post-dates this event to the year 925. Langdharma was born, according to Csoma, in 861; Ssanang Ssetsen says 863 and Klaproth 901.

THE LAMA TSONKHAPA.

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favourably inclined to Buddhism; he re-built eight temples, and died after a glorious reign of eighteen years. With this period we have to connect "the second propagation of Buddhism;" it received, especially from the year 971, a powerful impetus from the joint endeavours. of the returned Tibetan priests (who had fled the country under the preceding kings), and of the learned Indian priest Pandita Atisha and his pupil Bromston. Shortly before Atisha came to Tíbet, 1041 A.D., the Kala Chakra doctrine, or Tantrika mysticism, was introduced into Tíbet, and in the twelth and thirteenth centuries, many Indian refugees settled in the country, who greatly assisted the Tibetans in the translation of Sanskrit books.

Three hundred years from the time of Atisha's death bring us to the period of Tsonkhapa, the extraordinary reformer, who was born in the year 1355 A.D., in the district of Amdo, where is now the famous monastery of Kunbum. Tsonkhapa had imposed upon himself the difficult task of uniting and reconciling the dialectical and mystical schools which Tibetan Buddhism had brought forth, and also of eradicating the abuses gradually introduced by the priests, who had returned to the ordinary tricks and pretended miracles of charlatanism, in order to prove to the crowd their extraordinary mission. Tsonkhapa strictly prohibited such proceedings, and enforced a rigid observance of the laws binding upon the priests; he also distinguished himself by publishing most comprehensive works, in which the principles of the faith of the Buddha are explained from his particular point of view.-Traditions