PART:FOUR
Atisha- the Bengali saint who arrived in Tiber in 1042.
Persecution and Revival
The foundations of the Buddhist religion had now been laid in Tibet. However, the new religion was to suffer one serious setback before it finally took root. The last king of Tibet, Lang Darma, was totally opposed to Buddhism. During his reign (835-843) a period of persecution began. The great Buddhist temples were closed, and pictures of drunken monks were painted on their walls. Monks were forced to marry, become huntsmen, or return to the Bon religion. Those who refused were executed…
The story goes that three Buddhists monks, living in the wilderness south of Lhasa, were unaware of the persecution of their religion. One day, they were astonished to see a number of monks armed with bows and arrows hunting a deer. Learning that these monks were being forced to kill animals, contrary to the Buddha’s teachings, the three monks hurriedly strapped their sacred scriptures to their mules and fled. They eventually settled in the Amdo district near the Chinese border.
While Buddhism was being destroyed in central Tibet, this small group kept it alive in the east. They ordained a new monk called Gongpa Rabsal, and slowly, the news of their activities began to spread. When the original three monks were very old, a group of ten volunteers set out from Samye to receive teachings from them. Their return to Samya as fully ordained monks marks the first step in the revival of Buddhism in central Tibet. They were the first monks seen at Samye for seventy years.
The story goes that when Atish first arrived in Tibet, he was met by a great many Lama-chieftains. When he was all these Lamas, he asked why he was needy when there were already so many holy men in Tibet. But when the Lamas frew closer, and Atisha was all the fine cloths they were wearing, their magnificent horses and proud escots, he realized he was not part of the Buddha’s teaching.
Meanwhile, one of the heroes of the Buddhist revival in western Tibet was a monk of royal blood called Yeshe Od. He arranged for twenty-one young boys to go to Kashmir to learn Sanskrit and study Buddhism. Only two survived- Rinchen Zampo and Legpe Sherab- but they lived to become famous translators, and eventually returned to Tibet in 978, accompanied by a number of Indian teachers. The enormous number of sacred scriptures they translated did more than anything else to ensure the return of Buddhism to Tibet.
Yeshe Od also tried to persuade the foremost Buddhist teacher in India, Atisha, to come to Tibet. It was while raising gold for Atisha’s journey that he was captured by the Garlog king and thrown into prison. There he died of starvation and ill-treatment- a true martyr to his religion. But he did not die in vain, for Atisha came to Tibet.
The great Indian teacher arrived in Tibet in 1042. Although he was a master of all the great tantric teachings, he did not choose to emphasize this path of Buddhism. He was a gentle, saintly man, full of compassion and dedicated to learning. During his years in Tibet, Atisha established many new monasteries throughout the country, and insisted that the monks follow stricter rules of discipline. He worked on many sacred books in Lhasa and Samye, and still found time to travel among the country people, bringing the word of Buddha to their homes. Atisha told them that above all, a true Buddhist must love all living things. During his seventeen years in Tibet, more people turned to Buddhism than ever before. His compassion and gentleness have left their mark on Tibetan Buddhism to this day.
Mongols and Lamas
The Sakya Lama - popularly known as Sakya Pandita.
The Sakya Lama and the Mongols
For four hundred years after the death of the last king, Lang Darma, in 843, Tibet was divided into many little states, each ruled by a prince or a lama. Sometimes these states would be friendly with their neighbors; at other times they would make war with them. The only thing uniting the country during these years was the spread of Buddhism. As a result the monasteries became more powerful. These were often built like castles, with great thick stone walls to protect the monks from raiders. The monasteries began to acquire wealth and land, and the abbot, or head lama, might well rule over much of the surrounding countryside.
Then, in 1207, news reached Tibet that stuck fear into many people’s hearts. Rumors came out of the north of a man called Genghis Khan and the deeds of his fierce Mongolian soldiers. There were tales of deserted cities, of the massacre of men, women and children in cold blood, and of burned and empty villages. Nothing survived that lay in the path of the Mongol hordes, whispered the rumors.
A Mongol horseman at the time of Genghis Khan.
The Tibetan chieftains and lamas decided to hold an emergency meeting in Lhasa. It was agreed to send messengers to the Mongol camp to beg that Tibet might be spared. In return they would pay the Mongols Emperor an annual tribute. Pleased by such a humble submission to his greatness, Genghis Khan agreed, and his terrible armies did not invade Tibet.
But after the death of Genghis Khan, the Tibetans ceased to pay tribute. Angered by this breach of faith, Genghis Khan’s grandson, Prince Godan, ordered his generals to invade Tibet with 30,000 troops. His fierce horsemen raided as far south as Lhasa, killing and looting as they went. But Price Godan was not just a harsh warrior. He was greatly interested in the Buddhist religion. On hearing that the Lama of the Sakya monastery was the holiest in Tibet, he sent him a letter. ’We need a lama’, he wrote, ’to advise my ignorant people on how to conduct themselves morally and spiritually’. But the Price made it clear that he was making the Sakya Lama an order, not a request, ’ I will accept no excuses on account of your age or the rigors of the journey!’ he wrote sternly.
The Sakya Lama is received by Prince Godan at the Mongol court.
So, the Sakya Lama set out for the Mongol court. There, his wisdom and teachings deeply impressed Price Godan. It is said that he cured the Prince of a serious illness. He even managed to persuade the Mongolian chieftains to stop throwing large numbers of Chinese into the nearby river. This was most certainly against the Buddhist faith, he said, even if it did help to reduce the population. Together with his nephew, Dogon Choegyal Phagpa,
The Sakya Lama is received by Prince Godan at the Mongol court.
So, the Sakya Lama set out for the Mongol court. There, his wisdom and teachings deeply impressed Price Godan. It is said that he cured the Prince of a serious illness. He even managed to persuade the Mongolian chieftains to stop throwing large numbers of Chinese into the nearby river. This was most certainly against the Buddhist faith, he said, even if it did help to reduce the population. Together with his nephew, Dogon Choegyal Phagpa, the Sakya Lama began a translation of Buddhist scriptures into Mongolian, which at that time, was still an unwritten language.
In return for acting as his religious tutor, Prince Godan made the Sakya Lama the supreme ruler of all the little states of central ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
ffice:smarttags" />Tibet. The Sakya Lama did not exercise this authority himself, as he never left the Mongols court, but it was later exercised by his nephew Phagpa. This was the start of a unique relationship between the Tibetan lamas and the Mongol leaders. It was an arrangement between two equal, but very different countries. The Tibetans would help and guide the Mongols in matters of religion, while the Mongols would protect and support Tibet in more worldly affairs. The same sort of relationship was later to develop between the Tibetans and Chinese Emperors.
Kublai Khan - the great Mongol chieftain who evenyually became Emperor of China.
On the banks of the Yellow River in China, a great array of horsemen was slowly moving. Clouds of dust rose from the column and the sun flashed on the glittering armour and bright swords of the Mongol horsemen. In the center of the column, mounted on magnificent white horses, rode two men. One was dressed in gorgeous robes studded with gold and pearls, and had the proud look of a fierce warrior. The other was dressed in the red and white robes of a monk, but his hat and staff proclaimed him to be a high lama from Tibet. The two men were deep in conversation. Their heads were bent earnestly together as they discussed a difficult question about the Buddha’s teachings. The man in the gorgeous robes scowled in concentration as he struggled to grasp the meaning of the scriptures. The other answered him with gentle words and explanations. For these two men were the great Kublai Khan, Mongolian leader and later Emperor of all China, and his Buddhist tutor and ruler of Tibet, Phagpa.
Phagpa had succeeded his uncle both as Lama of Sakya, and as the high lama at the Mongol court in 1251. The young man’s learning made a deep impression on Kublai Khan. The Mongol leader made Phagpa his tutor and showered honours on him. In 1254, Kublai sent his tutor a letter granting him full political power in Tibet. He wrote, "This letter grants you authority over all Tibet, enabling you to protect the religious institutions and faith of your people and to propagate the Lord Buddha’s teachings.
As the sun sank, the horsemen stopped in a meadow by the river. Fair pavilions and tents had been set up, awaiting their arrival. That night, a great feast was held, for tomorrow Phagpa would journey on to Tibet and Kublai Khan would return to Mongolia. Magnificent gifts were exchanged – precious stones, gold, and silver. All wondered at the great friendship between these two men – one the great warrior leader of the Mongols, the other the gentle monk from Tibet. In the morning they bowed and parted, one heading north, the other west.
The Sakya Monastery was said to have a golden statues of the Buddha over 35 feet high.
Although Phagpa spent much of his time at the Mongol court, Tibet was now ruled in his name from the Monastery at Sakya. His minister there was known as Ponchen, and under him were thirteen governors who ruled the provinces. The Sakya Monastery benefited greatly from these days of power. It is said that the main temple contained a golden statue of the Buddha over thirty-five feet high. When Kublai Khan increased his power by becoming Emperor of China in 1280, the power and prestige of the Sakya Lamas also increased.
The rule of the Sakya Lamas lasted until the middle of the fourteenth century. During this time, Tibet was once again loosely united under a single political and religious leadership.