..續本文上一頁nation of Avalokiteśvara,

　　was born. He took as his queens two Buddhist princesses, Princess Wen Cheng of China and Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal, who brought as their dowry the two foremost statues of Buddha Shakyamuni, one depicting Buddha at the age of 12 and the other at 8, respectively. These two statues are now housed at Jokhang Temple and Ramoche Temple in Lhasa. According to history, Princess Wen Cheng was proficient in geomantic art, and she encouraged the king to build not only the famous Jokhang Temple but also other temples such as Thadul and Yangdul Temples at strategically important sites across the length and breadth of the land. Thus during King Songtsen Gampo”s reign, Buddhism in a way had begun to take root in the snowy highland, although a formal introduction of Buddhist canons was yet to come.

　　Several dynasties passed before another Chinese peace-making princess, Princess Jincheng, gave birth to a son, Trisong Detsen, who ascended to the throne at the age of 13 and brought Buddhism to its zenith in Tibet during his reign. At his young age, King Trisong Detsen was exposed to Buddhist scriptures such as the Sutra of Ten Virtues, the Grass Stalk Sutra (Dao Gan Sutra) and the Diamond Sutra, and had aroused in himself a strong faith in Buddhism. Later, King Trisong Detsen invited Master Padmasambhava, Abbott Shantarakshita, and many other panditas in India to come to Tibet. In addition, he also established an integrated program to translate the Buddhist classics into Tibetan, sending translators to India to receive training and bringing together teams of Indian scholars and Tibetan translators. Under his auspices, Buddhist canons were extensively translated into Tibetan and the Dharma spread widely. His time indeed was once the most glorious periodsof Buddhism.

　　After Master Padmasambhava left Tibet and Shantarakshita passed away, King Trisong Detsen invited a Chinese Zen master, Moheyan, from Dunhuang to Tibet to transmit the Dharma. However, the view Moheyan held of Zen was very incongruent with that of Tibetan Buddhist schools. Moheyen proclaimed that all clouds, whether black or white, obscured the sky; and a shackle, whether made of gold or plain rope, remained a shackle all the same. He concluded that any deed, whether virtuous or sinful, was a form of clinging and thus must be given up. Swayed by Moheyen”s view, many people began to abandon the discernment of good and evil, and no longer exerted themselves in practicingvirtue and eliminating non-virtues. The situation became so poor that even the long-held tradition of butter lamp offerings at the shrines of Samye Temple and Jokhang Temple died away. Tibetan Buddhism was flung into total confusion.

　　At this juncture, King Trisong Detsen recalled the prophecy given by Master Shantarakshita:”In the future, should conflict and confusion arise in the Buddhadharma, you must seek the advice of an Indian pandita called Kamalaśīla[2] to resolve the clash.” Thus the Indian master Kamalaśīla was invited to Tibet for the famous philosophical debate with Moheyan on “sudden or gradual enlightenment.”

　　According to history, Kamalaśīla defeated Moheyan mainly through the apt use of analogy. Moheyan considered himself as having the highest view in that he clung neither to virtue nor to non-virtue, and likened himself as the legendary big bird, the roc, soaring in the vast sky, free from any impediments. Kamalaśīla asked Moheyan: “When the roc flies, does it take off to the sky from the ground

　　 And in the end, does it land back on the ground

　　” At these, Moheyan had no other choice but to accede..

　　Kamalaśīla continued: “This analogy says that even the highest state of realization must rely on the foundation of causality; one must be scrupulous abou…

《The Characteristics and Essential Ideology of Tibetan Buddhism》全文未完，請進入下頁繼續閱讀…