How Buddhism was introduced to SL 5 things Venerable Mahinda did

When: 246 BCE Established bhikkhu and bhikkhuni sangha

Who: Ven Mahinda and King Devanampiya-tissa Thuparama and buddha-relics

Where: Mihintale Mahavihara tradition

What: interviewed the king Planting of Bodhi tree

How: taught Culahatthipadopama (MN 27) First Mahayana was introduced to SL

Writing of tipitaka When: 3rd century C.E, King Voharika Tissa (214 – 236)

When: Who: Vetulyavada/Vaitulyavada Vitandavada

Why: because of famine , monks died Where: Abhayagiri

Where: at matale aluviharaya What: King burnt the Vaitulya scriptures and
banished the Vaitulyas Council of Sri Lanka
Who: ven Buddhadatta and ven Tissa
2nd Advance of Mahayana
How: Ola leaves
When: King Gothabhaya (253 – 266) 20-30 years after first
What is this incident also known as? The Second Council of Sri
purge?
Lanka
Where: Abhayagiri
More Mahayana doctrines
What: The king sided with the Mahavihara, also burnt the
When: King Silakala (522 – 535); Vaitulya books and banished their teachers from the island
200 years later 3rd Advance of Mahayana
What: Dharmadhatu Perhaps dharmakaya of the trikaya When: King Mahasena (276 - 303) 10 - 20 years after second
doctrine purge?
This scripture was venerated annually at Jetavana-vihara and
Who: Sanghamitta
became a festival participated by the Abhayagiri fraternity
Where: Abhayagiri
Mahayana flourished
What: Sanghamitta was teacher of King Mahasena and his
When: King Aggabodhi (568 – 601)about 30 years later brother, King Jettha. He pursuaded King Mahasena to forbid
What: Jotipala, a Theravadin monk from India, debated with the people to support Mahavihara.
Vaitulyans and won. From then, the influence of Vaitulya and
Abhayagiri waned.
Mahayana after the defeat
Xuan Zang (in India 630 - 645) recorded this about Buddhism in SL:
“The monks of Mahavira were opposed to Mahayana but those of
Abhayagiri studied both vehicles and widely propagated the
Tipitaka. The Abhayagiri monks observed the precepts diligently,
and were accomplished in samadhi and prajna; many were they
who were exemplary teachers.”
I-tsing (in India 671 – 695; about 30 years after Xuan Zang)
“in Sri Lanka all belong to Arya-Sthaviravada and the Arya-
Mahasamghika is rejected.” Does not mean Mahayana and
Theravada. Truth is, by the time of Xuan Zang and I-tsing,
Mahayana had been in Sri Lanka for about 400 years
Royal support for Vajrayana
Who: King Sena I (831 – 851), about 100 years later
What: Vajraparvata
First written record of royal support (Nikaya samgrahaya)
Mahayana/Vajrayana Monuments in Lanka
According to the first paragraph of “Vajrayāna Buddhism in
Mediaeval Sri Lanka: A survey of Historical Accounts”, there are a
number of such monuments in Lanka
Sri Lanka as Vajrayana centre
“One thing is clear to us from this long list of Tantric books: Tantric
Buddhism or Vajrayāna Buddhism was better known in Sri Lanka
than Mahāyāna Buddhism.” “Another important fact is, a greater
collection of Tantric artifacts have been found in Sri Lanka than
those belonging to Mahāyāna Buddhism.”
“But in Sri Lankan academic studies, both Mahāyāna and
Tantrayāna artifacts have been taken together without making any
distinction between them and all of them have been identified
under Mahāyānic evidence.” Nikayasamgrahaya is special because
it can tell the difference between Mahayana and Vajrayana
Mahayana impact in SL
Even as late as 8th – 9th century, Mahayana inscriptions and
bodhisattva statues were still being made in Sri Lanka
(reading material, p. 98 – 99) – Why? Natha cult (p.101) SL
one of the first places to receive developments in Mahayana
(p.93)
Introduction of Vajrayana to SL
When: King Aggabodhi VI (741 - 781) p.5 Who: Vajrabodhi
(teacher) came to SL on his way to China in early 8th century
C.E. Later, Vajrabodhi’s disciple, Amogavajra came to SL to
collect tantric texts and to learn from a Sri Lankan tantric
master (p.5-6)
Importance of SL as Vajrayana Centre
It is said that Amoghavajra helped his master Vajrabodhi with
translation of Sanskrit works into Chinese. After the latter’s
death he went to Sri Lanka in search of Tantric books there. It
is very significant and interesting to know that he went to Sri
Lanka but not to India where Tantrism originated.
Mahayana/Vajrayana monuments
Dharani stones’ in Abhayagiri
A mantra found in Sarvatathagatadhistanahrdaya-
guhyadhatukaranda-mudra-dharani-sutra
Nikayasamgrahaya
How Vajrayana is called in Nikayasamgrahaya
Vajiriyavada or Vajraparvata-vāsi-nikāya
‘rahas bana’
Names of 34 Mahayana/Vajrayana texts
pseudo Buddhist teachings (saddharma pratir pa)
pseudo bhik s (bhik upratir paka)
Vajrayana Masters in Lanka Textual References

Lecture notes “Vajrayāna Buddhism in Mediaeval Sri Lanka: A Xuan Zang’s account (p.1)
survey of Historical Accounts” 4-6
Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra
Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra, royal preceptor of Tang Emperor
Fa-zang’s account on Sakyamitra (p.2)
Samantabhadra-acarya - Teacher to both Vajrabodhi and
Amoghavajra Japanese Ennin’s account (p.2)

Taranatha (16th century C.E)

Note: Bodhisattva Samantabhadra is known as සුමන සමන් දෙවි
in Sinhalese Eighty Four Siddhas

Ratnakarasanti or Santi-pa

5th century CE Vanaratana

Mahayana was established in Sri Lanka Taranatha’s accounts

Two famous monks visited Sri Lanka during the reign of King “Chinese and Tibetan Records on Sri Lankan Monks and Nuns”,
mahanama (412 - 434) p.3

Buddhaghosa in Mahavihara - Fa Xian in Abhayagiri Jayabhadra

It seems that the two eminent monks never met each other Guhya-tantra-yana
although they stayed in Anuradhapura (no records of their meeting)
Cakrasamvara
6th to 11th century SL
Eminent Ceylonese Mahayana masters
The political situation in Sri Lanka from about the middle of the fifth
century until the third quarter of the eleventh century was not Tanjur contains a commentary on the Lotus Sūtra, written by
favorable towards the progress of Buddhism. Pritivibandhu [Pṛtuvibandhu], a monk from Ceylon.

This period of Sri Lankan history is marked with continuous warfare According to Twenty-four Patriarchs of Mahāyāna tradition, a
between the reigning king and his rival claimants or the foreign Sinhalese monk named Siṃhalaputra comes as the 23rd of the
invaders. Often when the reigning king was defeated in battle he list.
fled to India and came back with a Tamil troop to regain his lost
Bhiksuni-s
throne, and as a result the Tamils who thus settled down in Sri
Lanka from time to time also became an important element even Bhiksuni order in China, p.3
powerful enough to seize political power for themselves.
Bhiksuni Candramali (Vajrayana practitioner) in Tibet, 12th
century C.E, p.4
The Decline of Buddhism in SL
Why: Kings at war, political and social unrest
When: Starting with King Sena I (831 – 851), capital was shifted
from Anuradhapura to Polonnaruwa, due to attack from Chola
How:- did this affect Buddhism? Anuradhapura was cultural,
political center; more importantly, it was the center of Buddhism.
Buddhism lost its glory after losing Anuradhapura
Purification of the Sangha
Who: King Parakramabahu (1123 – 1186)
When: 1165 (12th century)
Where: Polonnaruwa
Why: Sangha became very corrupted, some monks had wives and
children; King wanted to unite the three fraternities (Mahavihara,
Abhayagiri, Jetavana) under one Sangha
How: Mahathera Kassapa convened a council
Revival of Buddhism
When: cheifly by the efforts of King Vijayabahu I and King
Parakramabahu I (1153 – 1186), and most kings in between them,
Buddhism saw a revival
In 1180, Burmese Sangharaja (Uttarajiva) admired Sri Lanka as the
center of Theravada Buddhism, came to SL for pilgrimage.
The Ceylon-Burma connection
Ven. Uttarajiva left behind a Mon samanera called Chapata after
his pilgrimage
Chapata studied in SL for 10 years and was ordained in the
Mahāvihāra tradition.
He would later begin the Mahāvihāra lineage in Burma, known as
the Simhalanikāya in Burma
First Revival of the Bhikkhu-sasana
When: in 1070
During the reign of King Vijayabahu I (1055 – 1114)
Why: after more than 200 years of war and unrest (851 –
1059), bhikkhu sāsana was so badly affected that the King
could not find even 10 monks to conduct upasampada
Who: King Vijayabahu I invited monks from Arakan (Burma)
which was then under the rule of the great king Anawrahta
(1044 -1077)
These monks were known as Rāmañña from Mon tribe
Unknown Vinaya lineage (Shin Arahan)
What this might mean
Abhayagiri and Jetavana fraternities were possibly
disbanded?
Mahayana and Vajrayana viewed upon as “unorthodox” and
therefore discarded?
Further, the “purified Sangha” went through national
disasters like wars and foreign rule, there were so few
monks left that the sasana had to be revived by Burma and
later, Thailand vinaya lineages
After King Parakramabahu I
Sri Lanka went into a period of political unrest
Cholas (Tamils) attacked and even ruled Polonnaruwa
Hinduism became powerful due to Chola rule
But Buddhism managed to still make progress in Buddhist
studies and writings
Buddhist kings still tried to support Buddhism
Foreign Powers in Sri Lanka Second Revival of Bhikkhu sāsana

Portuguese rule : 1505 – 1658 When: 1597

Dutch rule : 1658 – 1796 500 years later after King Parakramabahu I, during the Portuguese
occupation of Ceylon (1501 – 1658)
British rule : 1796 – 1948
Reign of King Vimala Dhamma-suriya of Kandy
End of Sinhala rule during British occupation of Sri Lanka in
1815 He tried to revive Buddhism which was suppressed by Portuguese

Independence: 4 Feb 1948 Invited Mon monks to Kandy to ordain SL monks

Sects within Bhikkhu Sāsana Third Revival of Bhikkhu Sāsana

When: 1803 When: 1753

Why: Sri Lankans ordained in the Burmese city of Amarapura
founded the Amarapura Nikāya in Sri Lanka to supplement
the Siam Nikaya, which admitted only brahmins from the
upper country highlands around Kandy
When: 1862
About 200 years later, during Dutch occupation of Ceylon (1658 –
1796)
King Kirti Sri Rajasingha (1747 – 1782) supporting the only
samanera left in Ceylon, Saranankara, invited monks from
Thailand

Why: Forest monks headed by Ven. Paññananda went to This Vinaya lineage was related to Mahāvihāra
Burma for re-ordination, returning to Sri Lanka the following
year to found the Rāmañña Nikāya This is known as the Syam or Siam Nikāya

Today in Sri Lanka Asoka’s empire includes

There are these three sects within the bhikkhu sangha in Sri Parts of central Asia that the Silk Road passes through; countries
Lanka there are now

Siam Nikāya from Thailand Kazakhstan

Amarapura Nikāya from Burma Kyrgyzstan

Rāmañña Nikāya from Burma Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

Uzbekistan

Afghanistan

Which of the above were included in Asoka’s empire in 265 BCE?

Their ancestors were buddhists
These lands and their people were situated in the Silk
Road
Buddhism was spread to them via merchants and monks
King Asoka’s mission too contributed to the spread of
Buddhism to these areas.
The Kushana Empire
King Kanishka came to power in 78 AD in Central Asia
Bamiyan – Lokuttaravada (3rd – 5th c)
King Asoka of the Mauryan Empire
Sent a Theravadan missionary led by Ven. Maharakkhita
to Gandhara
As far south as Kandahar, erected “Asoka Pillars”
The Kushan Empire
The Kushanas are Caucasians who spoke an ancient
western Indo-European language
They were known as
Shaka by the Indians
Yuezhi 月氏 by the Chinese but
Tocharians (noble tribe) by the Greek
Scythians (local tribe) by the Greek
These last two tribes spoke Iranian so may not belong to
the same tribe as the Kushanas
The nations of Central Asia are:
Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,
Uzbekistan
Except for Afghanistan, the nations of Central Asia were once part
of the Soviet Union.
Buddhism in central Asia
Buddhism in Central Asia began with the syncretism between
Western Classical Greek philosophy and Indian Buddhism in the
Hellenistic successor kingdoms to Alexander the Great's empire
(Greco-Bactrian Kingdom 250 BCE-125 BCE and Indo-Greek
Kingdom 180 BCE - 10 CE), spanning
modern Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.
Graeco-Bactrians (197 BCE)
Sarvastivada came to Kashmir
Gandhara art; Milindapanha
The Kushan(a) Empire
King Kanishka came to power in 78 AD in Central Asia
Ven Goshaka (Western Vaibhasika) founded Nava Vihara – a
Buddhist centre of learning for all Central Asia (p.3)
Color Codes for Slide Titles
Blue – Buddhism was strong and flourishing under this ruler
Brown – Buddhism was just surviving or did not come to harm
under this ruler
Black – Buddhism was destroyed or came under oppression under
this ruler
The Kushan(a) Empire
Another ancient Buddhist site in Afghanistan part of the Silk
Road – Mes Aynak
O Persian Sassanid Empire
(226 CE)
O Overthrew Kushan rule in Afghanistan
O Tolerant of Buddhism although they were
Zoroastrians
rd
O Only exception – second half of 3 century –
Zoroastrian high priest Kartir destroyed several
Buddhist monasteries
O Buddhism quickly recovered after his death
O White Huns
th
(early 5 century
O Took most of the former Kushan territories from
the Sassanids, including Afghanistan
O Followed their own religion which resembled
Zoroastrianism but
O Became strong supporters of Buddhism
O Ven Fa Xian who traveled through their territory
between 399 – 414 CE reported the flourishing of
several Hinayana schools
O White Huns (early 6th century)
O In 515, White Hun King Mihirakula oppressed Buddhism
throughout northwestern India – Gandhara, and especially
Kashmir. (p.4)
O Turkhi Shahis
th
(mid 5 century
O Conquered portions of White Huns’ territory,
extended control over Kabul Valley and Kapisha.
O Like Kushans and White Huns, they also supported
Buddhism
O The Western Turks (560 CE)
O Came from Western Turkistan
O Took over western portion of Silk Road
O Then expanded into Bactria and drove the
Turki Shahis east into Nagarahara
O Adopted Buddhism from the local people
O In 590, built a new Buddhist monastery in
Kapisha
O In 622 the Western Turk ruler Tongshihu
Qaghan formally adopted Buddhism p.5
Nava Vihara Monastery in Balk
Nagara Vihara in Nagarahara with the Buddha’s skull relic
Although Mahayana had made advances in this region during
the 5th – 6th centuries, Sarvastivada remained predominant
Nagarahara and northern Bactria
O The Umayyad Period
th
(mid 7 Century)
O In 637, the Muslim Arabs defeated Persian
Sassanids
O In 661 founded the Umayyad Caliphate
O In 663 they attacked Bactria and captured
Balk including Nava Vihara Monastery
The Arab rulers allowed non-Muslims to keep their faith but
must pay poll tax (jizya) – dhimmi status
Yi-jing reported in 680 Nava Vihara still a flourishing
Sarvastivada center of study
P.5-6 Arab scholar Al-Kermani’s description of Nava Vihara –
what does his description show about the attitude of
Umayyad Arabs toward non-Muslim religions like Buddhism?
O The Abbasid Period
th
(mid 8 Century)
O In 750, another Arab faction overthrew the
Umayyad Caliphate and founded the Abbasid
Dynasty
O They ruled over northern Bactria and continue
the dhimmi policy to Buddhists
They were very interested in Indian culture (p.7)
“Baghdad”
“House of Knowledge”
Arab version of Jataka – Kitab al-Budd
Early 8th Century
The Abbasid Dynasty had to face many rebellions
Local military leaders in various parts of the Abbasid Empire
began to establish autonomous Islamic states with nominal
allegiance to the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad
9th Century
The first region to declare autonomy was northern Bactria
General Tahir established Tahirid Dynasty in 819
Second General to declare autonomy was General al-Saffar
In 861 he established Saffarid Dynasty in southeastern Iran
O The Hindu Shahis
O In 879, they retook Kabul Valley and Nagarahara
from the Saffarids
O Continued their policy of patronizing both
Buddhism and Hinduism
O The Buddhist monasteries in Kabul soon
regained their past richness
O The Samanid Dynasty
th th
(late 9 – 10 Century)
O The third general to proclaim autonomy was
Ismail bin Ahmad (Persian)
O Founded Samanid Dynasty in 892
O Promoted Iranian culture but was tolerant of
Buddhism
O For instance, during the rule of Nasr II (913 –
942) carved Buddha images were carved and
sold, not forbidden
O
O The Abbasid Period
O Islam became popular while Buddhism
declined (p.7-8)
O Islam reached a high level of culture and
learning
O The study of Buddhism was still limited to the
monasteries
O So Islam attracted urban educated people but
Buddhism remained strong among poor
peasant classes in the countryside
O The Saffarid Dynasty
O The Saffarids were especially vindictive
O Plundered Buddhist monasteries in Kabul
Valley and Bamiyan
O Sent “Buddha-idols” looted from these
areas to Baghdad as war trophies to the
Caliph
O This harsh military occupation was the
first serious blow to Buddhism under
Muslim rule
O The Hindu Shahis
th
(late 9 Century)
O In 870, when the Saffarids were attacking
Kabul Valley, the last Buddhist Turki Shahi
was overthrown by his Brahmin minister
Kallar
O He established the Hindu Shahi dynasty in
Punjabi Gandhara after abandoning Kabul
Valley and Nagarahara to the Saffarids
O The Ghaznavid Dynasty
th
(late 10 Century)
O One of the Turkic military chief revolted
against the Samanids in 962
O Captured Ghazna
O In 976 his successor Sabuktin established
the Ghaznavid Dynasty
O Conquered Kabul Valley from the Hindu
Shahis and drove them back to Gandhara
O Tolerant of Buddhism
O The Seljuk Dynasty
th
(mid 10 century)
O In 1040 the Seljuk Turk vassals of the
Ghaznavids rebelled and established the Seljuk
Dynasty
O Tolerant of non-Islamic religions
O P.10 Kitab al-Milal wa Nihal
O Description of beauty in Persian poems involving
the Buddha
O The Ghurid Dynasty
th
(mid 12 century)
O In 1148, Ala-ud-Din (a Guzz Turk) captured
Bactria from the Qaraqitans and established the
Ghurid Dynasty
O In 1178, his troops went all the way to India
O During his campaigns, he looted and destroyed
many large Buddhist monasteries like Nalanda,
Vikramasila, and Bodh Gaya
O The Mongol Period
th
(13 century)
O In 1215, Chinggis Khan (Genghis Khan), the
founder of the Mongol Empire, conquered
Afghanistan from the Ghurids
O Chinggis Khan destroyed those who opposed him
and devastated their lands
O Unclear how Buddhism fared during his time but
Chinggis Khan seemed to be tolerant to all
religions
O Two Factions of
Mongol Empire in Central Asia
O The Mongol leaders aligned with Buddhism
O P.12 political reason, belief in Mahakala
O http://www.khandro.net/deity_Mahakala.htm
O “It is unlikely tha the Mongol leaders… chose
Tibetan Buddhism because of its deep
philosophical thoughts.”
O The End of Buddhist Development in Afghanist
O In 1321 Chagatai Khaganate split into 2
O Western Chagatai Khaganate included Sogdia
and Afghanistan – its khans were already
converted to Islam
O Ilkhanate in Iran fragmented and fell apart in
1336.
O After this, there is no indication of the continuing
presence of Buddhism in Afghanistan
O The Qaraqitan Dynasty
th
(mid 12 Century)
O In 1141, the Qaraqitans, Mogolian-
speaking people who ruled eastern and
north-western Turkistan defeated the
Seljuks
O Yelu Dashi annexed Samarkand, Sogdia
and Bactria
O Qaraqitans followed a blend of Buddhism,
Daoism, Confucianism and shamanism
O Yelu Dashi protected all religions in his
realm, including Islam,
O The Ghurid Dynasty
O But these were done not because of
religious reasons but out of greed for
wealth, territory, and power.
O The Ghurids continued the tradition of
granting dhimmi status to non-Muslims in
India and collecting jizya poll tax
O Two Factions of
Mongol Empire in Central Asia
O In 1227 Chinggis Khan died
O His empire was divided among his heirs
O His son Chagatai inherited Sogdia and
Afghanistan (Chagatai Khaganate)
O In 1258 Chinggis Khan’s grandson Hulegu
conquered Iran and overthrew the Abbasid
Caliphate in Baghdad (Ilkhanate)
Ilkhanate was more powerful of the two.
O Ilkhanate
O Hulegu’s successors alternated in their
support of Buddhism and Islam
O In 1284 Arghun Ilkhan made Buddhism
the state religion of Iran
O In 1295 Arghun’s son Ghazan became the
Ilkhan, he reinstated Islam as the official
religion of the Ilkhanate; he destroyed the
new Buddhist monasteries in Iran
O P.13 Ghazan Khan did not wish to destroy
everything associated with Buddhism
O Rashid al-Din wrote Universal History;
Ghazan invited Bakshi Kamalashri
(Kashmiran Buddhist monk) to assist
O 11 Buddhist texts in Arabic translation
circulating in Iran
O Buddhism did not manage to win over
Mongol ruler even until 1316.
O

O Buddhism lasted nearly nineteen hundred years
in Afghanistan.
O Knowledge of Buddhism still lingered…
O The last glimmer…
O Timur conquered Western Chagatai Khaganate in
1364 and Ilkhanate in 1385
O Established the Timurid Empire in Persia and
Central Asia
O His son Shah Rukh, commissioned the historian
Hafiz-I Abru to write in Persian A Collection of
Histories that contained an account of Buddhism
modeled after Rashid al-din’s work a century
earlier
O Commercial factor
O Arab-Muslims dominated Silk Road due to
weakened Chinese (Tang dynasty) power
O Commerce and trade routes in the control of the
Muslims
O Buddhist merchants no longer able to support
monasteries and monks out of fear and limited
financial resources
O Non-Muslims had to pay jizya tax
O Cultural factor
O More Arabs migrated to Central Asia, forming
Muslim society
O High culture and learning attracted upper class
O Lower class like poor peasants could not afford
to pay tax, might be attracted to Muslim way of
life too (ummah - sense of community)
O Arab-Muslim invasion is the cause, but Chinese
loss of control over Silk Road, Buddhist
institutions dependence on support from higher
classes etc are conditions
O Why did Buddhism disappear in
Afghanistan?
O According to scholars, there are two main
reasons
O Politics
O Commerce
O Political factor
O Arab-Muslim Invasion
O Though the ruling class might have been
tolerant, the military (soldiers on the
ground) might not – war crimes out of
greed and misguided religious zeal
(conversion by the sword)
O Buddhist infrastructure (monasteries,
stupas) damaged; Buddhist institutions
disrupted (monks killed or fled to Tibet,
Nepal and South India)
O About history of Nepal
O Before Nepal's emergence as a unified nation
in the later half of the 18th century, the
designation 'Nepal' was largely applied only to
the Kathmandu Valley and its surroundings.
Thus, up to the unification of the country,
Nepal's recorded history is largely that of the
Kathmandu Valley. References to Nepal in the
Mahabharata epic, in Puranas and in Buddhist
and Jaina scriptures establish the country's
antiquity as an independent political and
territorial entity.
O
 O The oldest Vamshavali or chronicle, the
Gopalarajavamshavali, was copied from older
manuscripts during the late 14th century, is a
fairly reliable basis for Nepal's ancient history.
O The Vamshavalis mention the rule of several
dynasties the Gopalas, the Abhiras and the
Kiratas—over a stretch of millennia.
O The documented history of Nepal begins with the
Changu Narayan temple inscription of King
Manadeva I
(c. 464–505 CE) of the Licchavi dynasty.
O Shah dynasty (1769–1846)
O The Shah dynasty saw the decline of Buddhism
in Nepal where it eventually merged
with Hinduism as the Hindu Gurkha rose to
prominence.
O In the north, the Mustang kingdom ruled by the
Buddhist Lopa and the Thakali saw to the
flourishing of Vajrayana (Tibetan Buddhism).
O Rana dynasty (1846–1951)
O Modern Newar Buddhist practices in Nepal have
largely been absorbed into
mainstream Hinduism, although certain distinct
practices, art forms and castes do remain.
O
O In the north, people of Tibetan origin continued to be the
much-unchanged practices of Tibetan Buddhism, especially in
the case of the Nyimba of Northwest Nepal.
O On the other hand, the Thakali, who had traditionally
played an important role in the Nepali society but yet
retained Tibetan Buddhism, have begun to embrace
Hinduism as well in the recent years It is significant to
note that during the autocratic Rana regime,
several Theravada Buddhists were banished from
Nepal for preaching Buddhism.
O The Banishment of Buddhist monks from
Nepal in 1926 and 1944 was prompted by an
attempt to suppress the revival of Theravada
Buddhism which began in the 1920s.
O Licchavi (600 – 1200)
O A Licchavi king, Amsuvarma, married his
daughter Bhrikuti to the ruler of Tibet,
King Songtsen Gampo (569–649?/605–
649?).
O According to legend, she received the
begging bowl of the Buddha as part of her
wedding dowry. It is believed that she
introduced Buddhism into Tibet.
O Lichhavi period is known as the golden
period for Buddhism
O Malla dynasty (1200–1769)
O During the reign of Jayasthiti Malla, after
implementation of Manudharmasastra,
celibate monks were banned from
practicing in Nepal.
O This gave way to the non-celibate Newar
Buddhism. Because of this, Theravada
Buddhism was lost in Nepal
Rana Dynasty
O Also, the rediscovery of Lumbini, the
birthplace of Buddha, occurred in this era
with contributions from among others,
General Khadga Sumsher Rana.
O Shah Dynasty (1951–2006)
O After the overthrow of the Rana dynasty in
1951, Buddhism gradually developed in
the country.
O Theravada Buddhists played a greatly
significant role for the Buddhist revival
campaign in modern Nepal since the
1920s. This revival movement has
changed Buddhism from a religion of
some ethnic groups and castes to going
beyond the caste and ethnic religion in
Nepal.
O Presently, there are three main Buddhist
schools; Tibetan Buddhism, Newar
Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism.
O Shah Dynasty (1951–2006)
O Tourism is another important factor for promoting
Nepali Buddhism to the world.
O Every year, Kathmandu can receive more than
10,000 travellers from all over the world just to
visit the Boudhanath and
the Swayambhunath stupas. (Lumbini)
O Republic of Nepal
(2006-present)
O Nepal officially became a secular state in
2006. All religions in Nepal now have
equal opportunities to propagate
according to their belief.

O Another important point about Nepalese

O This time, we find King Asoka’s daughter Charuti Buddhism
being accredited with the building of Nepal’s O In traditional Nepalese Buddhism, there
oldest Buddhist temple – Chabahil are nine special texts which are called the
"Nine Dharma Jewels" (Navagrantha), and
O Mix of Hinduism and Buddhism these are considered the nine books of
O Oldest Hindu Temple: Changu Narayan Buddhism par excellence:
O The main image in the sanctum is worshipped by O Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra
Hindus as a Garuda Narayan, and by Buddhists O Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra
as a Hariharihari Vahan Lokeshwara O Ten Stages Sutra
O Samādhirāja Sūtra
O Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra
O Lotus Sutra
O Tathāgataguhya Sūtra
O Lalitavistara Sūtra
O Golden Light Sutra