To understand the importance and impact of Atisa’s mission in Tibet, which fully indicates the strong cultural bonds between the two neighbours, the story should begin with the introduction of Buddhism in the Himalayan kingdom. Around 640 A.D., Buddhism got introduced in Tibet as a result of the marriage of the then king Srong-tsan gampo with two Buddhist princesses from Nepal and China (i.e. Kimshing Konjo, daughter of the Chinese Emperor Tai-tsung, and daughter of King Amshu Varma of Nepal).As the duo influenced the king towards Buddhism, Tibetan laws based on 10 commandments of the Buddha were introduced.

As the King sought more authentic knowledge, he dispatched scholarly teams to India and later introduced the first written Tibetan script. This first phase of Buddhism continued along with the earlier Bon and tantrik practices till around 823 A.D., when two Indian scholars namely Santa Rakshita, a native of Gaur, the seat of the Palas, then the High Priest of Nalanda, and his associate Padma Sambhava, a native of Udyana, visited Tibet upon the invitation of King Thi-srong-deu-tsan. 

They formally introduced Buddhism, which thereafter replaced the earlier Bon as the state religion. They were received with due honours by the Tibetans who named Santa Rakshita as Acharya Bodhisattva. On being appointed as the High priest by the king, the system now known as ‘Lamaism’ was introduced by Santa Rakshita, who preached the moral and disciplinary part of the doctrine, while Padma Sambhava, took charge of the Tantrik liturgy.

To be continued...