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Samye Monastery
Samye was the first monastery to be built
in Tibet. It was probably founded during the 770's under
the patronage of King Trisong Detsen, with the work being
directed by Padmasambhava and Shantarakshita, the two Indian
masters that the king had invited to Tibet. The monastery
is designed on the plan of the Odantapuri temple in India
(present-day Bihar), and mirrors the structure of the universe
according to Buddhist cosmology. The central temple represents
Mt. Sumeru, the mythical mountain at the centre of the cosmos.
Around it are four temples called 'ling', which represent
the four continents (ling) situated in the vast ocean to
the north, south, east, and west of Sumeru. To the right
and left of each of these are smaller temples, called 'ling-tren',
representing sub-continents. Four great stupas, in four
colours (white, red, blue and green) stood facing the (south-east,
south-west, north-west, and north-east, respectively) corners
of the main temple, and are being reconstructed. Near the
North (Jangchub Semkye) ling, is a protector chapel, Pehar
Kordzoling, adorned with unusual mural work featuring skulls.
One ling-tren, the Dragyur Gyagar Ling (South-South-West)
was established for the sole purpose of translating sutras.
Beyond its front entrance is an idyllic courtyard, planted
with flowers, trees, and bamboo.
When the monastery was first built, both Indian and Chinese
monks were invited there to work on the translation of Buddhist
scriptures from their respective languages into Tibetan.
The Indians lived in the Aryapalo (Hayagriva) Ling temple
to the south, and the Chinese in the Jampa (Maitreya) Ling
to the west. Conflicts arose between the two factions concerning
doctrinal interpretation, and the king called for a public
debate to settle the matter. This took place around 792,
between Kamalashila, a disciple of Shantarakshita, and Hoshang.
The debate, which took place in the Jampa Ling, was presided
over by Trisong Detsen, and was intended to establish which
form of Buddhism should prevail in Tibet: the Indian monastic
tradition of systematic study, firm adherence to ethical
rules, and a practice that entails the gradual ascendance
of stages leading to enlightenment; or the Chinese tradition
of Ch'an (Zen), which favours a direct ('sudden') breakthrough
to the ultimate nature of consciousness and existence, for
which intellect and morality, the twin pillars of the Indian
school, are not necessary, and can even be hindrances. The
accounts of the outcome of the debate are ambiguous, both
sides claiming victory. The actual outcome, though, is beyond
doubt: The Indian view was favoured, and from then on the
Chinese influence waned. Hoshang had to leave Tibet, and
the Ch'an tradition was effectively proscribed.
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