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.
|
