History of Tibetan Buddhism

A brief history on how Buddhism was introduced in Tibet during the 7th century.

Fig. 1. The Samye Monastery in Samye Town, Tibet. Held the first ever international conference about Tibetan Medicine in the 8th century.

Source: Wonders of Tibet – Samye Monestary

Buddhism was introduced within Tibet during the early 7th century, through the wives of the thirty-third Tibetan emperor Songstän Gampo. Gampo had two wives who were known to be devout Buddhists, and through their influence Gampo began to spread the word of the Dharma across Tibet.1

As Buddhism continued to flourish in Tibet, Trisong Detsen, the thirty-eighth Tibetan king, established Buddhism as the official state religion and worked with the Indian tantric yogi, Padmasambhava, to create the first Tibetan Monastery at Samye (Fig. 1).

Tibetan medicine is based on Buddhist philosophies and psychology and explains that everything, existing and non-existing, is derived from the mind and the 5 elements. Through the introduction of Buddhism in Tibet, Bhaisajyaguru, the Medicine Buddha, became a prominent figure in medical practice.

Fig. 2. A statue made of copper alloy constructed of the Healing Buddha, Bhaisajyaguru, dating back to the 18th century.

Source: Rubin Museum

The Mahayana vehicle depicts a clear connection to Buddhism and medical practice through the figure of the Medicine Buddha or Healing Buddha, Bhaisajya Guru. The traditional Mahayana text describes the main principles of the Healing Buddha which are; the physical healing of illness, spiritual healing of illness, and healing of internal and external illnesses.2 Many images of the Medicine Buddha presiding over the healing art are often used in ritual worship. Images of the Medicine Buddha can be found in many paintings of mandala’s that showcase the image of the Buddha in the middle with the healing art surrounding it. There are also many cases of the Healing Buddha being built into statues (Fig. 2.), which are often used for ritual or meditative practices.

The Medicine Buddha is often connected with lapis lazuli. In Vajrayana Buddhism, the deep blue color of lapis is thought to have a purifying and strengthening effect on those who visualize it. In many images with the Buddha lapis is incorporated in some form.3 Fig. 3.

Fig. 3. A painting of the Medicine Buddha, Bhaisajraguru. This image showcased

the lapis all bowl in the Buddha’s hand with a myrobalan tree growing from it.

Source: Bhaisajyaguru (The Medicine Buddha) and Padmasambhava

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Fundamentals of Tibetan Medicine

Sources:

  1.  ”Buddhism in Tibet” in Fundamentals of Tibetan Medicine. (California; The Crossing Press), 20. ↩︎
  2. Bolsokhoyeva, Natalia. “THE EIGHT MEDICINE BUDDHIST.” Accessed April 1, 2024. https://buddhism.lib.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-BH/bh117520.htm#:~:text=One%20of%20unusual%20but%20equally,the%20Mahayana%20Buddhism%20is%20practiced. ↩︎
  3. O’Brien, Barbara. “Bhaisajyaguru: The Medicine Buddha: The Power of Healing” Date modified June 25, 2019. https://www.learnreligions.com/bhaisajyaguru-the-medicine-buddha-449982. ↩︎