Tibet
With the consolidation of the Tibetan empire under the Yarlung
kings there was increasing contact between Tibet, India and China.
Under Srong brTsan sGam Po (c. 618-41) scholars were sent to India
to develop a system of writing for the Tibetan language and, as
part of treaty negotiations with the Chinese, the emperor married a
Tang princess.
A century later Khri Srong lDe brTsan (c. 756-97) occupied Tun
Huang, the famous Buddhist site in central Asia. Under his
patronage, a system for the ordination of monks was established,
guaranteeing the long-term presence of Buddhism in Tibet.
The Yarlung empire disintegrated in the mid-ninth century.
Buddhism, dependant on royal support, suffered set-backs, but from
the late-tenth century efforts were made to re-establish links with
Indian centres of knowledge. The arrival of the Indian-born master
Atisha in 1042 is generally regarded as the culmination of the
‘second propagation’ of Buddhism in Tibet.
Later Tibet is dominated by the history of different Buddhist
schools. This was a natural outcome of the existence of independent
ordination lineages which had their own texts, rituals and
spiritual successions.
Under the Yuan dynasty, the Sakya Pa school enjoyed supremacy in
the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. In 1578, Altan Khan
invited the head of the dGe Lugs Pa school to Mongolia to preach
Buddhism and conferred the title ‘Dalai Lama’ on him. Subsequent
Dalai Lamas had spiritual sway over the Chinese Manchus and Emperor
Kangxi (1661-1722) invited the Fifth Dalai Lama to China. With Qing
Dynasty support the ‘Great Fifth’, as he is known, consolidated
control over Tibet, effectively turning the country into a
theocratic state, which lasted until the mid-twentieth century.
The British Museum collection includes images and ritual objects
from Tibet which reflect the teachings of the Buddhist schools and
their complex pantheons. It also includes a wide range of everyday
objects illustrating aspects of popular belief and practice.
Image caption: Mani stone
From Ladakh (now part of India and Pakistan). 19th-20th century
AD