Unit name: Renaissance of Buddhism in Inner Asia

Key words: Tibetan Buddhism, Buddhism in India, inland areas of Asia, resurrection of Buddhism

      Since the 13th century, Buddhism has declined in India – its birthplace, and the majority of the population are the Hindu at present. Hence, Buddhism researchers have become interested in Tibetan Buddhism due to its similarities to the original Buddhism in India, which is adjacent to Tibet. Buddhism in Tibet was descended from India in the 7th century and once declined in the 9th century. However, 100 years later, it was resurrected under the influences of Northern India, Nepal, Kashmir, and Central Asia. This research unit then examines how Tibetan Buddhism was resurrected and its association with the histories of surrounding areas from comprehensive and multilateral perspectives, including studies of Buddhism, history, Tibet, and India.

Why the inner areas of Asia (Tibet)?

Figure 1: Buddhist cultural sphere in the inland areas of Asia (the map quoted from http://shanghai-cool.jugem.jp)

     Buddhism was established around 500 B.C in India, brought to Eurasia, and developed into various forms of religion in different areas. Buddhism was not only brought to China, Korea, and Japan through the Silk Road, but it also became popular among Tibetans after it was brought to the inland Asia over the Himalayan mountains (Figure 1). In India, Buddhism has declined as a consequence of the Islamic invasion in the 13th century, and Hinduism is dominant at present. The characteristics of original Indian Buddhism have been inherited by Tibetan Buddhism (in the inland areas of Asia) because Tibet is located in the vicinity of India. When Buddhism was brought to the Tibetan region, slightly later than its introduction to Japan, it became the established religion of the ancient Tibetan dynasty. In the 9th century, Buddhism in Tibet declined after the collapse of the dynasty. Buddhism was, however, revived with the support of clans that governed the Tibetan districts during the 11th to 13th century, including the reconstruction of temples, which also served as educational institutions, and translation of Buddhist scriptures and other documents. All religious schools of current Tibetan Buddhism were established by the 15th century. Later on Tibetan Buddhism was introduced to the inland areas of Asia including Mongolia, resulting in formation of a broad Tibetan Buddhist cultural sphere, and had a significant influence on the Qing dynasty established by Manchus. This is as large a Buddhist cultural sphere as South Asia including India, Southeast Asia, and East Asia including China and Japan. The history of the development of Tibetan Buddhism also interests the people of Japan that has adopted Buddhism. Although at present Tibet is part of China as the Tibet Autonomous Region, there are also believers in Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal, Bhutan, and Mongolia, in addition to Tibetans living in China. Thus, it is interesting to examine the events that occurred in the revival period in which Tibetan Buddhism was firmly established. However, what actually happened in that period was unknown because relevant documents and materials were unavailable.

Expectation of research progress due to discovery of Buddhism documents

Figure 2: A hand-written Buddhism-related document in Tibetan

       However, a large volume of hand-written manuscripts of that period (a manuscript of a Buddhist text written in Tibetan in the 12th century is presented in Figure 2) were discovered in a temple in Central Tibet recently, and photos of those manuscripts were published in China before deciphered. The documents are expected to provide basic information required to clarify the origin of current Tibetan Buddhism. Although research on them has just started, we are excited to read the undeciphered manuscripts for the first time in the world, and learn the spirit of Tibetans who attempted to revive Buddhism. We hope that our research unit will clarify how the foundation of current Tibetan Buddhism was established. The unit will conduct research from global perspectives in collaboration with specialists in history and thought and young researchers in Japan and other countries, using materials written in multiple languages, such as Tibetan, Sanskrit, and languages of Chinese origin.

Interviewed on February 23, 2015