Tibetan Buddhism is unique in the Buddhist practices in that Tibetans believe that there are multiple buddhas living everywhere among them. They believe that Shakyamuni Buddha is the premiere buddha of this era, but he is by no means alone. They believe that the Buddha lives among humanity in many different forms, and any person at all can attain buddhahood.

Songtsen Gambo, an emperor of Tibet in the mid-seventh century, was one of the first to show an interest in Buddhism. He tried to convert Tibet from a militaristic society into a peaceful, more monastic society. He developed an interest in Buddhism and wed his two Buddhist wives, who brought Buddhist texts and teachings into Tibet. His court began to translate Sanskrit texts into Tibetan. But Buddhism wasn't to remain strong for long, and its popularity waned before returning to strength in the eighth century, principally due to Padmasambhava.

Padmasambhava

Padmasambhava, a Buddhist monk, originally brought Buddhism to Tibet from India. Padmasambhava is the patron saint of Tibetan Buddhism, credited with the founding of Buddhism in Tibet when he established the Samye monastery in the eighth century C.E. He was considered by Tibetans to be an example of a living buddha — a fully realized human being who lives among the people. The native religion at the time Padmasambhava arrived was Bön. Bön was a shamanistic religion, and practice included prophecies, rites, sorcery, sacrifice, and a belief in the interdependence of humans and nature. Bön rituals and ceremonies revolved around priests and priestesses, who were believed to possess supernatural powers. Tibetans deified elements of the natural world, such as mountains, and believed in a world of gods who inhabited all types of space from the underworld to the heavens above.

Tibetans live at great altitudes, many inhabiting land at an average of 14,000 feet above sea level. The climate and the isolating location bred a population of resilient citizens, and their history — both recent and ancient — speaks of their strength and their deep attachment to their cultural and spiritual beliefs.

Tibet was a militaristic nation with many different kingdoms spread across the Tibetan plateau. It was believed that the seven ruling kings were divine, having descended from heaven on a ladder. They practiced shamanism and believed the shamans could serve as intermediaries between the divine origins of the kings and the people of the Earth. Their belief system was based on magic, multiple deities, and ritual. In order for someone to influence this populace, that person would have to be a great charismatic teacher capable of teachings that would impress upon them his power over nature, life, and death. This was Padmasambhava.

Padmasambhava, with the help of his twenty-five disciples, helped to build the first monastery in Tibet, at Samye. He helped to translate many of the Buddhist scriptures into Tibetan, and educated the populace in Buddhist teachings. He traveled around the country, transforming it from militarism into a peaceful, spiritual nation. Padmasambhava strived to change the Tibetan people internally and spiritually, so that their warring external life would fall away. He was largely successful at making significant changes.

This peaceful spirit would continue in Tibet until the ninth century when Tibet entered a dark age and Buddhism was suppressed. Many of the teachings were kept alive during this dark time by twenty-five disciples who passed down the teachings. Eventually, the seeds of knowledge that were planted by Padmasambhava were to sprout again, and Buddhism would establish itself as a major force in Tibetan culture.