2 
Sarat Chandra Das —Contributions on Tibet. 
[No. 1, 
the king’s palace, from heaven, several volumes called Pan-Kon- 
Chhyag-gya. 3 The meanings of their contents being unknown, they were 
adored under the name of “ Nan-po-san-wa.” This was the nucleus 
of Buddhism in Tibet. The king learned in a vision that their contents 
should be known in the fifth generation. Accordingly, during the reign 
of Sron-tsan-gampo 4 the reputed incarnation of Chenressig, 5 the minister 
Thon-mi-Sambhota visited India to study the various sciences and Bud¬ 
dhism. He became well versed in the classical sciences of the Indians. After 
his return to Tibet, he framed the Wuchan, 6 or “characters provided with 
heads,” of the Tibetans after the model of the Nagari, and the Wume 7 
characters after the Wurtu s letters, and thereby founded the alphabetic system 
of the Tibetans. Sron-tsan-gampo brought the image of Akshobhya 9 from 
Nepal and that of S'akya Muni from China, which were the first Buddhist 
images in Tibet. In order to accommodate these upholders of Tibet, he 
erected the great Temple called Rasa-thul-nan-kitsug-lakhan. 10 He engaged 
Thon-mi Sarnbhota and his colleagues to translate Sanskrit Buddhist 
works into Tibetan, writing them in the newly formed alphabet. Sangye- 
phalpo-chhe 11 and other books were the first translations which formed 
the germ of Tibetan Buddhism. 
During the reign of Thi-sron-de-tsan 13 who was celebrated as an 
emanation of Manju-Ghosha, 13 the great sage S'anta Rakshita and Pandit 
Padma Sambhava and several other Indian Buddhists and philosophers were 
* 
invited to Tibet. 14 Among the first seven monks, Vairochana 15 was the chief. 
Originating from them, the ancient Tibetan Clergy of the “orange raiment” 
began to multiply. Then, there sprung up a host of Lochavas—those versed in 
two or more languages—among whom were Lui-wanpo, 16 Sagor Vairochana, 17 
3 dPan-skon-phyag Jrgya. 
4 Sron-#tsan-sGampo. 
5 That is, the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. 
6 Also called Go-chan (Wu-chan) or characters provided with mdtras or heads. 
7 Written dVu-mee? and pronounced as Wume, a kind of letters which have no 
mdtras or heads. 
8 Wartu is probably the language of the people of Kafiristan and Bactria. 
9 One of the Panchajati Buddhas. 
10 Rasa-^phrul-snan-gi-ytsug-lag-khan. From that date his capital was founded 
by the name Lhasa or the “land of God.” Sanskrit Kutagara is the same as Tibetan 
Tsug-la-khah. See Yol. L, p. 221, note 33. 
11 Sans-rgyas-phalpo-chhe. 
12 Khri-sron-Me-£tsan. 
13 The God of Learning and Wisdom. 
14 Under them the first Tibetan Clergy was formed. 
15 Also written Yairotsana. 
16 6Khon-&lu hi-^Van-po. 
17 Sa-gor-Yairo-tsana. 
