Śāntarakṣita

Biography & Significance

Śāntarakṣita was the great Indian Buddhist philosopher-abbot who, together with Padmasambhava, established the foundations of organised Buddhism in Tibet. A master of the Madhyamaka-Yogacara synthesis, he was invited to Tibet by King Trisong Detsen but was initially forced to leave due to local opposition. He advised the king to invite Padmasambhava to tame the local spirits, after which both masters returned to build Samye Monastery (the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet, completed c. 779 CE). Śāntarakṣita ordained the first seven Tibetan monks and established the Vinaya (monastic code) in Tibet. His philosophical magnum opus, the Tattvasangraha (Compendium of Reality), surveys and refutes all major Indian philosophical schools. He is sometimes called the 'father of Tibetan philosophy'.

Key Teachings 主要教法

• ▸Vinaya (Monastic Discipline)
• ▸Madhyamaka-Yogacara synthesis
• ▸Tattvasangraha philosophy