Trisong Detsen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tri Songdetsen ཁྲི་སྲོང་ལྡེ་བཙན
Tsenpo
Tri Songdetsen statue at Samye.
Emperor of Tibet
Reign	755–794
Predecessor	Me Agtsom
Successor	Muné Tsenpo
Regent	Mashang Drompakye
Born	742
Died	797 (age 55)
Burial	Trülri Tsuknang Mausoleum, Valley of the Kings
Spouse	Tsépongza Métokdrön Chimza Lhamotsen Kharchenza Chogyel Droza Trigyel Motsen (aka Jangchup Jertsen) Poyöza Gyel Motsün Yéshé Tsogyel
Issue	Mutri Songpo Muné Tsenpo Mutik Tsenpo Sadnalegs
Full name Tri Songdetsen
Lönchen	list We Nangshar Sutsen Gos Trisang Yalag Chimshang Gyalsig Shuteng Nganlam Takdra Lukhong Nanam Shang Gyaltsen Lhanang
Father	Me Agtsom
Mother	Nanamza Mangpodé Zhiteng
Religion	Tibetan Buddhism

Tri Songdetsen (Tibetan: ཁྲོ་སྲོང་ལྡེ་བརྩན། ཁྲི་སྲོང་ལྡེ་བཙན, Wylie: khri srong lde brtsan/btsan, ZYPY: Chisong Dêzän, Lhasa dialect: [ʈʂʰisoŋ tetsɛ̃]) was a powerful emperor of Tibet. He was the son of Me Agtsom, the 38th ruler. Tri Songdetsen ruled from about 755 AD to 797 AD. He is known as the second of the Three Dharma Kings of Tibet. He played a very important part in bringing Buddhism to Tibet. He also helped set up the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism.

When Tri Songdetsen became emperor, the Tibetan Empire was not as strong as it had been. Some areas like Turkestan and Nepal had become independent. Also, Arab forces were trying to gain control of lands near Tibet's western borders. Even with these challenges, Tri Songdetsen became one of Tibet's greatest rulers. He was a huge supporter of Buddhism.

Tri Songdetsen and Buddhism

Tri Songdetsen is a key figure in the history of Tibetan Buddhism. He is one of the three 'Dharma Kings' (chögyel in Tibetan). These kings were very important for establishing Buddhism in Tibet. The other two Dharma Kings were Songtsen Gampo and Ralpacan.

A stone pillar from that time says that Tri Songdetsen built many temples. These temples were for the "Three Jewels" of Buddhism. One famous temple was Bsam-yas (Samye) in Brag-mar. This shows how much he supported the new religion.

Bringing Indian Buddhist Teachers

Tri Songdetsen became emperor in 755 when he was only 13 years old. He became a Buddhist in 762, at age 20. Later records say he invited many great teachers from India to Tibet. Among them were Padmasambhava, Śāntarakṣita, and Vimalamitra.

These teachers helped build Samye, which was the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet. Many Tibetans became monks there. A huge project also started to translate Buddhist texts. These texts were translated from Sanskrit into Classical Tibetan. Yeshe Tsogyal, who was close to Tri Songdetsen, became a great Buddhist master herself. She is sometimes called the Mother of Buddhism.

Chinese Buddhist Traditions

Buddhism also came to Tibet from China. Around 761, Tri Songdetsen sent people to China to learn about Chan Buddhism. They met a Korean Chan master named Kim Hwasang in Sichuan. They learned from him and brought back three Chinese texts.

In 763, Tri Songdetsen sent another group to China. This group was led by a high minister, Sba Gsalsnan. Some historians believe this group met Baotang Wuzhu, another Chan master. Both Kim and Baotang Wuzhu belonged to the same school of Chan Buddhism.

Important Debates

Tri Songdetsen hosted a famous debate about Buddhism. It lasted for two years, from 792 to 794. This event is often called the "Council of Lhasa," but it actually happened at Samye monastery. The debate was between Moheyan, a Chinese Chan Buddhist, and Kamalaśīla, an Indian scholar. It was a discussion between the Chinese and Indian ways of practicing Buddhism in Tibet.

People have different ideas about who won the debate. Some sources say Kamalaśīla won. He taught a "gradual approach" to becoming enlightened. This meant slowly improving oneself through practices like cultivating good qualities. Kamalaśīla also helped ordain Tibetans as monks and spread Indian Buddhist ideas. Many believe Tri Songdetsen supported Kamalaśīla's views.

Building Stupas

Tri Songdetsen is also linked to the building of Boudhanath in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. A stupa is a dome-shaped building used as a Buddhist shrine.

The efforts of Padmasambhava, Śāntarakṣita, and Kamalaśīla together helped establish both Indian Buddhist philosophy and Buddhist tantra in Tibet during Tri Songdetsen's rule.

Political and Military Actions

In 763, Tri Songdetsen sent a large army of 200,000 soldiers to the border with Tang China. They defeated the Chinese forces and then captured Chang'an, the capital city of Tang China. This forced the Chinese emperor to leave the capital. In 783, Tibet and China signed a peace treaty. This treaty gave Tibet all the lands in what is now Qinghai province.

The King also made an alliance with Nanzhao in 778. They joined forces to attack the Chinese in Sichuan.

Tri Songdetsen then wanted to expand his empire to the west. His armies reached the Amu Darya river and posed a threat to the Abbasid Caliphate. The Caliph, Harun al-Rashid, was so worried that he formed an alliance with the Chinese emperor. Tri Songdetsen spent the rest of his rule, until 797, fighting wars with the Arabs in the west. This took pressure off his Chinese rivals in the east.

Later Life and Succession

Tri Songdetsen had four sons: Mutri Tsenpo, Muné Tsenpo, Mutik Tsenpo, and Sadnalegs. His oldest son, Mutri Tsenpo, passed away early.

Tri Songdetsen decided to retire in 797. He moved to the palace at Zungkar and gave power to his second son, Muné Tsenpo. Historical records from this time are a bit confusing. It seems there was some disagreement about who should rule after Tri Songdetsen. It's not clear exactly when Tri Songdetsen died or how long Mune Tsenpo ruled. One old Tibetan text says that Muné Tsenpo wanted his father's funeral to follow Buddhist traditions, not older customs.

Later, power went to his younger brother, Sadnalegs. Both Chinese and Tibetan records agree that Sadnalegs was on the throne by 804 AD. The other brother, Mutik Tsenpo, was not considered for the role. He had been sent away to Lhodak Kharchu near the Bhutanese border after a serious incident.