Page 152 - YBAM 50th Anniversary Souvenir Magazine
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Langkasuka, P’an P’an, Tan-Tan, Ch’ip-tu inroads into Java much before the 5th Indonesian islands of Java and Wheel of Sharp Weapons Lama Atiśa
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and Fo-Lo-An in the 6th century because century CE. In the 7th century, the monarch Sumatra before 700 C.E., pre-dating lived and studied bodhicitta and mind
these small kingdoms sent envoys to of the powerful Sri Vijayan empire (7th- the spread of Buddhism to Tibet and the training techniques in Sumatra for twelve
the Chinese court bearing gifts including 13th century CE) in Palembang, Sumatra, rest of the Himalayan region by Guru years and later became one of the most
Buddhist relics, miniature painted stupas professed Buddhism and his empire Padmasambhava by one hundred years. important lamas of Tibet who reformed
and leaves of the Bodhi Tree. Therefore, spread across much of Southeast Asia, The importance of Suvarnabhumi in Tibetan Buddhism and wrote the famous
it can be inferred that the earliest form including ancient Malaya. The rulers of ancient times as a hub of Buddhist A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment
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of Buddhism in this land is that of early the Sailendra Dynasty of Java (8th-9th learning can be attested by visits of Bodhipathapradīpa .
Buddhism, which now exists only in centuries CE), which ruled over the Malay prominent Indian Buddhist scholars
Theravāda Buddhism. Buddhism also Peninsula, were strong promoters of such as Dharmapala (7th century) from Unfortunately, Buddhist influence
spread to the northern states of Malaysia Mahāyāna Buddhism, especially tantric Nalanda and Dipankara Atiśa in the 11th diminished in the Malay Archipelago by
from Thailand. or Vajrayāna Buddhism. Thus, I must century. I-Tsing in 671 C.E described the gradually assimilated into Hinduism, and
emphasise here that the ancient people Sri Vijayan capital at Bukit Seguntang, finally replaced by Islam, which remains
Mahayana Buddhism of this land had come into contact with Sumatra as an important centre of the dominant religion in the region,
Mahāyāna Buddhism is believed to these diverse forms of Buddhism, albeit Buddhist learning, with more than a although Theravāda Buddhism still
have been introduced to the people of in stages as Buddhist ideas evolved in thousand monks pursuing a systematic prevails in Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and
Suvarnabhumi around the 5th century ancient India. monastic study and serving the people Cambodia.
C.E and eventually overshadowed early through Dharma activities.
Buddhism in the Malay Peninsula when Vajrayana Buddhism Revival of Buddhism in Malaysia:
the Sri Vijaya Empire rose to prominence. To understand the development of To The Sri Vijaya empire was the centre of The Second Wave
From the 8th to the 13th centuries C.E, understand the development of Vajrayāna Vajrayāna learning in the Far East for A second wave of Buddhism came about
the entire region of Suvarnabhumi was Buddhism in this country, we have to more than 600 years, a fact attested by Yi in a very small yet significant way during
under the influence of the powerful draw upon ancient Buddhist literature Jing (635-713) who was impressed by the the influx of the Chinese migrants during
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Sailendra dynasty from central Java and focused on other parts of Suvarnabhumi, high level of Buddhist scholarship in Sri the Malacca Sultanate in the 15-16th
the maritime empire of Sri Vijaya that they especially Sumatra and Java, which are Vijaya and even advised Chinese monks centuries and in greater numbers during
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founded. located in present-day Indonesia . This to engage in preparatory studies in the British Malaya during the 18-20th centuries
is due to the dearth of historical records empire before pursuing further studies at especially in the Straits Settlements of
There are numerous archaeological on religious history in ancient Malaya. the great monastic university of Nalanda Penang, Malacca and Singapore.
evidences of Buddhist influence in the It is also imperative to understand that in India.
Malay Peninsula, particularly in the Vajrayāna Buddhism is essentially After a lapse of about four hundred years,
Bujang Valley and Merbok Estuary in Mahāyāna Buddhism with the added Tibetan sources document Dipankara the Chinese and Sri Lankan immigrants
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Kedah State, Malaysia, tracing back the component of tantra. Therefore, it is often Atiśa’s guru-disciple relationship with re-introduced Buddhism to Malaysia from
prevalence of Mahāyāna Buddhism to the difficult to make a distinction between Suvarnadvipi Dharmakīrti who was a the 18th and 19th centuries respectively
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5th century CE . the historical timelines of Mahāyāna and native of Sumatra, a very learned and during the British colonial period. A large
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Vajrayāna. highly realised master of bodhicitta in influx of Chinese immigrants came to
Indian Buddhist missionaries, notably the 11th century C.E. Lama Serlingpa work in tin mines. As such, Buddhism
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Gunavarman Buddhism made strong Vajrayāna Buddhism reached the composed the important text called the once again began to flourish in the Malay
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50 YEARS OF DHARMA PRO PA GATION CO NTINUING THE MIS SION IN THE 5G ER A
