Architectural art of Tibetan Buddhism I

The Tibetan Plateau, with an average elevation of 4,000 meters, has long been known as the Roof of the World, where the weather is cold, rainfall is limited, natural conditions are rather harsh, and there are not many forests but plenty of stone.

Among Tibet's buildings, the achievement of Tibetan Buddhist buildings is the highest. In the seventh century, the Tubo Tsampo Kingdom emerged on the Tibetan Plateau. Along with the development of Tibet's relationship with the inland areas and Southeast Asia, Buddhism was introduced from India and the central plains.

The two wives of TSongsang Gampo, king of Tubo Tsampo, namely, Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty (entered Tibet in 641 ) and Princess Chizun of Nepal, both worshipped Buddhism. Organized personally by Princess Wencheng, the Reshazu Lakang, the first Buddhist structure in Tibet, built in Luoxie (present-day Lhasa), is the predecessor of the still existing Gtsug-Khang Monastery. In the year 762, Khri-sron-btsan, king of Tubo Tsampo built Tibet's first formal temple, Bsam-yas Monastery, and seven Tibetan youths were tonsured to become monks.

Before Buddhism was introduced into China, Tibet had already had a primitive religion, Bon, which was later blended with Buddhism. In addition, due to the strong influence of Tantrism of Indian Buddhism and elements of Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism developed a very strong mystical color obviously different from Buddhism in the inland areas. In Tibetan Buddhism, commonly called Lamaism, the temple is called a Lama temple, and the pagoda is called a Lama pagoda.

Beginning from the Yuan Dynasty, Tibet was formally included into Chinese territory WC can say that there is no other place in China like Tibet, wherein religion stands above all else, where life is full of a strong religious flavor and culture contains a strong theological atmosphere. Tibetan Buddhism was introduced into the Mongolian region in the Yuan Dynasty and was gradually widely accepted by the Mongolian people. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the emperors also built some Lama temples and Lama pagodas in Beijing and north China in order to unite the Tibetan and Mongolian nationalities.

Tibetan Buddhist monasteries can be classified into three kinds-Tibetan, mixed Tibetan/Han, and Han types. The Tibetan-type Buddhist monastery almost prevails all over Tibet and its neighboring provinces. The Tibetan-Han mixed type based mainly on the Tibetan-type monasteries is found mostly in Inner Mongolia. There are also a small number of Han-type monasteries. The Lama temples in Beijing, Chengde and Wutai Mountains are mostly of a Han type or Tibetan/Han mixed type based mainly on Han style.

Tibetan-type Lama temples can also be divided into those built on level ground and those set up at the foot of mountains, with the latter accounting for the greater part. Flatland temples are often of a semi-regulated and symmetrical form, with the image of the main big hall as the composition center being most outstanding. A free-style layout is used for temples at the foot of mountain areas, which lacks both an overall axis and a pre-determined plan, although they still follow some rules for arrangement. For example, most temples lean against slopes in the north and face flatlands in the south. At the back of the terrace are arranged tall colorful scripture halls and Buddhist halls, and in its outer part are mansions for Living Buddhas. The further Outer part is encircled by a large stretch of low small yards in which ordinary monks are living. A large temple was often gradually completed over several decades of development.