No
other religion apart from Buddhism has been able to take root
in Tibet. Only a small population of about 2,000 throughout
Tibet have faith in Islam, while there is no trace of Christianity
at all. The Bon, the aborigine religion of Tibet, a sect of
Shamanism which chiefly worshipped idols and the Nature and
practiced driving off of evil spirits, had at one time prevailed
in Tibet but lost round with the penetration of Buddhism.
Thus, Buddhism can as well be said to the sole religion of
Tibet, and the faith has taken so deep in root that it means
almost everything to the Tibetans as already mentioned. Well-to-do
families even built in their compound their private chapels
of prayer-rooms. to begin with, the first Buddhist scripture
printed in Sanskrit was said to have been descended from Heaven
in the 5th century during the reign of 28th Tsanpo Tho-Tho-Ri
Nyantsan. It was translated into Tibet, and later in the 8th
century after the visit the Indian Master Padmasambhava, the
spread of Buddhism got accelerated and religious sect started
taking shape. In the 11th century the visit of the Bengali
Master, Atisha, to Tibet greatly encouraged the study of Buddhism
into Tibet and sowed the seed for Gelugpa, the greatest sect
that was to come. Finally, in the 15th century, Tsongkapa,
the great reformer of Tibetan Buddhism, came to Tibet from
Qinghai and founded the Gelugopa sect, the Order of Excellence,
and here after Buddhism went all-out spreading like a wild
fire into Tibet and the absolute ruler both of the claret
and the state is another decisive victory for Buddhism to
rise to its paramount as the religion of the entire Tibetan
nationality.
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