How did Tibetan Buddhism become one of the dominant religious and political forces in medieval Central Asia? And how did Tibetan society recover from the disastrous fall of the Tibetan Empire to emerge as one of Asia's great centers of Buddhist learning and culture?

The "Tibetan Renaissance" refers to a period of roughly 250 years (950-1200) during which Tibetan society underwent a profound religious and political transformation, emerging from the dark ages following the collapse of the Empire to become a patchwork of vibrant Buddhist kingdoms and aristocratic estates. This episode takes us on an animated journey through the 10th, 11th, and 12th centuries, focusing on the decline of Buddhism in India, the rise of the Sarma schools of Tibetan Buddhism, and the incredible political and religious revival that took place during the Tibetan Renaissance.

The writer and director of the series, Dr. Alexander K. Smith, holds a PhD in Tibetan and Himalayan history from the University of Paris, France, and an MA from Oxford University.

This episode was co-produced by Tibet House US, which is a fantastic organization that promotes Tibetan cultural causes across the US. If you live in North America and are interested in learning more about Tibetan cultural events, you can check them out and learn more at: https://thus.org/.

To learn more about the history of Buddhism and Tibet, check out our series on the rise and fall of the Tibetan Empire:
Watch episode one, "The Rise of the Tibetan Empire"    • The Rise of the Tibetan Empire | The ...  
Watch episode two, "The Golden Age of the Tibetan Empire"    • The Golden Age of the Tibetan Empire ...  
Watch episode three, "The Fall of the Tibetan Empire"    • The Fall of the Tibetan Empire | An A...  

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Western-language Works Cited
Below you'll find a number of the major secondary sources that we used in writing this episode. There are, however, a significant number of historical articles, book chapters, and primary Tibetan-language sources that have also contributed to our understanding of the Renaissance period. Due to limited space (YouTube only gives you 5,000 characters!), these are not referenced below. If you are interested in learning more about Tibetan history, I recommend visiting our Patreon where you will find expanded reading lists and annotated bibliographies for each episode (none of which are paywalled and are all free to use). The complete reading list for this episode will be up on Patreon shortly!

Davidson, Ronald M. 2005. Tibetan Renaissance: Tantric Buddhism in the Rebirth of Tibetan Culture. Columbia University Press.

Davidson, Ronald M. 2002. Indian Esoteric Buddhism: A Social history of the Tantric Movement. Columbia University Press.

Kapstein, Matthew T. 2000. The Tibetan Assimilation of Buddhism: Conversion, Contestation, and Memory. Oxford University Press.

Kapstein, Matthew T. 2006. The Tibetans. Blackwell Publishing, pp.84-110.

Schaeffer, Kapstein, and Tuttle (eds). 2013. Sources of Tibetan Tradition. Columbia University Press, pp. 168-190.

Schaik, Sam van. 2011. Tibet: A History. Yale University Press.

Shakabpa, Tsepon W. D. 2010. Tibet a Political History. Paljor Publications.

Smith, Warren W., Jr. 1996. Tibetan Nation: A History of Tibetan Nationalism and Sino-Tibetan Relations. Westview Press.

0:00 The geopolitical position of Tibet in the 10th century
2:00 The rise of the Kingdom of Guge-Purang
3:00 Religious reforms during the reign of Yeshe O
3:55 Trade, translation projects, and cultural exchange with Indian Buddhism
5:36 Indian Buddhist leaders begin to teach and form followings in Tibet
5:59 The decline of Buddhism in India
6:54 Religious revival on the Tibetan Plateau
7:52 How the Renaissance changed Tibetan society
8:50 Schisms form and new sects begin to emerge
9:44 Credits and Patreon plug

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