Samye Debate

Samye Debate, in Tibetan Buddhism, a two-year debate (c. 792–794 ce) between Indian and Chinese Buddhist teachers held at Samye, the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet. The debate centred on the question of whether enlightenment (bodhi) is attained gradually through activity or suddenly and without activity.

The more conventional Mahayana Buddhist view was represented by Kamalashila, a scholar expressly called from India, and supported by the prominent Tibetan convert Gsal-shang of Dba’. They argued for the doctrine of the Madhyamika (“Middle Way”) school, which arose out of the teachings of the monk Nagarjuna (flourished 2nd century ce). According to this doctrine, the final goal of buddhahood can be achieved only after a long course of intellectual and moral development generally requiring a series of lives. The Chinese representative (whose Sanskrit name was Mahayana) upheld the teachings of the meditative Chan (Japanese: Zen) school of Mahayana Buddhism, which held that enlightenment is a sudden, spontaneous event that is not furthered and may even be hindered by conventional endeavours.

The debate took place in front of the reigning Tibetan king, Khri-srong-lde-btsan, who declared in favour of the Madhyamika teachings of the Indian representatives. His decision may have been influenced to some degree by the intermittent warfare then going on between Tibet and China. Thereafter, India exerted greater influence than China over Buddhism’s development in Tibet, though Chan continued to be respected there.