The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1219 page)

BOOK: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
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ntarak
ita's recommendation, King Trisong Detsen invited Kamala
la from India to debate with the Chinese Hua Shang Mah
y
na at
Samyé
(792–4 CE), on the understanding that the teachings of whichever school won the debate would be established as the religion of Tibet. Although there are Chinese accounts to the contrary, there is little doubt that Kamala
la won. In 795 CE, however, Kamala
la was murdered, though whether by his defeated opponents or by followers of the native
Bön
religion is not clear. It has been suggested that Ch’an Buddhism did not completely leave Tibet as a result of the debate, and that elements of it remain in present
Nyingma
and Bön teachings.
Kamala
la was an illustrious scholar who also influenced the development of Tibetan Buddhism by his writings. His most important work,
Madhyamak
loka
(Light on the Middle Way), presents the Madhyamaka doctrine of emptiness (
nyat

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