Samye Debate, also called Council of Lhasa, Council of Samye, Debate of Samye or Great Debate, was a two-year debate over whether

enlightenment Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to: Age of Enlightenment * Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...

happened gradually or suddenly. It took place at Samye Temple, hosted by Trisong Detsen, between Indian Monastics from Nalanda and Chinese Moheyan from Tang Imperial Court between 792 and 794. Kamalaśila was invited to represent

Vajrayana Vajrayāna ( sa, वज्रयान, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, are names referring t ...

while

Moheyan Heshang Moheyan () was a late 8th century bhikkhu, Buddhist monk associated with the East Mountain Teaching. ''Moheyan'' (摩訶衍) is a brief translation of ''Mahayana'' in Chinese, so the name literally means a Mahayana monk. He became famous ...

represented the East Mountain Teaching of

Chan Buddhism Chan (; of ), from Sanskrit '' dhyāna'' (meaning "meditation" or "meditative state"), is a Chinese school of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It developed in China from the 6th century CE onwards, becoming especially popular during the Tang and So ...

References

Samye Debate
at ''

Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...

'' 8th-century Buddhism Tibetan Empire 790s {{Buddhism-stub