Chapter 4 Section 1 Ancient and Mysterious Nation

As an ancient nation, Tibetans have not been able to draw consistent conclusions about the historical research of the pre-Tubo era.Recently, scholars have attempted to use archaeological results to explore the ancient origins of the Tibetan people and the original appearance of the native culture of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.Because this work is still in its infancy, no generally agreed conclusions have been drawn.Here, we have to follow the traditional point of view and start from the Tubo period. This does not mean that the Tibetan ancestors did not have their own prehistoric culture before they entered the slave society.

According to research by historians, in the 6th century AD, the leader of the Yalong tribe in the Shannan area became the leader of the tribal alliance, known as "Zanpu" (king). At the beginning of the 7th century, Songtsen Gampo Tsampo of the Yalong tribe annexed and ruled the entire Tibet region by force, and established the Tubo (Bo) Dynasty as the capital, and established the Tubo (Bo) Dynasty. Economic and cultural exchanges.Since then, despite the frequent exchanges of envoys between the two sides, the Tubo Dynasty has always used Zanpu for a long time, which has greatly consumed manpower and material resources. In the second half of the 9th century, internal divisions broke out, and a major uprising broke out between slaves and subjects, which led to the disintegration of the slave-owner regime. From the 10th century to the 12th century AD, there was a separatist regime that transitioned to feudal serfdom.It was not until the 13th century that it entered a relatively stable period.In this situation of endless wars, people have a strong desire for reunification.The dispersal of the clan society, the unification of the slave society, and the split after the disintegration of slavery among the Tibetan ancestors, these many major historical changes are reflected in the epic "Gesar" to varying degrees, directly or indirectly .

The primitive religious status of the Tibetan ancestors is still unclear.There are many records in Tibetan ancient books about the local Bon religion, which is also called the Black religion.It originated from the primitive religion and retains the polytheistic worship in the primitive belief, but judging from its function and nature, it serves the slave-owner class. Compared with the universal primitive religion, it has changed.At least it should belong to a religion transitioning from a universal primitive religion to a man-made religion. After the introduction of Buddhism in the 7th century, there was a fierce struggle between the Bon religion and Buddhism, which forced Buddhism to absorb and integrate the Bon religion, and established Tibetan Buddhism with national characteristics, commonly known as Lamaism.The religion itself is divided into four sects, the oldest of which is called the "Nyingma Sect" (also known as the Red Sect), and the meaning of "Nyingma" is ancient.The sect was founded in the early 8th century by Tibetan King Trisong Detsen inviting Indian eminent monk Padmasambhava to Tibet, with the purpose of teaching "Tantra".The epic "Gesar" is closely related to this sect, and Padmasambhava has a high status in the work.

Because the Tibetans are distributed in the alpine regions of Tibet, Qinghai, Sichuan, and Yunnan, they are relatively closed, with the rare majestic Potala Palace and various strange customs, the outside world is often full of mystery about this ancient nation. sense and curiosity. "Gesar" is extremely sacred in the hearts of Tibetans. The protagonist Gesar is worshiped as a national hero, savior, and god of war.If a wealthy family names a newborn baby, it is auspicious, and professional entertainers are invited to sing "The Part of the Birth of a Hero" from "Gesar".If there is a horse racing event, entertainers are invited to sing "The Department of the King of Horse Racing".Those who traveled far away rode horses or yaks to listen, and they did not leave for several days.