Śāntirakṣita

Śāntirakṣita (flourished 8th century) was an Indian Buddhist teacher and saint who was instrumental in the development of Tibetan Buddhism. Invited to Tibet by King Thī-srong-detsan (ruled 740–786), Śāntirakṣita was forced to flee to Nepal after adherents of the nativistic Bon religion blamed him for the outbreak of an epidemic. After his return to Tibet, according to late 14th-century accounts, he urged the King to invite the Indian Buddhist teacher Padmasambhava to help him. Śāntirakṣita...