Tangut Synthesis: Sino-Tibetan Buddhism during 11th-13th centuries

Since the inception of Tangut studies, it has been evident that the Tangut Realm was predominantly a Buddhist kingdom. From a textual perspective, the Buddhist corpus available comprises three major elements: Sinitic, Tibetan and a synthetic element, which the scholarship tends to identify as “Sino-Tibetan” Buddhism, i.e. a combination of Sinitic and Tibetan features in one text. After the collapse of the Tangut state in 1227, Tangut Buddhism continued to thrive, and had important impacts on the development of Buddhism in the Central Plains, notably through the initial introduction of Tibetan Buddhism to the Mongol rulers. In this talk, we will explore the key constituents of Tangut Buddhism, discuss the major dimensions of both Sinitic and Tibetan Buddhism within the Tangut Buddhist system and indicate major characteristics of the Sino-Tibetan Buddhism, as they emerge from the available textual heritage. We will also address the issues of historical origins, the variety of textual transmission and translation, the reconstruction of the Tangut Buddhist “system” and other related topics. Kirill Solonin currently holds the position of professor at the School of Chinese Classics, Renmin University of China. He obtained the degree of Doctor of Science from Saint Petersburg State University. As a leading scholar in his fields, Solonin’s research concentrates on Tangut studies, the history of religions, linguistics and philology. His significant contributions include Двенадцать Царств (1995), 大鹏展翅：藏传新旧密咒在西夏的传播 (2022), and "Śāntideva’s Bodhicaryāvatāra in Tangut Translation" (co-authored with Shintaro Arakawa in 2024).