As the founder of the most glorious era in Tibetan history, Songtsen Gampo's historical status can be called a brother in Tibetan history.
It is precisely because of his unparalleled influence that the geometry of his life, when he was born, and what year he died, has become a long-standing debate.
Many Tibetan historical sources insist that he died at the age of 82, while modern Tibetan historians have calculated that he died at the age of 34.
Was Songtsam Gampo old or died prematurely?
Why is there such a big gap?
Today, we first briefly describe the chronology of Tubo, and based on the chronology of Tibetan history, we will calculate the birth and death of Songtsen Gampo!
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > the chronology of the Tubo Dynasty</h1>
The Tibetan chronology has a long, gradual and accurate development process from simple to complex.
Before Songtsen Gampo, since the Tibetan language had not yet been produced, there was no evidence of how the date (chronology) was calibrated.
After Songtsen Gampo succeeded to the throne, Tubo entered the Era of Shinshi. At this time, the chronology method adopted in Tibet is the earth branch method (zodiac sign).
At present, according to Tibetan historical records, it can be confirmed that in 641 (the fifteenth year of Zhenguan), when Princess Wencheng entered Tibet, she brought many almanac books such as "Botang Eighty Number Theory".
The Tibetan translation of these Chinese books has played a decisive role in promoting the astronomical calendar and chronology of tibet as a whole.
The Tibetan Chronicle of the King of Tibet wrote about this: "[Songtsen Gampo] sent four clever Tubo youths to study in Han China to learn from Han teachers the nine continuations and the fifteen volumes of Mitu. Since then, there have been 'arithmetic calculated by five elements', 'twelve zodiac chronology', 'sixty flower armor of life', 'Bagua, nine official yellow calendar calculation', 'twenty-four solar terms', 'cattle calculation' and other methods. ”
But even so, for more than a hundred years after that, the Tibetan historical materials are still in use, the most crude zodiac calendar.
This twelve-year cycle of chronology, because the cycle cycle is too short, it is very easy to produce chronological confusion in different cycles.
Therefore, while continuously absorbing the culture of the Central Plains, the Tubo Dynasty developed its own unique "Yin and Yang Five Elements Zodiac Chronology" based on the Zhongyuan Tiangandi Branch Chronology.
That is, "gold, wood, water, fire and earth" plus "yin and yang", instead of ten days of dry (A, B, C, D), with the zodiac signs instead of the earth branch (son, ugly, yin, 卯), completed the sixty-year cycle of the cycle.
However, there is still the possibility of chronological confusion in this way, so the Central Plains Dynasty has an era number as another coordinate system in addition to the Tiangandi Branch Chronology.
The combination of the two methods can accurately calibrate the chronology of the event on the time coordinate system. This is one of the reasons why the entire ancient history of East Asia refers to the Chinese historical record.
As a long-term contact with the Central Plains, the Tubo Dynasty also produced a unique era name, that is, the "Yi Tai" era name of the Chizu Dezan period.
At present, on the monument of the Tang Dynasty Society standing in front of the Jokhang Temple, there is a chronological way of "its standing stone is here, which is the ninth year of the Great Han Yitai and the third year of the Tang Changqing (823), that is, the fourteenth day of February in the year of the Yinshui rabbit".
Unfortunately, this relatively accurate chronology has somehow not been promoted in the historical record for a long time.
The Tang Dynasty Monument is the earliest case of the "Yin and Yang Five Elements Zodiac Chronicle" that has been seen at present, and it is almost an isolated case.
At this time, nearly two hundred years had passed since the time of Songtsen Gampo.
The drawbacks of adopting the Zodiac Chronology are obvious, and it creates chronological confusion about a large number of historical events.
In addition, most of the authors of the teachings created after the fourteenth century were high monks and lacked the ability of professional historians to examine the evidence, resulting in a large disparity in chronology of the same historical figure or event.
In fact, in the teaching materials, in addition to the zodiac chronology, there is also a Buddhist calendar.
The Buddhist calendar uses shakyamuni shakyamuni's circle of death as the time node and presumptive dating in a backward manner.
However, there are dozens of theories about the time of Shakyamuni's death, with a difference of more than 1,500 years, which cannot be used as an accurate time calibration.
Knowing the basic state of the Tubo chronology, we can understand why the age of Songtsen Gampo's birth and death is so different.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" >2, Songtsen Gampo died in what year</h1>
The above table is my collation of the various birth and death dates of Songtsen Gampo, and it can be seen that they are basically 82 years old and 34 years old.
But although the two schools have different algorithms, there is a striking agreement, that is, they both believe that Songtsen Gampo was born in the year of the ox (ugly) and died in the year of the dog (戌). But which cow and which dog is very different.
This is the problem that we mentioned earlier, the zodiac chronology method brings.
Why discuss the year of Songtsen Gampo's death first?
The reason is incomparably simple - there is a history of Tang to refer to!
Old Book of Tang and Tubo Biography: "In the first year of Yonghui (650), Nongzan (Songzan Gampo) died. Emperor Gaozong mourned for his actions and sent the right General Xian Yu to hold the seal book of the festival and sacrifice to the chancellor. Lang Zanzi died early, and his grandson Jili, renamed Zampu, was young at the time, and state affairs were entrusted to Lu Dongzan. ”
In contrast, the Tibetan historical material "Chronicle of Events", which is preserved in the Dunhuang Tibetan Scripture Cave, has the following records:
“...... Princess Zanmeng Wencheng was married to tubo by Gar Dongzanyu Song (Lu Dongzan).
In the following three years, during the reign of Chisong Zanzangpu, he destroyed Li Niexiu (King of Zhangxiong) and took all the Zhangxiong tribes under his rule and listed them as editors.
Six years later, Akamatsu Zanpo ascended (equivalent to death) and lived with Princess Zanmun Wencheng for three years.
In the Year of the Dog, the remains of the grandfather of the secret house Zampu, ChiSongzan, were in the Chonwa LingTang. ”
Since Princess Wencheng married into Tubo in the fifteenth year of Zhenguan, the Han-Tibetan historical data is undoubtedly righteous.
Therefore, the "next three years, that is, 643 AD", the "next six years" recorded in the "Chronicle of Events" refers to 649, and the subsequent "year of the dog" is the year of Gengshu (650, the first year of Emperor Gaozong's Yonghui).
Considering the time when the envoys were on the road, the Zizhi Tongjian records that the obituary received was in May 650, so the records of the Han-Tibetan historical records in 649 and 650 cannot be regarded as conflicts.
Then why is the account of his death in 689 and 710 inaccurate?
The reason is also very simple, because in the fourth year of Emperor Jinglong of Tang Dynasty (710), the spring moon was ugly, and the Princess of Jincheng set off for Tibet and married Chide Zuzan.
At this point in time, the Han-Tibetan history books are completely consistent.
If Songtsen Gampo died in 689 or 710, then the three generations of Zampu (Gongri Gongzan, Mangsong Mangzan, and Chidu Songzan) between him and Chidezuzan would have nowhere to be found.
In addition, according to the chronological chronology of the reign of Tibetan Shi Zangpu, if Songtsen Gampo died in 689, then when the Tang Dynasty Monument was erected (Changqing III, 823), the presiding league Tubo Zampu Chizu Dezan (Khali Kezu, Rebajin) was not even born.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > third, the birth year of Songtsen Gampo</h1>
Compared with songzan gampo, there is a reference to the history of tang, which is relatively clear. When Songtsen Gampo was born is truly unknown.
Therefore, all the discussions about his birth age are inferences, and they all revolve around the core of the "ugly year" and use their own calculations to grasp the circumstantial evidence.
Here, I will base my description on the exposition of the "White History" written by the modern Tibetan historian Gen Dun Qunpei.
The reason why the argument of the "History of Bai" is quoted is that during the period of Gendun Qunpei, Dunhuang ancient Tibetan literature had been discovered. These documents, which were stored in the Tibetan Scripture Cave in 1000 AD, have been forgotten for 900 years, during which no one disturbed and tampered with them, and are currently the highest level of Tibetan documents.
Gendun Qunpei made good use of the contents of Dunhuang literature, while other teaching materials were written after the 14th century, far from the Tubo Dynasty, and no one was able to glimpse the history of Dunhuang.
Gentun Qunpei
First of all, Gendun Qunpei analyzed the problem of the "Qingshi" (Xun Nubei 1392~1481) algorithm.
According to this theory, Songzan Gampo's birth year is set as 569 (the first year of Chen Taijian of the Southern Dynasty, the year of Ding Ugly), and he died in 650 (the first year of Emperor Gaozong of Tang's Yonghui, Gengji), and his life expectancy was 82 years old.
However, most versions of Tibetan history record that Songtsen Gampo succeeded to the throne at the age of thirteen, and soon after his succession began to plan to marry a princess.
If he was born in the first year of Southern Chen Taijian, the time node of thirteen years old would be 581 (thirteen years of Taijian). In this year, another era name was produced, that is, the first year of the founding of the Sui Wen Emperor Yang Jian.
That is to say, in this year, the Sui Dynasty had just been established, and not only had Princess Wencheng not yet been born, but there was not even a country called Tang. How could Tubo possibly study marrying a Tang Dynasty princess?
In the book, Gendun Qunpei believes that Xun Nubei, the author of the "History of Qing", calculated an extra jiazi (sixty years) when he married Princess Wencheng, a stable time node.
Because 581 years plus 60 years, it happens to be 641 (the fifteenth year of Zhenguan), which is the year princess Wencheng married.
Let's talk about the algorithm of the Fifth Dalai Lama (1617-1682) in the Book of Tibetan Kings.
The book calibrates Songtsen Gampo's birth year as 629 (three years after Tang Zhenguan, the year of his ugliness), and died in 710 (four years of Emperor Jinglong of Tang Zhongzong) at the age of 82.
As mentioned earlier in the year of his death, 710 (the fourth year of Emperor Gaozong's reign) was already the year when Princess Jincheng entered Tibet, which was obviously wrong.
If Songtsen Gampo was born in 629 (three years after Tang Zhenguan, the year of his own ugliness), then Princess Wencheng had just turned 13 when she entered Tibet.
However, before Princess Wencheng entered Tibet, Songzan Gampo quelled the rebellion of Su Pi and Shannan, and then went north to annex Tuguhun and fought against the Tang army under songzhou.
In just one year, it is obviously impossible to accomplish so much.
It is also contrary to other Tibetan historical records that Songzan fought with China for several years; it is also contrary to the Tang Shi, before Princess Wencheng entered Tibet, Tubo sent envoys to propose marriage three times.
Excluding the algorithm of the first two birth years, the rest is the Tibetan history such as "History of Budun Buddhism", "Records of the King of Tibet", "Red History", and "Feast of the Sages".
These Tibetan histories all set the birth year of Songzan Gampo as 617 (the thirteenth year of Sui Daye, the year of Ding Ugly), and died in 698 (the first year of the Wu Zetian Holy Calendar, Wu Shu), and died at the age of 82.
Gendun Qunpei believes that the birth year of this statement is consistent with the Sino-Tibetan historical materials he has mastered.
Songtsen Gampo was born in the year of Ding Ugly (13th year of Sui Dynasty, 617) and ascended the throne in the year of 13 (Zhenguan 3rd year, 629, age 13). At the age of eighteen, Hanzang first went back to the throne, married a princess at the age of twenty-five, and died at the age of thirty-four.
The princess then lived for thirty-one years and died in the fourth year of Mangsong's ascension to the throne.
(The above presumption of discussion is the original text of the "History of Bai", pages 66-67 of Mr. Fazun's Chinese translation)
< h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > questions about untimely death</h1>
There are two rebuttals to Songtsen Gampo's untimely death at the age of thirty-four:
1. The age of four at the age of Chinese New Year's Eve is inconsistent with the career of Songtsen Gampo's life;
2. Succeeding Zampu as the grandson of Songzan is inconsistent with his thirty-four years of age.
In this regard, Gendun Qunpei also gave an example.
"Or some people think that Zampu came to the throne at the age of thirteen, only the king of The Two Lands of Wei and Tibet, and in this short period of time, it seems impossible to conquer from Zhangxiong, Nebra, northern India, and east to Songzhou in China.
However, this should not be doubted. The famous "Geri" warriors and "Orba Renza" generals in the past conquered many countries such as Persia, Arabia, and India, and returned to their own countries. He was not yet thirty-two years old at the time of his death. ”
At the same time, Mr. Pu Wencheng also gave an explanation in the article "Examination of the Years of The Birth and Death of Zampu in the Past Dynasties of the Tubo Dynasty".
He believes that Songtsen Gampo succeeded to the throne in 629 and died in the winter of 649, reigning for twenty-one years, which is not a short time. Referring to the current situation of the surrounding regimes in Tibet at that time, it is entirely possible to make the above achievements.
In addition, the Tibetan scholar Mr. Tsetan Xia Rong examined that Songtsen Gampo sent Tsangbuza to Nepal to marry Princess Chizun in 639 (thirteen years after Zhenguan), 2 years before Princess Wencheng.
However, Songzan succeeded him in 629, during which he did not have a wife for ten years, which is obviously a bit illogical and inconsistent with the custom of starting to marry a princess after Zampu ascended the throne.
Therefore, princess Chizun was most likely not the first wife of Songtsen Gampo, and it is speculated that she must have had another wife when she ascended the throne or later.
This princess may be recorded in the Dunhuang Tibetan document "Zanpu Lineage Table", Gongsong Gongzan's biological mother, Princess Chi Mo Nian Dongdeng.
Compared with the various versions of the teaching materials in the above table, although the birth and death years are different, the eighty-two-year-old Shoulu is calculated in unison.
On this point, the Tibetan scholar Basang Wangdui argued in his article "My Questioning of the Songtsen Gampo Chronology":
The claim that Songtsen Gampo died at the age of eighty-two is recorded in ancient Tibetan historical texts. However, when we look back at the source, we find that the so-called eighty-two-year-old theory is not based on historical facts, but on a prophecy in a Buddhist book, The Continuation of Manjushri.
In this well-known Buddhist book in Tibet, Songtsen Gampo prophesied: "In the land of heaven, surrounded by snow-capped mountains, the king of the gods is from the Lize renunciation ,...... He held power for eighty years. This means that in tibet, which is called the snowy land of heaven, there is a person whose origin is Li Ze (a branch of the shakya tribe of ancient India) who is called the god of heaven and will be the king, and will rule for about eighty years.
Needless to say, this Buddhist prophecy had a tremendous impact on successive generations of Tibetan historians who were senior monks.
Buddha Shakyamuni lived for eighty-two years, and Songtsen Gampo, the incarnation of Guanyin, also had to have a corresponding shoulu. This is completely natural in their religious feelings, so that in their historical writings, it is clearly recorded that Songtsen Gampo lived for eighty-two years, so that Songtsen Gampo lived for a long time, and the saying that Songtsen Gampo lived was widely spread in Tibet.
This chronological projection, which presupposes the age of eighty-two, naturally makes it impossible to reach accurate conclusions.
(The above discussion is the original text of the relevant papers of Basang Wangdui)
The debate about Songtsen Gampo Shoulu and the chronology has a long history, but the extent of his age is not based on the expectations in our hearts.
You can't hope that he will live a long life, so he will be arranged to be old, and he cannot be allowed to die young because he does not want Princess Wencheng to marry an old man.
Limited by the vagueness of Tibetan historical records, the current year of death is indisputable, and the year of birth is still different.
However, at present, The Tibetan historians basically recognize Gendun Qunpei's thesis that Songtsen Gampo died young at the age of thirty-four.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > the examples and analyses listed herein, are clearly sourced. As for whether it is acceptable, it is a matter of opinion. </h1>
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > anyone has the right not to accept other people's opinions, which is a normal phenomenon. </h1>
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > bibliography:</h1>
Songtsen Gampo Chronicles_ Ren Naiqiang;
"White History" by Gendun Qiongpei, translated by Fa Zun;
"My Doubts about the Songtsen Gampo Chronology"_Basang Wangdui;
"Tubo Dynasty Dynasty Dynasty Zampu Sheng Death Year Examination (I)"_Pu Wencheng;
"History of the Tibetan Astronomical Calendar"_Catalyzing Group Awareness;
"Re-understanding the Tibetan Chronology"_Deng Wenkuan;
"Ancient Tibetan Chronology- The Chronology of the Xia Calendar, the Tibetan Calendar, and the Gregorian Calendar"_Yang Boming;
"A Review of the Chronology of the Stele Of the Tang Dynasty and the Examination of the Chronology of the Tibetan People in the Tubo Period"_Zhuo Ga;
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > explain the details of history, clarify the context, and view Chinese history from different perspectives! </h1>
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > Welcome to the "Tibetan reading line of the white hair coat!" ”</h1>
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