The Testament of Ba or the Chronicle of Ba(Tibetan དབའ་བཞེད or སྦ་བཞེད; Wylie transliteration: dba' bzhed or sba bzhed) is a chronicle written in Classical Tibetan of the establishment of Mahayana Buddhism and Vajrayana Buddhism in Tibet, the foundation of the Samye Monastery, and includes notable events and people in Tibet's history and was written during the Tibetan Empire period. From the reigns of kings Songsten Gampo, Trisong Detsen, and to the years beyond Rapalchen's reign, a version of the chronicle, or testament, was recorded by Ba Salnang of the Ba Family, and by other scribes and members of the kings' courts. In 2008, early versions of the text were said to have been discovered in London, where two manuscript fragments possibly dating to the 9th or 10th centuries are held by the British Library.
Fragment of the Testament of Ba at the British Library, with six lines of Tibetan script (Or.8210/S.9498A).
Samye, full name Samye Mighur Lhundrub Tsula Khang and Shrine of Unchanging Spontaneous Presence is the first Tibetan Buddhist and Nyingma monastery built in Tibet, during the reign of King Trisong Deutsen. Shantarakshita began construction around 763, and Tibetan Vajrayana founder Guru Padmasambhava tamed the local spirits for its completion in 779. The first Tibetan monks were ordained there. Samye was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution then rebuilt after 1988.
The main building of the Samye Monastery (3D model available in Google Earth)
General view of Samye, photographed in 1936 by Hugh Edward Richardson.
Detail of the pillar inscription at Samye, photographed in 1949 by Hugh Edward Richardson. University of Oxford. Available at: http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_2001.59.13.38.1.html
The protective wall of Samye