There are two kinds of vow system in Buddhism, i.e. Śrāvaka and Bodhisattva vow systems respectively. Bodhisattva vow is the precept the Enlightened One expounds for the disciple whose capacity is appropriate to raise bodhicitta （the mind of enlightenment）, and thus the nature of the vow is different from that of the seven categories of prātimokṣa （individual liberation） of Śrāvaka Vehicle. The meaning of the bodhisattva vow is deeper and wider. It not only includes the seven categories of the Śrāvaka vows, but also contains “the vow of amassing of virtuous deeds” which covers cultivating all virtuous deeds and “the vow of benefitting sentient being” which includes all methods and practices to bring all sentient beings to Nirvāṇa. There are some nuances in the texts, rituals of receiving the vow, the number of the vow to be taken, their content, and ensuing practices between the lineages of Chinese and Tibetan Buddhism due to the historical development of these lineages. The aim of the dissertation is to investigate the lineages and development of the two kinds of bodhisattva vow prevailing in Tibetan Buddhism. Firstly, we try to understand the early stage of the development of bodhisattva vow in Tibet by way of investigating the Mahāyāna bodhisattva vow of Indian Buddhism and the historical background while the Buddhism was introduced into Tibet. Secondly, we investigate the general situations of bodhisattva vow in the “Prior Diffusion of Dharma Period” and “Later Diffusion of Dharma Period” and summarize the masterpieces on bodhisattva vow of masters of all Buddhist lineages in Tibet to know the evolution and development of the vow. Lastly, we make an analysis on the common and differences of the two vows according to the respective rituals of receiving the vow. The research of the dissertation provides the references of the development of different bodhisattva vows in Tibet and, furthermore, sets up a cornerstone for studying the comparison of the lineages of bodhisattva vow of Sino-Tibetan Buddhism so that we can discern the discrepancies of the all different lineages of the bodhisattva vow and their features in practices.
