Samyé (Tibetan, bsam-yas). The oldest monastic establishment and translation centre in Tibet, constructed in 767 ce during the reign of King Trisong Detsen. When it was being built, Padmasambhava took responsibility for pacifying the hostile local deities while the design was drawn up by Śāntarakṣita based on the layout of the Indian monastery (vihāra) of Odantapurī. It was here that the famous debate took place between Kamalaśīla and Hvashang Mahāyāna known as the Council of Lhasa. The buildings were severely damaged and desecrated by the Chinese during the Cultural Revolution, though restoration work has been carried out in recent years.

A Dictionary of Buddhism, Oxford University Press, 2003, 2004 (which is available in electronic version from answer.com)