Though imported from outside , Buddhism was effective in accelerating the development of Tibet's culture. Songtsan Gampo is credited with the invention of the Tibetan script with the aim of spreading Buddhism and translating Buddhist sutras, and in the course of this the Tibetan script itself was improved. Because there are many concepts not of the material world in the sutras, such as the boundless universe , the four great world,the six cycles of beings and heaven and hell, new vocabulary had to be created in order to translate such terms and concepts, and so the Tibetan language became enriched in the gradual course of time.

With the development of a script, Tibet's national culture developed in leaps and bounds. Moving on from translation, the compiling and writing of books in Tibet-an became the order of the day. The Kagyur and Tengyur are of course well-known both in China and abroad, but other works such as biographies, drams, poems, astrological, medical and technical treatises are all treasures of Tibetan culture which also appeared as required.

As Buddhism penetrated Tibet, monasteries were established, figures of the Buddha were painted and carvings created to pay homage to the Buddha. Thus, the popularity of Buddhism in Tibet accelerated the development of the architecture, painting and carving, displayed in the magnificent wildernesses in the Land of Snows. Tibetan murals and carvings are no less famous, and originated from paintings of Sakyamuni and Avalokitesvara. With their animated, realistic figures in various postures and brilliant execution, frescoes and sculptures adorn monasteries and temples everywhere. In secular buildings, there are works which show a departure from the bounds of Buddhist doctrine, and were created using the skills gained through painting and carving images of the Buddha. Moreover, there have been men of wisdom like the renowned Yuthok Yuntan Gonpo, who extracted scientific knowledge from Buddhism and formulated a Tibetan body of medical knowledge and the Tibetan calendar.