[120] For example, Ligdan Khan of the Chahars, a Mongol subgroup who supported the Tsang Karmapas, after retreating from advancing Manchu armies headed for Kokonor intending destroy the Gelug. Discovery as Dalai Lama When Lhamo Thondup was two years old, a search party that had been sent out by the Tibetan government to find the new incarnation of the Dalai Lama arrived at Kumbum monastery. [53] Narthang ran the largest printing press in Tibet[54] and its celebrated library attracted scholars and adepts from far and wide, so Pema Dorje received an education beyond the norm at the time as well as exposure to diverse spiritual schools and ideas. Later, a group consisting of the three major servants of Dalai Lama, eminent officials,[who?] [168][169], When the Dzungars had first attacked, the weakened Lhazang sent word to the Qing for support and they quickly dispatched two armies to assist, the first Chinese armies ever to enter Tibet, but they arrived too late. In every case, the infant correctly identified those belonging to the Thirteenth Dalai Lama saying, “It's mine. The Shunzhi Emperor was then 16 years old, having in the meantime ascended the throne in 1650 after the death of Dorgon. [235] Fearing for his life in the wake of a revolt in Tibet in 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama fled to India, from where he led a government in exile. [59] Tashilhunpo, 'Mountain of Blessings', became the fourth great Gelugpa monastery in Tibet, after Ganden, Drepung and Sera had all been founded in Tsongkhapa's time. [159], In 1708, in accordance with an indication given by the 6th Dalai Lama when quitting Lhasa a child called Kelzang Gyatso had been born at Lithang in eastern Tibet who was soon claimed by local Tibetans to be his incarnation. "You can't impose an Imam, an Archbishop, saints, any religion...you can't politically impose these things on people", said Wangdi. [55] He studied Buddhist philosophy extensively and in 1405, ordained by Narthang's abbot, he took the name of Gendun Drup. In the concept of republic, ethnic minorities are like Tibetans, The Mongols, Manchus, and Xinjiang Uyghurs, we can live in harmony".[246]. The lake is sometimes referred to as "Pelden Lhamo Kalideva", which has been taken as a reason to claim that Palden Lhamo is an emanation of the goddess Kali, the shakti of the Hindu God Shiva. [41] Overall, they have played "a monumental role in Asian literary, philosophical and religious history". However, one evening, as His Holiness sat alone, a harsh, crackling voice on the radio announced that a Seventeen-Point 'Agreement' for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet had that day (23 May 1951) been signed by representatives of the Government of the People's Republic of China and what they called the Local Government of Tibet. [140] From then on and until today, unless on tour or in exile the Dalai Lamas have always spent their winters at the Potala Palace and their summers at the Norbulingka palace and park. It was the first time a Dalai Lama had exercised such political authority. Consequently, the Dalai Lama has alluded to the possibility of a referendum to determine the 15th Dalai Lama. [69] At last, at the age of 84, older than any of his 13 successors, in 1474 he went on foot to visit Narthang Monastery on a final teaching tour. “Yet he was a kind man too and he never bore grudges”. Soon a crowd of tens of thousands of Tibetans gathered around the Norbulingka Palace, determined to thwart any threat to their young leader's life and prevented His Holiness from going. [117], The Fourth Dalai Lama, Yonten Gyatso (1589â1617) was a Mongolian, the great-grandson of Altan Khan[119] who was a descendant of Kublai Khan and King of the Tümed Mongols who had already been converted to Buddhism by the Third Dalai Lama, Sonam Gyatso (1543â1588). [145] Furthermore, when he arrived back in Tibet, he discarded the emperor's famous golden seal and made a new one for important state usage, writing in his autobiography: "Leaving out the Chinese characters that were on the seal given by the emperor, a new seal was carved for stamping documents that dealt with territorial issues. Traditionally, it has been the responsibility of the High Lamas of the Gelugpa tradition and the Tibetan government to find a person accepted as his reincarnation. [103] His influence grew so quickly that soon the monks at Sera Monastery also made him their Abbot[35] and his mediation was being sought to prevent fighting between political power factions. [127], During the 1630s Tibet was deeply entangled in rivalry, evolving power struggles and conflicts, not only between the Tibetan religious sects but also between the rising Manchus and the various rival Mongol and Oirat factions, who were also vying for supremacy amongst themselves and on behalf of the religious sects they patronised. This more or less convinced the search party that they had found the new incarnation. [223][224], In 1868 Shetra's coup organiser, a semi-literate Ganden monk named Palden Dondrup, seized power by another coup and ruled as a cruel despot for three years, putting opponents to death by having them 'sewn into fresh animal skins and thrown in the river'. [141], In 1636 the Manchus proclaimed their dynasty as the Qing dynasty and by 1644 they had completed their conquest of China under the prince regent Dorgon. His Holiness the Dalai Lama was born on 6 July 1935 to a Tibetan farming family in the small village of Taktser, located in the province of Amdo. [145] Tibetan historian Nyima Gyaincain points out that based on the texts written on golden sheets, Dalai Lama was only a subordinate of the Emperor of China. It also increased Qing suspicion about Tibetan relations with the Mongol groups and led him to seek strategic opportunities to oppose and undermine Mongol influence in Tibet and eventually, within 50 years, to defeat the Mongols militarily and to establish the Qing as sole 'patrons and protectors' of Tibet in their place. Most of the Tibetan refugees, whose number had grown to almost 30,000, were moved to road-building camps in the hills of northern India. Without hesitation she put her thumb on the reluctant lid and forced it wide fortunately without any ill effect”, narrates His Holiness. They now only needed to locate a hill and a house with peculiar guttering. After five years of complex diplomatic negotiations about whether the emperor or his representatives should meet the Dalai Lama inside or outside the Great Wall, when the meeting would be astrologically favourable, how it would be conducted and so on, it eventually took place in Beijing in 1653. For the Kangxi Emperor however, the alliance between the Dzungar Mongols and the Tibetans was unsettling because he feared it had the potential to unite all the other Mongol tribes together against the Qing Empire, including those tribes who had already submitted. [250][275] According to Robert D. Kaplan, this could mean that "the next Dalai Lama might come from the Tibetan cultural belt that stretches across northern India, Nepal, and Bhutan, presumably making him even more pro-Indian and anti-Chinese". [223], His minority seems a time of even deeper Lhasan political intrigue and power struggles than his predecessor's. [45], Like the Kadampa, the Gelugpa eschewed the tulku system. On his return in 1512, he was given the residence built for Gendun Drup, to be occupied later by the Panchen Lamas. Since you enjoy such honor, you have to make efforts to promote self-cultivation, study and propagate Buddhism, also help me in promoting Buddhism and goodness of the previous generation of the Dalai Lama for the people, and also for the long life of our country"[194][193], The Dalai Lama, his later generations and the local government cherished both the jade seal of authority, and the jade sheets of authority. [58] He was based there, as its Abbot, from its founding in 1447 until his death. [276], The 14th Dalai Lama supported the possibility that his next incarnation could be a woman. [133] However, after a few months, Norbu betrayed him and led a rebellion against the Ganden Phodrang Government. Looking into the waters of the sacred lake, Lhamoi Lhatso, in southern Tibet, he clearly saw the Tibetan letters Ah, Ka and Ma float into view. It had been led there by a number of signs. (Norbu & Turnbull 1968)[b], According to Mullin, on the other hand, it is improbable that the Manchus would have murdered any of these four for being 'unmanageable' since it would have been in their best interests to have strong Dalai Lamas ruling in Lhasa, he argues, agreeing with Richardson that it was rather "the ambition and greed for power of Tibetans" that might have caused the Lamas' early deaths. [48], Tutored personally by the abbot he made rapid progress and from 1492 at 17 he was requested to teach all over Tsang, where thousands gathered to listen and give obeisance, including senior scholars and abbots. They felt obliged to break with their own tradition and in 1487, the boy was renamed Gendun Gyatso and installed at Tashilhunpo as Gendun Drup's tulku, albeit informally. Historically the Dalai Lamas or their regents held political and religious leadership over Tibet from Lhasa with varying degrees of influence depending on the regions of Tibet and periods of history. They met in an atmosphere of intense reverence and devotion[111] and their meeting resulted in the re-establishment of strong Tibet-Mongolia relations after a gap of 200 years. By then he had established a religious empire of such proportions that it was unsurprising the Emperor wanted to invite him and grant him a diploma. [52] After completing his intensive studies at Narthang he left to continue at specialist monasteries in Central Tibet, his grounding at Narthang was revered among many he encountered. On the day before the opera festival in the summer of 1950, His Holiness was just coming out of the bathroom at the Norbulingka when he felt the earth beneath his feet begin to move. [120] So, in 1620, Mongol troops allied to the Gelugpa who had camped outside Lhasa suddenly attacked and destroyed the two Tsangpa camps and drove them out of Lhasa, enabling the Dalai Lama to be brought out of hiding and publicly enthroned there in 1622. How he was discovered The thirteenth Dalai Lama died in December of 1933. [116] In 1582, he heard Altan Khan had died and invited by his son Dhüring Khan he decided to return to Mongolia. Eighty five years ago, a little boy was born in a remote corner of Tibet. As Tibet’s Fourteenth Dalai Lama, he would face joyful times and difficult times. The delegation had not been empowered to reach a settlement, apart from its entrusted task of convincing the Chinese leadership not to invade Tibet. Frustrated by the indifference shown to Tibet's case by Great Britain and America, in a last bid to avoid a full-scale Chinese invasion, His Holiness sent Ngabo Ngawang Jigme, Governor of Kham, to Beijing to open a dialogue with the Chinese. [94] [124], In fact, throughout the 5th's minority, it was the influential and forceful Sonam Rabten who inspired the Dzungar Mongols to defend the Gelugpa by attacking their enemies. At the investiture, decree of the Emperor of China was issued and read out. Tibetan historian K. Dhondup, however, in his history The Water-Bird and Other Years, based on the Tibetan minister Surkhang Sawang Chenmo's historical manuscripts,[200] disagrees with Mullin's opinion that having strong Dalai Lamas in power in Tibet would have been in China's best interests. [35] He spent his winters in Lhasa, writing commentaries and the rest of the year travelling and teaching many thousands of monks and lay people. To Altan Khan, Sonam Gyatso identified himself as the incarnation of Drogön Chögyal Phagpa, and Altan Khan as that of Kubilai Khan, thus placing the Khan as heir to the Chingizid lineage whilst securing his patronage. This ruined palace, called Tritse Marpo, was originally built around 636 AD by the founder of the Tibetan Empire, Songtsen Gampo for his Nepalese wife. [60] The five minor subjects included poetry, drama, astrology, composition and synonyms. By 1862 this led to a coup by Wangchuk Shetra, a minister whom the Regent had banished for conspiring against him. The 14 generations of Dalai Lamas, spanning six centuries, are linked through their acts of compassion. [48], Gendun Gyatso died in 1542 and the lineage of Dalai Lama tulkus finally became firmly established when the third incarnation, Sonam Gyatso (1543â1588), came forth. [31] The 2nd studied there before returning to Lhasa,[28] where he became Abbot of Drepung. As it turned out, the Chinese who even forged the Tibetan seal had forced the delegation headed by Ngabo into signing the agreement. Two months later, in October, news reached Lhasa that an army of 80,000 soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army had crossed the Drichu river east of Chamdo. His Holiness was equally saddened by America's reluctance to help. In the field of administration, too, His Holiness was able to make radical changes. This Tibetan government also enjoyed the patronage and protection of firstly Mongol kings of the Khoshut and Dzungar Khanates (1642â1720) and then of the emperors of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty (1720â1912). [126] As a young man, being 22 years his junior, the Dalai Lama addressed him reverentially as "Zhalngo", meaning "the Presence". Later it was said to be an indication that he was destined for greater things. Thus, on 17 November 1950 at the age of fifteen, His Holiness was officially enthroned as the temporal leader of Tibet in a ceremony held at the Norbulingka Palace. [35] The stage was set for the great Mongol King Altan Khan, hearing of his reputation, to invite the 3rd to Mongolia where he converted the King and his followers to Buddhism, as well as other Mongol princes and their followers covering a vast tract of central Asia. As the winter drew on and the news got worse, people began to advise that His Holiness be given full temporal (political) authority. [32] Having reactivated the 1st's large popular followings in Tsang and Ã,[33] the 2nd then moved on to southern Tibet and gathered more followers there who helped him construct a new monastery, Chokorgyel. [95] By 1571, when Altan Khan received a title of Shunyi Wang (King) from the Ming dynasty of China[107] and swore allegiance to Ming,[108] although he remained de facto quite independent,[50]:106 he had fulfilled his political destiny and a nephew advised him to seek spiritual salvation, saying that "in Tibet dwells Avalokiteshvara", referring to Sonam Gyatso, then 28 years old. [34] He was made abbot of Tashilhunpo[88] and stayed there teaching in Tsang for 9 months. [210] Three years later in March 1815 the young Lungtok Gyatso caught a severe cold and, leaving the Potala Palace to preside over the New Year Monlam Prayer Festival he contracted pneumonia from which he soon died. He said "I prefer the concept of a 'republic' in the People's Republic of China. [90] In 1498 the Ringpung army captured Lhasa and banned the Gelugpa annual New Year Monlam Prayer Festival[90] started by Tsongkhapa for world peace and prosperity. “Of course, no one had any idea that I might be anything other than an ordinary baby. After conducting a series of tests on the boy, they took him to a monastery known as a Kumbum where he trained to be a monk. He studied at Drepung and became its abbot but being a non-Tibetan he met with opposition from some Tibetans, especially the Karma Kagyu who felt their position was threatened by these emerging events; there were several attempts to remove him from power. However, in the aftermath of the Tibetan Uprising in 1959, he fled to India with the Dalai Lama because of his fear of being discovered and used as a propaganda tool by the Chinese Communists. These were followed by the image of a three-storied monastery with a turquoise and gold roof and a path running from it to a hill. I liked to sit in the hens' nest and make clucking noises. “As soon as I set eyes on him, I knew that he had suffered greatly. The Dalai Lama is known for his sense of humor. It seemed likely that if the letter Ah referred to Amdo, then Ka must indicate the monastery at Kumbum, which was indeed three-storied and turquoise-roofed. [274] In response to the possibility that the PRC might attempt to choose his successor, the Dalai Lama said he would not be reborn in a country controlled by the People's Republic of China or any other country which is not free. The circumstances are such that it is very likely that some, if not all, were poisoned, either by loyal Tibetans for being Chinese-appointed impostors, or by the Chinese for not being properly manageable. The Indian government had already agreed to provide asylum to His Holiness and his followers in India. [120] At the age of 10 with a large Mongol escort he travelled to Lhasa where he was enthroned. (Richardson 1984, pp. His spiritual accomplishments brought him lavish donations from devotees which he used to build and furnish new monasteries, to print and distribute Buddhist texts and to maintain monks and meditators. When his father died in 1398 his mother was unable to support the young goatherd so she entrusted him to his uncle, a monk at Narthang, a major Kadampa monastery near Shigatse, for education as a Buddhist monk. It was the ambition and greed for power of Tibetans that led to five successive Dalai Lamas being subjected to continuous tutelage. He was sure that the letter Ah referred to Amdo, the northeastern province, so it was there that the search party was sent. [131], Güshi Khan's attack on the Tsangpa was made on the orders of Sonam Rapten while being publicly and robustly opposed by the Dalai Lama, who, as a matter of conscience, out of compassion and his vision of tolerance for other religious schools, refused to give permission for more warfare in his name after the defeat of the Beri king. When they saw the gnarled branches of juniper wood on the roof of the His Holiness’s parent’s house, they were certain that the new Dalai Lama would not be far away. [161] The Sixth Dalai Lama was taken to Amdo at the age of 8 to be installed in Kumbum Monastery with great pomp and ceremony. On that surface visions appear to those who seek them in the right frame of mind. [32], It was mainly due to Gendun Drup's energy and ability that Tsongkhapa's new school grew into an expanding order capable of competing with others on an equal footing. The boy, Lhamo Thondup, was first taken to Kumbum monastery. as predicted by his predecessor. At an enthronement ceremony in Shigatse he conferred full sovereignty over Tibet on the Fifth Dalai Lama,[137] unified for the first time since the collapse of the Tibetan Empire exactly eight centuries earlier. The delighted Tibetans enthroned him as the Seventh Dalai Lama at the Potala Palace. [146], The Fifth Dalai Lama's death in 1682 was kept secret for fifteen years by his regent Desi Sangye Gyatso. [222] He died after just 11 months, no reason for his sudden and premature death being given in these accounts, Shakabpa and Mullin's histories both being based on untranslated Tibetan chronicles. And they can't keep their Panchen Lama in Tibet. This led eventually to the murder of Kanchenas in 1727 and a civil war that was resolved in 1728 with the canny Polhanas, who had sent for Qing assistance, the victor. The Book of Kadam,[22] the compilation of Kadampa teachings largely composed around discussions between the Indian sage AtiÅa (980â1054) and his Tibetan host and chief disciple Dromtönpa[23][24] and Tales of the Previous Incarnations of Arya AvalokiteÅvara,[25] nominate as many as sixty persons prior to Gendun Drub who are enumerated as earlier incarnations of AvalokiteÅvara and predecessors in the same lineage leading up to him. [151] He also taught and travelled extensively, reshaped the politics of Central Asia, unified Tibet, conceived and constructed the Potala Palace and is remembered for establishing systems of national medical care and education. For security reasons he was moved to Derge monastery and eventually, in 1716, now also backed and sponsored by the Kangxi Emperor of China. High Lamas often visit Lhamo La-tso, a lake in central Tibet, and watch for a sign from the lake itself. [29] The 1st Dalai Lama soon became Abbot of the greatest one, Drepung, and developed a large popular power base in Ã. Until 1674, the Fifth Dalai Lama had mediated in Dzungar Mongol affairs whenever they required him to do so, and the Kangxi Emperor, who had succeeded the Shunzhi Emperor in 1661, would accept and confirm his decisions automatically. After his return from exile in India and Sikkim during January 1913, he assumed control of foreign relations and dealt directly with the Maharaja, with the British Political officer in Sikkim and with the king of Nepal â rather than letting the Kashag or parliament do it. [34] His nomad parents kept sheep and goats and lived in tents. www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/04/how-the-dalai-lama-is-chosen [266] The Qianlong Emperor instituted a system of selecting the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama by a lottery that used a Golden Urn with names wrapped in clumps of barley. Nevertheless, rather than reveal the purpose of their visit, the group asked only to stay the night. [35][86] By now widely regarded as one of Tibet's greatest saints and scholars[87] he was invited back to Tashilhunpo. 317â318) He died in 1933. It was almost impossible to believe that the British Government was now agreeing that China had some claim to authority over Tibet. 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