![]() ![]() He and his army continued eastward into central Tibet, attacking and eventually deposing the king of Tsang. With the Dalai Lama’s permission, Gushi Khan moved into eastern Tibet and secured the territory for Gelugpa. The Conquest of TibetĪt that time Gelugpa monasteries in eastern Tibet were suffering under a ruler who favored Bon, a religion indigenous to Tibet. ![]() A bond was formed between the lama and the warrior. The Dalai Lama accepted the patronage of Gushi Khan and gave him the title “Dharma King, Upholder of the Teachings.” He also gave Gushi Khan a gold statue of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug school. ![]() The 5th Dalai Lama, now 20 years old, was impressed by the battle-hardened warrior, and the meeting went well. Then Gushi Khan made his way to Lhasa to pay his respects to the Dalai Lama. Gushi (sometimes spelled Gushri) Khan (1582-1655) and his army reached the edge of Tibet in 1637. And as the 5th Dalai Lama grew to adulthood, a newly converted tribal leader of western Mongolia fought his way toward Tibet. Since the time of Altan Khan, Gelug Buddhism had spread throughout Mongolia. Through Paljor Lhundrup, the 5th Dalai Lama secretly took up Dzogchen, or “great perfection,” a central practice of Nyingmapa that at the time was hotly criticized by the elders of Gelugpa. Paljor Lhundrup was an unconventional teacher who combined Gelugpa with Nyingmapa, an older school of Tibetan Buddhism. He also studied astrology, medicine and poetry.Īt the age of 19 the 5th Dalai Lama became the student of Paljor Lhundrup, abbot of Pahongka monastery. By all accounts he mastered Buddhist philosophy easily. Lobsang Gyatso had a precocious intellect and a love of study. To keep him from being spirited away by Mongol admirers he had to hide for another year.Īt long last, the ten-year-old tulku was taken to Drepung Monastery, where the 3rd Panchen Lama ordained him as Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, the 5th Dalai Lama. The Gelug elders were anxious for the boy to begin his life as a monk, however. When the identify of the 5th Dalai Lama was made public, Mongols in Lhasa loyal to the old alliance wanted to take the boy to a Mongol stronghold. The Mongol-Gelugpa alliance was reinforced when a Mongol boy was identified as the 4th Dalai Lama. In fact, it was Altan Khan who coined the title “Dalai Lama,” meaning “ocean of wisdom.” The Third gave Altan Khan teachings and initiations in return for Altan Khan’s patronage. Years earlier, the 3rd Dalai Lama and a Mongol tribal leader named Altan Khan had forged an alliance. When his identity as the 5th Dalai Lama finally was revealed, however, he had to go into hiding once again. Other accounts say that squabbling among the schools caused the king to relent and let Gelugpa have him. Some accounts say that Gelugpa kept its finding of the boy secret until the king of Tsang reversed the ban. Künga Nyingpo’s mother raised the boy in seclusion in her family home, away from the king of Tsang’s court. The father would die in prison without seeing his son again. To complicate matters, when Künga Nyingpo was only three his father was been imprisoned for conspiring against the king of Tsang. This remarkable boy caught the attention of Karma Kagyu and other schools, but secretly an attendant of the 4th Dalai Lama had identified Künga Nyingpo as his master’s rebirth. In 1617 a boy was born into a family of wealthy aristocrats and named Künga Nyingpo. The king of Tsang even banned Gelugpa from ordaining a 5th Dalai Lama. The Gelug school had lost its patron and found itself in a precarious position. The strife escalated into fighting between monks of the two schools.ĭuring the time of the short-lived 4th Dalai Lama, the king of Tsang defeated the king of U and proclaimed himself king of central Tibet. The rulers of U were patrons of Gelugpa, but the rulers of Tsang supported another school, Kagyu. Some years earlier central Tibet had split into two small, warring kingdoms, U and Tsang. The Dalai Lama is a high lama of the Gelug school (also called Gelugpa) of Tibetan Buddhism.īefore the birth of the 5th Dalai Lama, the Gelug school had suffered a blow. He is remembered by Tibetans as the “Great Fifth.” It is also a story of political intrigue that began before he was born and continued for many years after he died. The story of his life is pivotal to Tibet’s history. His Holiness Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, the 5th Dalai Lama, was the first Dalai Lama to become spiritual and political leader of Tibet. ![]()
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