5th Dalai Lama - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso5th Dalai Lama

Reign 16171682

Predecessor Yonten Gyatso

Successor Tsangyang Gyatso

Tibetan ???????????????????

Wylie ngag dbang blo bzang rgya mtsho

Pronunciation ??sa? cats??

THDL Losang Gyatsho

Chinese ????

Born 1617Chingwar Taktse, -Tsang, Tibet

Died 1682 (aged 6465)Tibet

5th Dalai LamaFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama(16171682), was a political and religious leader in seventeenth-century Tibet. Ngawang Lozang Gyatso was the ordination name hehad received from Panchen Lobsang Chkyi Gyaltsen who wasresponsible for his ordination.[1] He was the first Dalai Lama to wieldeffective political power over central Tibet, and is frequently referredto as the "Great Fifth Dalai Lama".

Birth, family and childhood

Lobsang Gyatso (birthname: Knga Nyingpo) was born in 1617 inTsang to a family with traditional ties to the Sakya and Nyingmaorders.[2] His famous noble Zahor family had held their seat since the14th century at Takts Castle, the former stronghold of the Tibetankings. His father, Dudul Rabten, was arrested in 1618 for beinginvolved in a plot against the royal government of the king of Tsang atalmost the same time the Gelug had secretly chosen his son as thereincarnation of Yonten Gyatso, the 4th Dalai Lama. According to the14th Dalai Lama it was Sonam Choephel, the chief attendant of theFourth Dalai Lama, who discovered the incarnation.[3] Dudul Rabtenescaped and tried to reach eastern Tibet but was rearrested and neversaw his son again before he died in 1626 at Samdruptse, the king ofTsang's castle in Shigatse. Lobsang Gyatso's family were all ordered tolive at the court at Samdruptse, but his mother, fearing the king,returned with her son to her family's home, Narkatse castle, inYardrog.[4]

Studies

The Fifth Dalai Lama completed all his training as a Gelugpa andproved to be an exceptional scholar. He also studied Nyingmapatantric doctrines and some say he took Nyingma initiations,[5] whilehe is also famous for being a great practitioner of Dzogchen.[6] In hissecret Lukhang temple on a lake behind the Potala palace in Lhasa one wall of murals illustrates a commentary byLongchenpa on a Dzogchen tantra Rigpa Rangshar, interpreted according to the Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso's ownexperience of practice. The murals show characteristic visions of the secret practice of thdgal,[7] and Trul khor.

Political activities

The Fifth Dalai Lama is known for unifying Tibet under the control of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, afterdefeating the rival Kagyu school and a secular ruler, the prince of Tsan\atse.

Sonam Rapten, also called Sonam Choephel, the Regent during the youth of Lobsang Gyatso, requested the aid of GushiKhan, a powerful Mongol military leader.

Gushi Khan conquered Kham in 1640 bringing the Sakyas and the lords of Kham and Amdo under their control. Hisvictory over the prince of Tsang in Shigatse in 1642, completed the unification of the country, and displacing the rivaldominant school of the Karmapas. He then recognized the authority of the Fifth Dalai Lama, making him the ruler of thewhole of Tibet.[8][9]

The Mongol army in Tibet and Tibetans loyal to the Gelugpa are said to have forced monks of some Kagyu monasteriesto convert to the Gelug school in 1648.[10][11] In 1674 he met with the 10th Karmapa, Chying Dorje (16041674) at the

Potala, and the reconciliation was welcomed by all after the many conflicts and difficulties.[12]

However, he banished the Jonang to Amdo from Central Tibet and some Bonpo monasteries were forced to convert tothe Gelug school. This ban was politically motivated, although there were some philosophical disagreements.[12]

Lobsang Gyatso proclaimed Lhasa as the capital of Tibet, and "appointed governors to the districts, chose ministers forhis government, and promulgated a set of laws. The young Dalai Lama also transformed his regent into a prime minister,or, as the Tibetans called him, the Desi. Administrative authority remained with the Desi and military power with Gushri,who was entitled king of Tibet."[13]

The Dalai Lama also established warm relations with the Shunzhi Emperor of China, the second Manchu emperor of theQing Dynasty, during a state visit to Beijing in 1652 after several earlier invitations. He set out accompanied by 3,000men and stayed at the Yellow Palace which had been specially constructed by the Manchu emperor to house him. Theemperor met the Dalai Lama in January 1653 when he was only 14 (15 by Western reckoning). The Dalai Lama stayedin Beijing for two months and was honoured with two grand imperial receptions.[12] Some historians claim that theemperor treated the Dalai Lama as an equal[14] while others dispute this claim.[15] The Emperor subsequently grantedhim the honorific title Dalai Lama, Overseer of the Buddhist Faith on Earth Under the Great BenevolentSelf-subsisting Buddha of the Western Paradise. From this meeting onwards, the Dalai Lamas were considered priests tothe throne by successive Qing emperors.[citation needed]

Gushri Khan maintained friendly, respectful relations with Lobsang Gyatso but died in 1655. His followers showed littleinterest in the administration of the country although they did appoint a Regent for a while to advance their interests inLhasa. Gushri Khan left ten sons to follow him. Eight of them, with their tribes, settled in the strategically importantKoko Nur region in Amdo and quarreled constantly over territory. The 5th Dalai Lama sent several governors in 1656and 1659 to restore order. The Mongols were gradually Tibetanised and played an important role in extending the Gelugschool's influence in Amdo.[12]

The 5th Dalai Lama gradually assumed complete power, including that of appointing the regents.[11]

Relations with the Fourth Panchen Lama

Lobsang Chkyi Gyaltsen, (15701662), the Fourth Panchen Lama of Tibet, and the first to be accorded this title duringhis lifetime, was the teacher and close ally of the 5th Dalai Lama, who gave him the monastery of Tashilhunpo as a livingand declared him to be an incarnation of Amitabha Buddha (Tibetan: -pa-me) and since then every incarnation of thePanchen Lama has been the master of Tashilhunpo.[16]

When Lobsang Chkyi Gyaltsen died in 1662, aged 93, the Fifth Dalai Lama immediately began the tradition ofsearching for his reincarnation. He composed a special prayer asking his master 'to return' and ordered the monks of thegreat monasteries to recite it.[12] He also reserved the title of Panchen (short for Pandita chen po or 'Great Scholar'),which had previously been a courtesy title for all learned lamas, exclusively for him,[17] and this title has continued to begiven to his successors and, posthumously, to his predecessors starting with Khedrup Je.

His writings

Lobsang Gyatso was a prolific writer and respected scholar, who wrote in a free style which allowed him to frankly andsometimes, ironically, express his own deepest feelings and independent interpretations. He wrote that: "When I finishedthe Oral teachings of Manjushri [in 1658], I had to leave the ranks of the Gelug. Today [in 1674], having completed theOral teachings of the Knowledge-holders, I will probably have to withdraw from the Nyingma ranks as well!" His workstotal 24 volumes including a detailed history of Tibet which he wrote in 1643 at the request of Gushri Khan.[12] He hasleft an autobiography called Dukulai Gosang.[18]

Construction of the Potala Palace

The Fifth Dalai Lama started the construction of the Potala Palace in 1645[19] after one of his spiritual advisers,Konchog Chophel (d. 1646), pointed out that the site was ideal as a seat of government, situated as it is betweenDrepung and Sera monasteries and the old city of Lhasa.[4] The Dalai Lama and his government moved into the Potrang

Karpo ('White Palace') in 1649.[4] Construction lasted until 1694,[20] some twelve years after his death. The PotrangMarpo ('Red Palace') was added between 1690 and 1694.[20]

Other activities

The Fifth Dalai Lama was the first to institutionalize the State Oracle of Nechung.[21]

He instituted Pehar Gyalpo as the protector of the Tibetan government, thus NechungMonastery became the seat of Tibet's State Oracle (not Dholgyal Shugden). Nechung(Ne means place and chung means small) was a shrine dedicated to Pehar, located atwest of Tibet's capital, Lhasa. The role of Pehar as protector to Tibet can be tracedback to 8th century, where Pehar was bound to oath by Padmasambhava as head ofthe hierarchy of protectors for Tibet, with Dorje Drakden as his chief emissary. TheGreat Fifth (Fifth Dalai Lama) also composed Dra-Yang-Ma (Melodic Chant), a textof self-generation practice and an invocation of the protector, was incorporated ans

preserved into the monastic rites until the present time.[22]

The position of Nechung was well documented in one particular account to ward off evil spirit (around 1669). The FifthDalai Lama in his autobiography entry has specifically mentioned the distorting "evil spirit" from Dhol Chumig Karmo(Shugdens place of origin; which directly refers to (Dholgyal) Shugden) .... has been harming the teaching of the Buddhaand sentient beings in general and in particular. A new house (not shrine nor temple) was constructed and articles wereplaced there in the hope it would become a place for the Gyalpo (evil spirit) to settle. However, the evil spirit's harmfulactivities only intensified and causes many lay and ordained people afflicted with diseases and death of few monks. Afire ritual was performed and in this prayers, along with all Dharma Protectors, Nechung and his entourage wassummoned to ward off the evil spirit, (Dholgyal)Shugden...[23][24]

He ordered a temple to be built in Lhasa, called Trode Khangsar, which was designated as a "protector house" (btsankhan) for Dorje Shugden.[25] He also crafted the first statue of Dorje Shugden which is currently at Gaden PhelgyelingMonastery in Kathmandu, Nepal.[26]

However this was misunderstood by some as elevation of (Dholgyal)Shugden as protector by the Fifth Dalai Lama,instead it was his intention to appease the Dholgyal, evil spirit(Gyalpo), from Dhol Chumig Karmo, in short Dholgyal.The status of (Dolgyal) Shugden was reconfirmed by the Thirteenth Dalai Lama in his letter to Phabongkhapa DechenNyingpo (Phabongka Rinpoche), where he identified (Dolgyal) Shugden as "...wrathful worldly spirit....contradicts theprecepts of taking refuge". In reply, Phabongka Rinpoche, active promoter of Shugden's practice, has admitted hismistake in propitiating Shugden (Dolgyal) as a protector and repented his act before the Thirteenth Dalai Lama. In thesame letter Phabongka Rinpoche mentioned "..I have propitiated Shugden until now because my old mother told me thatShugden is the deity of my maternal lineage..", which reconfirmed the practice of Shugden was not originated fromGelugpa lineage and altogether dismiss the misunderstanding that the Fifth Dalai Lama has elevated (Dholgyal) Shugdenstatus as protector...[27][24]

He established a centralized, dual system of government under the Gyalwa Rinpoche (i.e., the Dalai Lama), dividedequally between laymen and monks (both Gelugpa and Nyingmapa); this form of government, with few changes,survived up to modern times. He also instituted the Lhasa Mnlam, the New Year Festival or "Great Prayer of Lhasa".[5]

It was under his rule that the "rule of religion" was finally firmly established "even to the layman, to the nomad, or to thefarmer in his fields". This was not only the supremacy of the Gelugpa school over Bn, or over the other Buddhistschools, but "the dedication of an entire nation to a religious principle".[28]

Lobsang Gyatso was the first to declare Bn to be a fifth school of Buddhism in Tibet.[citation needed] This position wasrestated in 1987 by Tenzin Gyatso, the current, 14th Dalai Lama, who also forbade discrimination against the Bnpo.[citation needed] However, Tibetans still differentiate between Bn and Buddhism, calling members of the Nyingma,Sakya, Kagyu and Gelug schools "nangpa [29] " (meaning "insider"), but referring to practitioners of Bn as "bnpo".[30]

Revolt of the Three Feudatories

In 1673, the 5th Dalai Lama supported the Revolt of the Three Feudatories.[citation needed]

Death and succession

The death of the Fifth Dalai Lama in 1682 at the age of 65 was kept hidden until 1696, by Desi Sangye Gyatso, his PrimeMinister and, according to persistent rumours, his son, whom he had appointed in 1679.[5] This was done so that thePotala Palace could be finished and to prevent Tibet's neighbors taking advantage of an interregnum in the succession ofthe Dalai Lamas.[31] Desi Sangay Gyatso also served as regent until the assumption of power by the Sixth Dalai Lama.

"In order to complete the Potala Palace, Desi Sangye Gyatso carried out the wishes of the Fifth Dalai Lama andkept his death a secret for fifteen years. People were told that the Great Fifth was continuing his long retreat.Meals were taken to his chamber and on important occasions the Dalai Lama's ceremonial gown was placed on thethrone. However, when Mongol princes insisted on having an audience, an old monk called Depa Deyab ofNamgyal monastery, who resembled the Dalai Lama, was hired to pose in his place. He wore a hat and an eyeshade to conceal the fact that he lacked the Dalai Lama's piercing eyes. The Desi managed to maintain thischarade till he heard that a boy in Mon exhibited remarkable abilities. He sent his trusted attendants to the areaand, in 1688, the boy [the future 6th Dalai Lama] was brought to Nankartse, a place near Lhasa. There he waseducated by teachers appointed by the Desi until 1697...."[32]

Quotation from Dukulai Gosang

According to Samten Gyaltsen Karmay, the Fifth Dalai Lama writes in his autobiography, Dukulai Gosang:

The official Tsawa Kachu of the Ganden Palace showed me statues and rosaries (that belonged to the FourthDalai Lama and other lamas), but I was unable to distinguish between them! When he left the room I heardhim tell the people outside that I had successfully passed the tests. Later, when he became my tutor, hewould often admonish me and say: "You must work hard, since you were unable to recognize theobjects!"[33]

References^ Tales of Intrigue from Tibet's Holy City: The Historical Underpinnings of a Modern Buddhist Crisis Thesis by LindsayG. McCune, p.50, referring to Karmay 1988a, p.7 (http://etd.lib.fsu.edu/theses/available/etd-04092007-003235/unrestricted/lgm_thesis.pdf) The Florida State University College of Arts and Sciences

1.

^ The Dalai Lamas of Tibet, p. 38. Thubten Samphel and Tendar. Roli & Janssen, New Delhi. (2004). ISBN 81-7436-085-9.2.^ Homepage of the 14th Dalai Lama (http://www.dalailama.com/page.51.htm#Yonten_Gyatso)3.^ a b c Karmay, Samten G. (2005), International Institute for Asian Studies Newsletter (http://www.iias.nl/nl/39/IIAS_NL39_1213.pdf) , pp. 1213, http://www.iias.nl/nl/39/IIAS_NL39_1213.pdf.

4.

^ a b c Tibet is My Country: Autobiography of Thubten Jigme Norbu, Brother of the Dalai Lama as told to Heinrich Harrer,p. 249. English translation by Edward Fitzgerald, published 1960. Reprint, with updated new chapter, (1986): WisdomPublications, London. ISBN 0-86171-045-2.

5.

^ Stein, R. A. (1972). Tibetan Civilization, pp. 171-172. Stanford University Press, Stanford California. ISBN0-8047-0806-1 (cloth); ISBN 0-8047-0901-7 (paper).

6.

^ The Crystal and The Way of Light. Sutra, Tantra and Dzogchen. Chgyal Namkhai Norbu. Compiled and Edited by JohnShane, Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, NY, USA, 2000, ISBN 1-55939-135-9, pp. 82-87, 190, 191

7.

^ Laird, Thomas. (2006). The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama, pp. 158-161. Grove Press, New York.ISBN 978-0-8021-1827-1.

8.

^ Richardson, Hugh E. (1984). Tibet and its History. Second Edition, Revised and Updated, p. 42. Shambhala. Boston &London. ISBN 0-87773-376-7.(pbk)

9.

^ Laird, Thomas. (2006). The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama, p. 165. Grove Press, New York. ISBN978-0-8021-1827-1.

10.

^ a b Richardson, Hugh E. (1984). Tibet and its History. Second Edition, Revised and Updated, p. 42. Shambhala. Boston &London. ISBN 0-87773-376-7.(pbk)

11.

^ a b c d e f Karmay 2005, p. 2 (http://www.iias.nl/nl/39/IIAS_NL39_1213.pdf)12.^ Laird, Thomas. (2006). The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama, p. 161. Grove Press, New York. ISBN978-0-8021-1827-1.

13.


14.

^ Grunfeld, A. Tom, The Making of Modern Tibet, p. 42, reads in part "Both (Tibetan and Chinese) accounts agree that theDalai Lama was exempt from the traditional kowtow symbolizing total subservience; he was, however, required to kneelbefore the emperor."

15.

^ Tibet is My Country: Autobiography of Thubten Jigme Norbu, Brother of the Dalai Lama as told to Heinrich Harrer, p.16.

121. First published in German in 1960. English translation by Edward Fitzgerald, published 1960. Reprint, with updated newchapter, (1986): Wisdom Publications, London. ISBN 0-86171-045-2.^ "The Institution of the Dalai Lama", by R. N. Rahul Sheel in The Tibet Journal, Vol. XIV No. 3. Autumn 1989, p. 32, n. 117.^ see Homepage of the 14TH Dalai Lama (http://www.dalailama.com/messages/dolgyal-shugden/historical-references)18.^ Laird, Thomas. (2006). The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama, pp. 175. Grove Press, New York. ISBN978-0-8021-1827-1.

19.

^ a b Stein, R. A. Tibetan Civilization (1962). Translated into English with minor revisions by the author. 1st English editionby Faber & Faber, London (1972). Reprint: Stanford University Press (1972), p. 84.

20.

^ Prince Peter of Greece and Denmark. (1979). "Tibetan Oracles." The Tibet Journal, Vo. 4, No. 2, Summer 1979, p. 52.21.^ http://www.nechung.org/monastery.shtml22.^ Folio 157 (front and back)called Dukulai Gosang, Volume Kha (Lhasa Publication)23.^ a b http://www.dalailama.com/messages/dolgyal-shugden/historical-references#fifth24.^ http://dorjeshugdenhistory.org/trode-khangsar.html (accessed September 10, 2011)25.^ http://dorjeshugden.com/wp/?p=523 (accesses September 10, 2011)26.^ pages 471-2 front and back of the Tibetan text of the biography of Phabongkhapa Dechen Nyingpo (1878-1941) composedby his student Denma Losang Dorje and published by the Nyimo Publisher Palden

27.

^ Tibet is My Country: Autobiography of Thubten Jigme Norbu, Brother of the Dalai Lama as told to Heinrich Harrer, p.247. English translation by Edward Fitzgerald, published 1960. Reprint, with updated new chapter, (1986): WisdomPublications, London. ISBN 0-86171-045-2.

28.

^ Page xxxvi of 'The Words of My Perfect Teacher' (aka Kunzang Lama'i Shelung) ISBN 0-06-066449-529.^ "Bon Children's Home In Dolanji and Polish Aid Foundation For Children of Tibet NYATRI."[1] (http://nyatri.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=455&Itemid=118)

30.


31.

^ The Dalai Lamas of Tibet, pp. 93-94. Thubten Samphel and Tendar. Roli & Janssen, New Delhi. (2004). ISBN81-7436-085-9.

32.

^ "The Great Fifth" (http://www.iias.nl/nl/39/IIAS_NL39_1213.pdf) (PDF). http://www.iias.nl/nl/39/IIAS_NL39_1213.pdf.Retrieved 2008-08-31.

33.

Further reading

Practice of Emptiness: The Perfection of Wisdom Chapter of the Fifth Dalai Lama's "Sacred Word ofManjushri". (1974) Translated by Jeffrey Hopkins with instruction from Geshe Rapden. Library of Tibetan Worksand Archives. Dharamsala, H.P., India.Mullin, Glenn H. (2001). The Fourteen Dalai Lamas: A Sacred Legacy of Reincarnation, pp. 184237. ClearLight Publishers. Santa Fe, New Mexico. ISBN 1-57416-092-3.Karmay, Samten Gyaltsen:

1988 (reprint 1998). Secret visions of the Fifth Dalai Lama. London: Serindia Publications, Some additionalinformation (http://www2.bremen.de/info/nepal/Gallery-3/Misc/12-17/secret-visions-book.htm)1998 'The Fifth Dalai Lama and his Reunification of Tibet'. The Arrow and the Spindle, Studies in History,Myths, Rituals and Beliefs in Tibet. Kathmandu: Mandala Book Point

Autobiography

Two extracts from the autobiography of the Fifth Dalai Lama called Dukulai Gosang, Volume Kha, LhasaPublication (http://dalailama.com/page.133.htm) taken from the Homepage of The 14TH Dalai Lama

External links

Karmay, Samten G. (2005). "The Great Fifth". Downloaded as a pdf file on 16 December 2007 from: [2](http://www.iias.nl/nl/39/IIAS_NL39_1213.pdf)The Fifth Dalai Lama and His Peer Tulku Dragpa Gyaltsen (http://www.dorjeshugdenhistory.org/trode-khangsar-6.html) by Trinley Kalsang

Buddhist titles

Preceded byYonten Gyatso

Dalai Lama16421682

Recognized in 1618

Succeeded byTsangyang

Gyatso

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