Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso

5th 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 1617
Chingwar Taktse, -Tsang, Tibet
Died 1682 (aged 6465)
Tibet
5th Dalai Lama
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, theGreat Fifth Dalai Lama
(16171682), was a political and religious leader in seventeenth-
century Tibet. Ngawang Lozang Gyatso was the ordination name he
had received from Panchen Lobsang Chkyi Gyaltsen who was
responsible for his ordination.
[1]
He was the first Dalai Lama to wield
effective political power over central Tibet, and is frequently referred
to as the "Great Fifth Dalai Lama".
Birth, family and childhood
Lobsang Gyatso (birthname: Knga Nyingpo) was born in 1617 in
Tsang to a family with traditional ties to the Sakya and Nyingma
orders.
[2]
His famous noble Zahor family had held their seat since the
14th century at Takts Castle, the former stronghold of the Tibetan
kings. His father, Dudul Rabten, was arrested in 1618 for being
involved in a plot against the royal government of the king of Tsang at
almost the same time the Gelug had secretly chosen his son as the
reincarnation of Yonten Gyatso, the 4th Dalai Lama. According to the
14th Dalai Lama it was Sonam Choephel, the chief attendant of the
Fourth Dalai Lama, who discovered the incarnation.
[3]
Dudul Rabten
escaped and tried to reach eastern Tibet but was rearrested and never
saw his son again before he died in 1626 at Samdruptse, the king of
Tsang's castle in Shigatse. Lobsang Gyatso's family were all ordered to
live at the court at Samdruptse, but his mother, fearing the king,
returned with her son to her family's home, Narkatse castle, in
Yardrog.
[4]
Studies
The Fifth Dalai Lama completed all his training as a Gelugpa and
proved to be an exceptional scholar. He also studied Nyingmapa
tantric doctrines and some say he took Nyingma initiations,
[5]
while
he is also famous for being a great practitioner of Dzogchen.
[6]
In his
secret Lukhang temple on a lake behind the Potala palace in Lhasa one wall of murals illustrates a commentary by
Longchenpa on a Dzogchen tantraRigpa Rangshar, interpreted according to the Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso's own
experience 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, after
defeating 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 Gushi
Khan, a powerful Mongol military leader.
Gushi Khan conquered Kham in 1640 bringing the Sakyas and the lords of Kham and Amdo under their control. His
victory over the prince of Tsang in Shigatse in 1642, completed the unification of the country, and displacing the rival
dominant school of the Karmapas. He then recognized the authority of the Fifth Dalai Lama, making him the ruler of the
whole of Tibet.
[8][9]
The Mongol army in Tibet and Tibetans loyal to the Gelugpa are said to have forced monks of some Kagyu monasteries
to 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 to
the 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 for
his 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 the
Qing Dynasty, during a state visit to Beijing in 1652 after several earlier invitations. He set out accompanied by 3,000
men and stayed at the Yellow Palace which had been specially constructed by the Manchu emperor to house him. The
emperor met the Dalai Lama in January 1653 when he was only 14 (15 by Western reckoning). The Dalai Lama stayed
in Beijing for two months and was honoured with two grand imperial receptions.
[12]
Some historians claim that the
emperor treated the Dalai Lama as an equal
[14]
while others dispute this claim.
[15]
The Emperor subsequently granted
him the honorific titleDalai Lama, Overseer of the Buddhist Faith on Earth Under the Great Benevolent
Self-subsisting Buddha of the Western Paradise. From this meeting onwards, the Dalai Lamas were considered priests to
the throne by successive Qing emperors.
[citation needed]
Gushri Khan maintained friendly, respectful relations with Lobsang Gyatso but died in 1655. His followers showed little
interest in the administration of the country although they did appoint a Regent for a while to advance their interests in
Lhasa. Gushri Khan left ten sons to follow him. Eight of them, with their tribes, settled in the strategically important
Koko Nur region in Amdo and quarreled constantly over territory. The 5th Dalai Lama sent several governors in 1656
and 1659 to restore order. The Mongols were gradually Tibetanised and played an important role in extending the Gelug
school'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 during
his lifetime, was the teacher and close ally of the 5th Dalai Lama, who gave him the monastery of Tashilhunpo as a living
and declared him to be an incarnation of Amitabha Buddha (Tibetan: -pa-me) and since then every incarnation of the
Panchen 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 of
searching for his reincarnation. He composed a special prayer asking his master 'to return' and ordered the monks of the
great 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 be
given 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 and
sometimes, ironically, express his own deepest feelings and independent interpretations. He wrote that: "When I finished
theOral teachings of Manjushri [in 1658], I had to leave the ranks of the Gelug. Today [in 1674], having completed the
Oral teachings of the Knowledge-holders, I will probably have to withdraw from the Nyingma ranks as well!" His works
total 24 volumes including a detailed history of Tibet which he wrote in 1643 at the request of Gushri Khan.
[12]
He has
left an autobiography calledDukulai 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 between
Drepung 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 Potrang
Marpo ('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 Nechung
Monastery became the seat of Tibet's State Oracle (not Dholgyal Shugden). Nechung
(Nemeans place and chungmeans small) was a shrine dedicated to Pehar, located at
west of Tibet's capital, Lhasa. The role of Pehar as protector to Tibet can be traced
back to 8th century, where Pehar was bound to oath by Padmasambhava as head of
the hierarchy of protectors for Tibet, with Dorje Drakden as his chief emissary. The
Great Fifth (Fifth Dalai Lama) also composed Dra-Yang-Ma (Melodic Chant), a text
of 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 Fifth
Dalai 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 Buddha
and sentient beings in general and in particular. A new house (not shrine nor temple) was constructed and articles were
placed there in the hope it would become a place for the Gyalpo (evil spirit) to settle. However, the evil spirit's harmful
activities only intensified and causes many lay and ordained people afflicted with diseases and death of few monks. A
fire ritual was performed and in this prayers, along with all Dharma Protectors, Nechung and his entourage was
summoned 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" (btsan
khan) for Dorje Shugden.
[25]
He also crafted the first statue of Dorje Shugden which is currently at Gaden Phelgyeling
Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal.
[26]
However this was misunderstood by some aselevation of (Dholgyal)Shugden as protector by the Fifth Dalai Lama,
instead it was his intention to appease the Dholgyal, evil spirit(Gyalpo), fromDhol Chumig Karmo, in short Dholgyal.
The status of (Dolgyal) Shugden was reconfirmed by the Thirteenth Dalai Lama in his letter to Phabongkhapa Dechen
Nyingpo (Phabongka Rinpoche), where he identified (Dolgyal) Shugden as "...wrathful worldly spirit....contradicts the
precepts of taking refuge". In reply, Phabongka Rinpoche, active promoter of Shugden's practice, has admitted his
mistake in propitiating Shugden (Dolgyal) as a protector and repented his act before the Thirteenth Dalai Lama. In the
same letter Phabongka Rinpoche mentioned "..I have propitiated Shugden until now because my old mother told me that
Shugden is the deity of my maternal lineage..", which reconfirmed the practice of Shugden was not originated from
Gelugpa lineage and altogether dismiss the misunderstanding that the Fifth Dalai Lama has elevated (Dholgyal) Shugden
status as protector...
[27][24]
He established a centralized, dual system of government under the Gyalwa Rinpoche (i.e., the Dalai Lama), divided
equally 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 the
farmer in his fields". This was not only the supremacy of the Gelugpa school over Bn, or over the other Buddhist
schools, 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 was
restated 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 Prime
Minister and, according to persistent rumours, his son, whom he had appointed in 1679.
[5]
This was done so that the
Potala Palace could be finished and to prevent Tibet's neighbors taking advantage of an interregnum in the succession of
the 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 and
kept 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 the
throne. However, when Mongol princes insisted on having an audience, an old monk called Depa Deyab of
Namgyal monastery, who resembled the Dalai Lama, was hired to pose in his place. He wore a hat and an eye
shade to conceal the fact that he lacked the Dalai Lama's piercing eyes. TheDesi managed to maintain this
charade till he heard that a boy in Mon exhibited remarkable abilities. He sent his trusted attendants to the area
and, in 1688, the boy [the future 6th Dalai Lama] was brought to Nankartse, a place near Lhasa. There he was
educated by teachers appointed by theDesi 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 Fourth
Dalai Lama and other lamas), but I was unable to distinguish between them! When he left the room I heard
him tell the people outside that I had successfully passed the tests. Later, when he became my tutor, he
would often admonish me and say: "You must work hard, since you were unable to recognize the
objects!"
[33]
References
^ Tales of Intrigue from Tibet's Holy City: The Historical Underpinnings of a Modern Buddhist Crisis Thesis by Lindsay
G. 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 & J anssen, 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): Wisdom
Publications, London. ISBN 0-86171-045-2.
5.
^ Stein, R. A. (1972). Tibetan Civilization, pp. 171-172. Stanford University Press, Stanford California. ISBN
0-8047-0806-1 (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 J ohn
Shane, 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. ISBN
978-0-8021-1827-1.
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. ISBN
978-0-8021-1827-1.
13.
^ Laird, Thomas. (2006). The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama, pp. 170-174. Grove Press, New York.
ISBN 978-0-8021-1827-1.
14.
^ Grunfeld, A. Tom, The Making of Modern Tibet, p. 42, reads in part "Both (Tibetan and Chinese) accounts agree that the
Dalai Lama was exempt from the traditional kowtow symbolizing total subservience; he was, however, required to kneel
before 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 new
chapter, (1986): Wisdom Publications, London. ISBN 0-86171-045-2.
^ "The Institution of the Dalai Lama", by R. N. Rahul Sheel inThe Tibet Journal, Vol. XIV No. 3. Autumn 1989, p. 32, n. 1 17.
^ 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. ISBN
978-0-8021-1827-1.
19.
^
a b
Stein, R. A. Tibetan Civilization (1962). Translated into English with minor revisions by the author. 1st English edition
by 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.shtml 22.
^ Folio 157 (front and back)called Dukulai Gosang, Volume Kha (Lhasa Publication) 23.
^
a b
http://www.dalailama.com/messages/dolgyal-shugden/historical-references#fifth 24.
^ 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) composed
by 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): Wisdom
Publications, London. ISBN 0-86171-045-2.
28.
^ Page xxxvi of 'The Words of My Perfect Teacher' (aka Kunzang Lama'i Shelung) ISBN 0-06-066449-5 29.
^ "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.
^ Laird, Thomas. (2006). The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama, pp. 181-182. Grove Press, New York.
ISBN 978-0-8021-1827-1.
31.
^ The Dalai Lamas of Tibet, pp. 93-94. Thubten Samphel and Tendar. Roli & J anssen, New Delhi. (2004). ISBN
81-7436-085-9.
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 of
Manjushri". (1974) Translated by Jeffrey Hopkins with instruction from Geshe Rapden. Library of Tibetan Works
and Archives. Dharamsala, H.P., India.
Mullin, Glenn H. (2001). The Fourteen Dalai Lamas: A Sacred Legacy of Reincarnation, pp. 184237. Clear
Light 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 additional
information (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, Lhasa
Publication (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 by
Yonten Gyatso
Dalai Lama
16421682
Recognized in 1618
Succeeded by
Tsangyang
Gyatso
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Categories: 1617 births 1682 deaths Dalai Lamas Tertons 17th-century Tibetan people
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