Muné Tsenpo
Encyclopedia
Muné Tsenpo was the 39th Emperor
of Tibet
(r. ca. 797?-799?). This period of Tibetan history, towards the end, and after the reign of Trisong Detsen
is very murky and the sources give conflicting stories and dates.
Mune Tsenpo is a Zhangzhung name meaning Namkha Tsenpo or 'Sky King'.
Trisong Detsen is said to have had four sons. The eldest, Mutri Tsenpo, apparently died young. When Trisong Detsen retired (c. 797) to take up residence at the Nyugmakhar Palace (sMyug ma mkar) in Zungkhar (Zung mkhar), he handed power to the eldest surviving son, Muné Tsenpo.
Most sources say that Muné's reign lasted only about a year and a half, while many Western scholars believe this would have been too short and some have suggested he reigned from 797 to 804. The Deb-ston, however, records a reign of 17 years, but this has been attributed to a misreading of the Chinese accounts.
The dBa' bzhed
claims that Muné Tsenpo insisted that his father's funeral be performed according to Buddhist rather than the Bon
rites.
Tibetan sources say he tried three times unsuccessfully to ensure the equitable distribution of land and property; but each time the rich got richer and the poor got poorer. He established four major places to worship the Tripitaka
and the abhisambodhi.
After a short reign, Muné Tsenpo, was supposedly poisoned on the orders of his mother, Tsephongsa, who was jealous of his beautiful young wife, Queen Phoyongsa. After his death, Mutik Tsenpo
was next in line to the throne.
However, Sadnalegs elder brother, Mutik Tsenpo, had been apparently banished to Lhodak Kharchu (lHo-brag or Lhodrag) near the Bhutan
ese border for murdering a senior minister, although some people believe he ruled for an indeterminate period. Whatever the case, the youngest brother, Sadnalegs
, was definitely ruling by 804 CE.
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
of Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
(r. ca. 797?-799?). This period of Tibetan history, towards the end, and after the reign of Trisong Detsen
Trisong Detsen
Trisong Detsän or Trisong Detsen ཁྲི་སྲོང་ལྡེ་བཙན , was the son of Me Agtsom and one of the emperors of Tibet and ruled...
is very murky and the sources give conflicting stories and dates.
Mune Tsenpo is a Zhangzhung name meaning Namkha Tsenpo or 'Sky King'.
Trisong Detsen is said to have had four sons. The eldest, Mutri Tsenpo, apparently died young. When Trisong Detsen retired (c. 797) to take up residence at the Nyugmakhar Palace (sMyug ma mkar) in Zungkhar (Zung mkhar), he handed power to the eldest surviving son, Muné Tsenpo.
Most sources say that Muné's reign lasted only about a year and a half, while many Western scholars believe this would have been too short and some have suggested he reigned from 797 to 804. The Deb-ston, however, records a reign of 17 years, but this has been attributed to a misreading of the Chinese accounts.
The dBa' bzhed
Testament of Ba
The Testament of Ba is an account written in Old Tibetan of the establishment of Buddhism in Tibet and the foundation of the Samye Monastery during the reign of King Trisong Detsen The Testament of Ba (Tibetan དབའ་བཞེད or སྦ་བཞེད; Wylie transliteration: dba' bzhed or sba bzhed) is an account...
claims that Muné Tsenpo insisted that his father's funeral be performed according to Buddhist rather than the Bon
Bon
BON, Bon, or bon may refer to:Places:* Cap Bon, a peninsula in Tunisia* Flamingo International Airport, Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles...
rites.
Tibetan sources say he tried three times unsuccessfully to ensure the equitable distribution of land and property; but each time the rich got richer and the poor got poorer. He established four major places to worship the Tripitaka
Tripiṭaka
' is a traditional term used by various Buddhist sects to describe their various canons of scriptures. As the name suggests, a traditionally contains three "baskets" of teachings: a , a and an .-The three categories:Tripitaka is the three main categories of texts that make up the...
and the abhisambodhi.
After a short reign, Muné Tsenpo, was supposedly poisoned on the orders of his mother, Tsephongsa, who was jealous of his beautiful young wife, Queen Phoyongsa. After his death, Mutik Tsenpo
Mutik Tsenpo
Mutik Tsenpo or Murug Tsenpo is sometimes considered to have been one of the emperors of Tibet. This is, however, very questionable. Moreover, the whole period between the reigns of Trisong Detsen and Sadnalegs is very unclear, with several conflicting reports.Trisong Detsen is said to have had...
was next in line to the throne.
However, Sadnalegs elder brother, Mutik Tsenpo, had been apparently banished to Lhodak Kharchu (lHo-brag or Lhodrag) near the Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
ese border for murdering a senior minister, although some people believe he ruled for an indeterminate period. Whatever the case, the youngest brother, Sadnalegs
Sadnalegs
Sadnalegs or Tridé Songtsen , was the youngest son of King Trisong Detsen of Tibet ....
, was definitely ruling by 804 CE.
Sources
- Central Asian Studies (Germany)
- http://dabase.org/padma-lb.htm