Tsangyang Gyatso, 6th Dalai Lama
Encyclopedia
Tsangyang Gyatso (1 March 1683 – 15 November 1706) was the sixth Dalai Lama
. He was a Monpa by ethnicity and was born at Urgelling Monastery
, 5 km from Tawang, Tibet
and not far from the large Tawang Monastery
in the northwestern part of present-day Arunachal Pradesh
in India (claimed by China as South Tibet
).
He led a playboy lifestyle and disappeared, near Kokonor
probably murdered on his way to Beijing in 1706. Tsangyang Gyatso composed poems and songs that are still immensely popular in Tibet to this day.
(in modern Arunachal Pradesh
, India) to Lama Tashi Tenzin of Urgeling, a descendant of the treasure revealer
Pema Lingpa
, and Tsewang Lhamo, a Monpa girl hailing from a royal family of Bekhar Village.
There are many stories about the life and death of Tsangyang Gyatso.
There are several legendary tales about the birth of Tsangyang. Apparently, His mother, Tsewang, had experienced a few miracles prior to the birth of Tsangyang Gyamtso. One day, within the first month of her pregnancy, she was husking paddy in the stone mortar. To her surprise, water started accumulating in the mortar. On another occasion, when Tsewang drank water at a nearby place, milk started gushing out in place of water. Since then, this stream was known as Oma-Tsikang, literally known as milky water.
In the course of time, Tsewang gave birth to a boy who was named Sanje Tenzin, with Tsangyang's grandfather and Nawang Norbu with his father. Due to this fact, legend said that he would not drink his mother's milk from the day after their birth. One day, when his face began to swell from an infection, Tsangyang could hardly open his eye, two local diviners were summoned. They prescribed purifactory rite and said that his name should be changed to Ngawang Gyamtso.
His recovery was credited by the regent to the intervention of the Dalai Lama's own guardian deity, Dorje Dakpa. The grandfather dreamt that the child was constantly being protected by heavenly beings. The mother dreamt, as she took a rest from her weaving, that a great company had arrived to take him off. His paternal grandmother dreamt of two suns shining in the sky.
The regent invited the Fifth Panchen Lama, Lobsang Yeshi to administer the vows of a novice monk on the young man at Nankartse and named him Tsang Gyatso. In October 1697, Tsangyang Gyatso was enthroned as the Sixth Dalai Lama.
In 1701 Lhasang Khan, a Mongol king and ally of the Chinese, had the Regent, Sangye Gyatso, killed. This greatly upset the young Dalai Lama who left his studies and even visited Lobsang Yeshe, the 5th Panchen Lama in Shigatse and renounced his novice monk vows.
School of Tibetan Buddhism
. For example, he decided to give his Getsul
vow to the Panchen Lama
Lobsang Yeshi Palsangpo at eighteen, instead of taking the usual Gelong.
The Panchen Lama, who was the abbot of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery
, and Prince Lhazang, the younger brother of the Po Gyalpo Wangyal, persuaded him not to do so.
Tsangyang Gyatso, enjoyed a lifestyle that included drinking, the company of women and men, and writing love songs. He visited Lobsang Yeshe
, the Fifth Panchen Lama, in Shigatse
and requesting his forgiveness, renounced the vows of a novice monk. He ordered the building of the Tromzikhang
palace in Barkhor
, Lhasa.
Tsangyang Gyatso had always rejected life as a monk, although this did not mean the abdication of his position as the Dalai Lama
. Wearing the clothes of a normal layman and preferring to walk than to ride a horse or use the state palanquin, Tsangyang only kept the temporal prerogatives of the Dalai Lama. He also visited the parks and spent nights in the streets of Lhasa
, drinking wine, singing songs and having amorous relations with girls. Tsangyang retreated to live in a tent in the park near the northern escarpment of Potala. Tsangyang finally gave up his discourses in public parks and places in 1702, which he was required to do so as part of his training.
, the king of the Qośot or Khoshut Mongols, and an ally of the Qing Emperor of China, killed the regent, and kidnapped the Sixth Dalai Lama who was killed or died (and/or achieved nirvana and some believe can still be met as if alive), soon after on the way to China.
On the 28 June 1706, Lhazang Khan deposed Tsangyang, and installed a 25-year-old lama, Ngawang Yeshey Gyatso, as the 6th Dalai Lama in 1707, claiming that he was the true rebirth of Lobsang Gyatso. The Gelukpa dignitaries and the Tibetan people rejected Lhazang Khan's installation of Ngawang Yeshey Gyatso, and recognised Tsangyang as the true reincarnation. However, Ngawang Yeshey Gyatso is considered by Tibetans to have been an incarnation of Avalokitesvara.
While being taken out of the country, Tsangyang composed a poem which some say foretold of his next birth. "White crane lend me your wings. I will not fly far. From Lithang I shall return." (བྱ་དེ་ཁྲུང་ཁྲུང་དཀར་པོ།། ང་ལ་གཤོག་རྩལ་གཡར་དང་།།
ཐག་རིང་རྒྱང་ནས་མི་འགྲོ།། ལི་ཐང་བསྐོར་ནས་སླེབས་ཡོང་།། (cha de jung jung kar po// nga la shog tsel yar dang// thak ring gyang ne min dro// li thang gor ne leb yong//)
). Tsangyang died mysteriously near Kokonor
, on 15 November 1706, which is why there is no tomb for him in the Potala. Rumours persisted he had escaped and lived in secrecy somewhere between China
and Mongolia
The Tibetans then appealed to the Dzungar Mongols who invaded Tibet and killed Lhazang Khan in late 1717.
Tsangyang was succeeded by Kelzang Gyatso who was born in Lithang.
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
. He was a Monpa by ethnicity and was born at Urgelling Monastery
Urgelling Monastery
Urgelling Monastery is a Buddhist monastery in Arunachal Pradesh, northeastern India.-References:...
, 5 km from Tawang, 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...
and not far from the large Tawang Monastery
Tawang Monastery
Tawang Monastery in Arunachal Pradesh is the largest monastery in India, founded near the small town of the same name in the northwestern part of Arunachal Pradesh state of India by Merak Lama Lodre Gyatso in 1680-1681 in accordance with the wishes of the 5th Dalai Lama...
in the northwestern part of present-day Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh is a state of India, located in the far northeast. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south, and shares international borders with Burma in the east, Bhutan in the west, and the People's Republic of China in the north. The majority of the territory is claimed by...
in India (claimed by China as South Tibet
South Tibet
The Arunachal Pradesh dispute is a territorial dispute over the region located on the middle of the Yarlung Zangbo River, 300 km north of the Himalayas. It is entirely administered by India as part of its Arunachal Pradesh state; China claims it as a part of its Tibet Autonomous Region and...
).
He led a playboy lifestyle and disappeared, near Kokonor
Kokonor
Kokonor may refer to:* Qinghai province, in China* Qinghai Lake, in China...
probably murdered on his way to Beijing in 1706. Tsangyang Gyatso composed poems and songs that are still immensely popular in Tibet to this day.
Early life
Tsangyang was born on 1 March 1683 in Mon TawangTawang Town
Tawang is a small town situated at an elevation of approximately 3,048 meters in the northwestern part of Arunachal Pradesh state of India. The area is historically Tibetan territory and is claimed by both People's Republic of China and Republic of China as a part of South Tibet...
(in modern Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh is a state of India, located in the far northeast. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south, and shares international borders with Burma in the east, Bhutan in the west, and the People's Republic of China in the north. The majority of the territory is claimed by...
, India) to Lama Tashi Tenzin of Urgeling, a descendant of the treasure revealer
Tertön
A tertön is a discoverer of ancient texts or "terma". Many tertöns are considered incarnations of the 25 main disciples of Padmasambhava. A vast system of transmission lineages developed...
Pema Lingpa
Pema Lingpa
Pema Lingpa or Padma Lingpa was a famous saint and siddha of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. He was a preeminent terton , and is considered to be foremost of the Five Terton Kings...
, and Tsewang Lhamo, a Monpa girl hailing from a royal family of Bekhar Village.
There are many stories about the life and death of Tsangyang Gyatso.
There are several legendary tales about the birth of Tsangyang. Apparently, His mother, Tsewang, had experienced a few miracles prior to the birth of Tsangyang Gyamtso. One day, within the first month of her pregnancy, she was husking paddy in the stone mortar. To her surprise, water started accumulating in the mortar. On another occasion, when Tsewang drank water at a nearby place, milk started gushing out in place of water. Since then, this stream was known as Oma-Tsikang, literally known as milky water.
In the course of time, Tsewang gave birth to a boy who was named Sanje Tenzin, with Tsangyang's grandfather and Nawang Norbu with his father. Due to this fact, legend said that he would not drink his mother's milk from the day after their birth. One day, when his face began to swell from an infection, Tsangyang could hardly open his eye, two local diviners were summoned. They prescribed purifactory rite and said that his name should be changed to Ngawang Gyamtso.
His recovery was credited by the regent to the intervention of the Dalai Lama's own guardian deity, Dorje Dakpa. The grandfather dreamt that the child was constantly being protected by heavenly beings. The mother dreamt, as she took a rest from her weaving, that a great company had arrived to take him off. His paternal grandmother dreamt of two suns shining in the sky.
Historical background
Although Lozang Gyatso, the 5th Dalai Lama, had died in 1682, the Regent Desi Sangye Gyatso (Sangs-rgyas rgya-mtsho) kept his death a secret - partly to continue the stable administration, and partly to gain time for the completion of the Potala. The five-year-old reincarnation was discovered in 1688, but immeditely sent to Nankartse, not far from Lhasa, where he was kept concealed by the Regent until 1697 when he sent a delegation to the Chinese Emperor in 1697 to announce that the Fifth Dalai Lama had died and Sixth had been discovered.The regent invited the Fifth Panchen Lama, Lobsang Yeshi to administer the vows of a novice monk on the young man at Nankartse and named him Tsang Gyatso. In October 1697, Tsangyang Gyatso was enthroned as the Sixth Dalai Lama.
In 1701 Lhasang Khan, a Mongol king and ally of the Chinese, had the Regent, Sangye Gyatso, killed. This greatly upset the young Dalai Lama who left his studies and even visited Lobsang Yeshe, the 5th Panchen Lama in Shigatse and renounced his novice monk vows.
Life as a Dalai Lama
As a Dalai Lama, Tsangyang had composed excellent works of songs and poems, but often went against the principles of the GelugGelug
The Gelug or Gelug-pa , also known as the Yellow Hat sect, is a school of Buddhism founded by Je Tsongkhapa , a philosopher and Tibetan religious leader...
School of Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
. For example, he decided to give his Getsul
Pratimoksha
The Pratimoksha is a Buddhist moral discipline. A loose translation of the term is "personal liberation", and thus the discipline is concerned with the Buddhist's quest for personal liberation, and originated with the Pratimoksha Vows given by the Buddha to his followers. "Prati" means 'towards' or...
vow to the Panchen Lama
Panchen Lama
The Panchen Lama , or Bainqên Erdê'ni , is the highest ranking Lama after the Dalai Lama in the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism...
Lobsang Yeshi Palsangpo at eighteen, instead of taking the usual Gelong.
The Panchen Lama, who was the abbot of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery
Tashilhunpo
Tashilhunpo Monastery , founded in 1447 by Gendun Drup, the First Dalai Lama, is a historic and culturally important monastery next to Shigatse, the second-largest city in Tibet....
, and Prince Lhazang, the younger brother of the Po Gyalpo Wangyal, persuaded him not to do so.
Tsangyang Gyatso, enjoyed a lifestyle that included drinking, the company of women and men, and writing love songs. He visited Lobsang Yeshe
Lobsang Yeshe
Lobsang Yeshe was the 5th Panchen Lama of Tibet.He was born of a well-known and noble family in the province of Tsang. His father's name was De-chhen-gyalpo and his mother's Serab-Drolma...
, the Fifth Panchen Lama, in Shigatse
Shigatse
Shigatse is a county-level city and the second largest city in Tibet Autonomous Region , People's Republic of China, with a population of 92000, about southwest of Lhasa and northwest of Gyantse...
and requesting his forgiveness, renounced the vows of a novice monk. He ordered the building of the Tromzikhang
Tromzikhang
Tromzikhang , is a historic building in Barkhor, Lhasa in Tibet. It is located northwest of Jokhang temple at the corner of the left side of Barkhor Tromshung Jang . It was demolished in the 1990s except for the magnificent facade...
palace in Barkhor
Barkhor
The Barkhor is an area of narrow streets and a public square located around Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet.The Barkor is a popular devotional circumabulation for pilgrims and locals...
, Lhasa.
Tsangyang Gyatso had always rejected life as a monk, although this did not mean the abdication of his position as the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
. Wearing the clothes of a normal layman and preferring to walk than to ride a horse or use the state palanquin, Tsangyang only kept the temporal prerogatives of the Dalai Lama. He also visited the parks and spent nights in the streets of Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
, drinking wine, singing songs and having amorous relations with girls. Tsangyang retreated to live in a tent in the park near the northern escarpment of Potala. Tsangyang finally gave up his discourses in public parks and places in 1702, which he was required to do so as part of his training.
Capture and disappearance
Using the Dalai Lama's behaviour as an excuse, Lhazang KhanLha-bzang Khan
Lha-bzang Khan was chief of the Khoshut tribe of the Oirat Mongols and the son of Dalai Khan and grandson of Güshi Khan and the last Khoshut-Oirat King of Tibet. He became Khan by poisoning his brother Vangjal . Since Güshi's time, the Khoshuts had lost real power in Lhasa to the Regent there...
, the king of the Qośot or Khoshut Mongols, and an ally of the Qing Emperor of China, killed the regent, and kidnapped the Sixth Dalai Lama who was killed or died (and/or achieved nirvana and some believe can still be met as if alive), soon after on the way to China.
On the 28 June 1706, Lhazang Khan deposed Tsangyang, and installed a 25-year-old lama, Ngawang Yeshey Gyatso, as the 6th Dalai Lama in 1707, claiming that he was the true rebirth of Lobsang Gyatso. The Gelukpa dignitaries and the Tibetan people rejected Lhazang Khan's installation of Ngawang Yeshey Gyatso, and recognised Tsangyang as the true reincarnation. However, Ngawang Yeshey Gyatso is considered by Tibetans to have been an incarnation of Avalokitesvara.
While being taken out of the country, Tsangyang composed a poem which some say foretold of his next birth. "White crane lend me your wings. I will not fly far. From Lithang I shall return." (བྱ་དེ་ཁྲུང་ཁྲུང་དཀར་པོ།། ང་ལ་གཤོག་རྩལ་གཡར་དང་།།
ཐག་རིང་རྒྱང་ནས་མི་འགྲོ།། ལི་ཐང་བསྐོར་ནས་སླེབས་ཡོང་།། (cha de jung jung kar po// nga la shog tsel yar dang// thak ring gyang ne min dro// li thang gor ne leb yong//)
). Tsangyang died mysteriously near Kokonor
Qinghai
Qinghai ; Oirat Mongolian: ; ; Salar:) is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake...
, on 15 November 1706, which is why there is no tomb for him in the Potala. Rumours persisted he had escaped and lived in secrecy somewhere between China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
The Tibetans then appealed to the Dzungar Mongols who invaded Tibet and killed Lhazang Khan in late 1717.
Tsangyang was succeeded by Kelzang Gyatso who was born in Lithang.