The Dalai Lamas

‘Dalai Lama’ was the title of Tibet’s rulers for over 500 years. Fourteen Dalai Lamas ruled in succession, each one a reincarnation of his predecessor, according to Tibetan belief. The title dalai, or ‘ocean’ (presumably ocean of wisdom), was given to the Third in 1578 by the then Mongol king, Altan Khan, and applied posthumously to the first two. The Fifth named himself, his four predecessors and all future Dalai Lamas as incarnations of the bodhisattva of compassion, Chenrezi, thus adopting divine status.

When a Dalai Lama died, a search for his reincarnation began at once. Helped by the state oracle, portents and dreams, high lamas scoured Tibet for a boy with special physical traits, such as big ears and long eyes, who, in addition to other tests, could identify the late Dalai Lama’s possessions among a pile of similar objects. In case of rival candidates, they drew lots. Until the new Dalai Lama was 18, a regent wielded unlimited power. The Fifth and Thirteenth were the greatest Dalai Lamas.

The First Dalai Lama (1391 - 1474) was a disciple of Tsong Khapa. He founded Tashilhunpo Monastery, at Shigatse, and was its first abbot.

The Second (1475 - 1542) served as the abbot of three great Yellow Hat monasteries while disputes raged between rival Tibetan sects.

The Third (1543 - 88), an abbot of Drepung Monastery, succeeded in reviving Buddhism in Mongolia. Altan Khan, the king, became his patron and formally conferred the title of 'Dalai Lama' upon him.

The Fourth (1588 - 1616) was conveniently discovered to be the great-grandson of Altan Khan - the only non-Tibetan in the line of Dalai Lamas.

The Great Fifth (1617 - 82) was a mighty scholar, politician and archi­tect. Aided by a Mongol prince, he unified Tibet under his rule and sup­pressed all rivals of the Yellow Hat Sect. The Potala is his monument.

The Sixth (1683 - 1706) preferred women, wine and poetry. Angry Mon­golians killed the regent and kidnapped the Dalai Lama. He was never seen again.

The Seventh (1708 - 57) was installed with Chinese help after Mongols imposed a false Dalai Lama.

The Eighth to the Twelfth (1758 - 1875) are of minor importance. Most died young (probably poisoned), while their regents held on to power.

The Great Thirteenth (1876 - 1933) withstood a British invasion in 1904 and made Tibet independent in 1912 after China became a republic. An able, intelligent ruler, he tried in vain to modernize Tibet’s institutions. The Fourteenth (b 1935) was only 16 when Mao Zedong’s China took over Tibet. He ruled in partial capacity under the Chinese for ten years but fled in 1959 with 80,000 followers to India, where he keeps an active headquarters. He is still held in great esteem in Tibet.

The First Dalai Lama is entombed at Tashilhunpo Monastery; the Second, Third and Fourth at Drepung Monastery; and all the others (except the Sixth, who has no tomb) inside the Potala.

   

The Panchen Lamas

The Panchen Lamas, abbots of Tashilhunpo Monastery, came into existence in the 17th century when the Fifth Dalai Lama gave this title to his beloved and learned tutor. Panchen means ‘great scholar’. So-called hidden texts were then discovered that proved he was a reincarnation of Amitabha, the Buddha of infinite light, and traced the incarnations back two centuries to one of the first abbots of Tashilhunpo. He thus counted not as the first but as the Fourth Panchen Lama. In a similar fashion, the Great Fifth had already been established as an incarnation of Tibet’s patron deity, Chenrezi, the bodhisattva of compassion. From the 17th century on, the Panchen and Dalai Lamas initiated one another as divine leaders, and the older one served as tutor to the younger. When a Panchen Lama died, a search began at once for the infant boy who was believed to be his new incarnation, just like the Dalai Lamas.

Some Tibetans consider the Panchen Lamas even holier than the Dalai Lamas. They were thought to be less tainted by worldly affairs because they had no secular authority. Foreigners named them Tashi Lamas (misappro­priating the first syllables of Tashilhunpo) and created a myth that they were wise, all-knowing holy men. In fact, they mixed in politics, sometimes rivalled the Dalai Lamas and conducted independent foreign policies, which foreign powers tried to exploit. There have been ten Panchen Lamas.

The First, Second and Third Panchen Lamas were all learned scholars and successive abbots of Tashilhunpo who upheld the Yellow Hat Sect.

The Fourth (1569 - 1662) was the learned tutor of the Fifth Dalai Lama, who honoured him with divine status and the title of panchen.

The Fifth (1663 - 1737) lived through the mixed-up succession to the Sixth Dalai Lama. In 1728 the Chinese emperor, hoping to divide Tibet, offered him sovereignty over all of western Tibet, but he did not accept it.

The Sixth (1738 - 80) was distinguished by his writings and interest in the world. The gold he naively sent as a gift to the governor of India whetted Britain’s interest in Tibet. He also travelled to China, but in Peking he caught smallpox and died.

The Seventh (1781 - 1854) was protected by China from Nepalese raids.

The Eighth (1854 - 82) died before he got caught up in foreign affairs.

The Ninth (1883 - 1937) had severe conflicts with the Thirteenth Dalai Lama. Both the Chinese and the British tried to woo him. Fearing revenge from the Dalai Lama for his support of China, he fled and died in exile.

The Tenth (b 1938) was born in China and not confirmed as a genuine incarnation until age 11. His close but stormy relations with Tibet’s new Chinese administrators resulted in his virtual disappearance for many years after 1961. He held honorary positions  and worked in Beijing. He returned to Tibet twice in the early 1980s briefly to visit Tashilhunpo; he stayed at length in Lhasa to attend Monlam, the Great Prayer Festival, in early 1986, and came again in 1987 to Lhasa and Tashilhunpo. He promoted cultural and development programmes in Tibet, and maintained offices in Beijing, Lhasa and Shigatse. He died in early 1989 of a heart attack whilst visiting Shigatse.

The Eleventh incarnation was found in 1995, although there is disagreement about the true identity of the successor.   The original child incarnation disappeared, to be replaced with a candidate selected under Chinese influence.

   

Milarepa

Of all the religious masters and strange characters that have appeared in Tibet’s history, Milarepa is the people’s favourite. He was a combination of poet, eccentric, hermit, magician and saint, avocations that were much appreciated by Tibetans. An extraordinary, exuberant man, Milarepa left a legacy of many thousands of songs and poems, and a biography written by his chief disciple. In some ways his life resembled that of St Francis of Assissi - a sinner in youth who repented, devoted his maturity to selfless works and ended his life as a beloved, revered saint. Mila was his family name. Repa means cotton-clad, as once he had become a hermit he never wore more than a cotton cloth, despite the bitter cold.

He was born in 1040 to a family of comfortable means. His father died when he was seven. By Tibetan custom, the widow, her son and daughter and all the family property were entrusted to the father’s brother until Milarepa came of age. This faithless uncle took the property for himself and forced the family to be his servants. Milarepa’s mother possessed one as­set - a plot of land in her own name, which she now sold to pay for a spe­cial education for her son. She sent Milarepa to learn black magic from a sorcerer, .so that he could wreak revenge on the uncle.

Milarepa succeeded brilliantly at his studies. He brought about the death of his uncle’s oldest son (and several other people) by collapsing the roof of a house on to his cousin’s wedding party. He also destroyed the uncle’s crops with hailstones. Thus defeated, the uncle returned the patrimony. But Milarepa was overcome with remorse. He renounced worldly goods and went looking for a teacher who could lead him to the light.

He went to Marpa (1012 - 96), a fearsome, contradictory tantric master who was violent and wordly yet a remarkable scholar and teacher. Marpa refused to take him, as he could not pay, so Milarepa offered his own person, body and soul, and entered a long, cruel apprenticeship designed to purge him of his sins, endlessly building and tearing down a tower. Satisfied at last, Marpa taught him, initiated him and sent him to a life of contemplation, rather than scholarship like his other disciples. He earned Milarepa’s lifelong devotion, as many of the songs show.  

Milarepa lived as an extreme ascetic. He ate nothing but nettles until his hair turned green, singing his joyful songs of praise and wisdom. He developed great occult powers and clairvoyance, which he used, allegorically, in contests of magic to convince the Bön priest of Buddhism’s superiority, or to perform his countless acts of kindness. Milarepa lived to the age of 83, a wise, inspired, compassionate madman who captured the hearts of all Tibetans. His images usually portray him smiling ecstatically, with his hand raised to his ear as he sings.

Taken from "Odyssey Illustrated Guide to Tibet", © 1997 Local Colour Ltd., Hong Kong.