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Je Tsongkhapa

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The Gelug School

Je Tsongkhapa, whose name means "The Man from Onion Valley", also known as "Je Rinpoche" and by his ordained name Lobsang Drakpa, is recorded as the founder of the Gelugpa school in Tibetan Buddhism. Initially, the Kadampa tradition had been founded by Atisha in the 11th century. However, as the school began to fall into decline and disorganisation, Je Tsongkhapa saw to its reorganisation and stratification, which has endured into the modern century. He is one of the most well-known Tibetan Buddhist Masters in history, after Guru Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) and perhaps the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso himself.

The Early Years

Born in Amdo province in Tibet, in 1357, Je Tsongkhapa received full lay ordination at the age of three from the 4th Karmapa Rolpey Dorje and entitled Kunga Nyingpo. Then later, at seven, he took a second set of vows from Chöjey Dhondup Rinchen and was entitled Lobsang Drakpa. It was to his credit then, that at such an early age, he was able to receive the empowerments of Heruka Chakrasamvara , Hevajra , and Yamantaka, three of the most prominent wrathful deities of Tibetan Buddhism, as well as being able to recite a great many sutras, not the least of which was Expression of the Names of Manjushri. Additionally, he would go on to be a great study in the Buddhist Vinaya, the doctrine of behaviour, and even later the Six Yogas of Naropa, the Kalachakra Tantra, and the acclaimed practice of Mahamudra.

As such an accomplished scholar and practitioner, he was therefore quite effective as a teacher in Tibetan Buddhism, and became a leading figure amongst his peers as well as his students.

Je Tsongkhapa's Legacy

Je Tsongkhapa would go on to found the Gelugpa order, built on the foundations of the Kadampa tradition, with an emphasis on the Vinaya and scholarly pursuits. He had studied at both Sakya and Kadam monasteries, built up his knowledge, received many empowerments, and was one of the foremost authorities of Tibetan Buddhism at the time. Further, it is said that the Buddha Sakyamuni spoke of his coming as an emanation of the Bodhisattva Manjusri in the short verse:

After I pass away And my pure doctrine is absent, You will appear as an ordinary being, Performing the deeds of a Buddha And establishing the Joyful Land, the great Protector, In the Land of the Snows.

Although Je Tsongkhapa would finally pass away at the age of sixty, in 1419, he left to the world 18 volumes of collected teachings, including the Lamrim Chenmo (Expositions on the Stages of the Path) and the Ser Phreng (the Golden Rosary). These and other teachings endured into the modern age, and continue to be an integral part of the Gelugpa tradition.

See also

External link

Last updated: 08-08-2005 10:55:32
Last updated: 09-12-2005 02:39:13