“Shakabpa writes of the era of Phagmo Dru rule of Tibet under Tai Situ, Changchub Gyaltsen: “During his time, the country was so secure that it was said that an old woman carrying a sackful of gold could pass without fear from one end of Tibet to the other; thus, this period of internal security was known as the era of Genmo Serkhor (“Old Woman Carrying Gold”).”
“In the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, all the terlung sections found in the discovered terma texts [of Guru Padmasambhava] contained the same prediction: one day the Yellow (Gelug) sect would invite the evil Mongolian armies into Tibet, destroy the genuine Dharma and ultimately bring about the downfall of Tibet.”
“The meeting between the Fifth Dalai Lama and the Chinese emperor began a relationship between the Chinese imperial court and Tibet that would eventually lead to the Qing government’s interference in Tibetan political affairs and even in the religious affairs of the Gelugpa. Later in the 18th century, Tibet became subject to Qing’s laws and edicts. China stationed troops in Lhasa, and a Chinese amban exercised authority over the Tibetan government. The Qing rule of Tibet continued until the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911 and today forms an important basis for China’s claim on Tibet.”
Introduction
In this fourth instalment of the On the Road to Shangri-la series, I describe the next stage of my trip after a few days in Kunming and Lijiang, to Shangri-la, a town in the Dechen (Chinese: Deqin) Tibetan Autonomous region. The popularity of James Hilton’s novel Lost Horizon (1933), which introduced Shangri-La is said have been written on an inspirational theme of “the Tibetan Buddhist Scriptures, where human beings, animals, and nature lived in harmony under the rule of a Tibetan”. The Chinese authorities changed the name of Zhongdian County to Shangri-La County in 2001. The earlier names were – the Zhongdian (建塘镇 Jiàntáng Zhèn), and Gyalthang (Tib. རྒྱལ་ཐང་རྫོང་) of the town which has a predominantly Tibetan population.
Although the nature surrounding the area was spectacular, the ‘human’created’ part of it was clean and developed, but it had become very ‘touristy’, in particular at the Gelugpa monasteries there. Nowhere was this more on show than the ‘Little Potala’ built by the ‘victorious’ Gelugpas/5th Dalai Lama in the seventeenth century after they had destroyed all the Karma Kagyu shedras and monasteries, slaughtered thousands of innocent Tibetans (including the King of Tsang), and even tried to murder the 10th Karmapa who fled into exile.
In this post, I will give some brief historical background of Tibetan political and spiritual rule both prior to and after the Mongolian invasion and the 5th Dalai Lama rule. I will describe some of the tragically petty and ego-driven events (perceived insults in terms of ‘respect’) leading up to Gelugpa paranoia, mistrust (and plain old aggression) of the 7-9th Karmapa’s power and good standing not only in Tibet, but with Chinese and Mongolian leaders. In particular, the actions of the 4th Dalai Lama’s Gelugpa administrator, Sonam Chophel (1595–1657), stand out as particularly malevolent and influential in the use of the Mongolian military in Tibet.
Surprisingly, in the 21st Century, many Tibetans (and their ‘woke’ ‘Orientalist’ allies in the US and North America) seem to be cluelessly unaware (or wilfully ignorant) about this historical time period and what actually happened to Tibet and the other main Tibetan Buddhist lineages. The Tibetans that are fully aware of it and speak out about it, such as Gedun Chophel, are shunned, isolated and silenced via social intimidation and defamation as ‘Chinese spies’. In that respect, the ‘victors’ narrative has been very successful even in exile of convincing people that the Mongolian imposed institution of the Dalai Lama was good for Tibet and Tibetans, when the actual reality is , and has been, the opposite.
In sum, is clear, is that the Gelugpa-incited violence was very much politically motivated, and one-sided and not a civil war as some biased western and Tibetan scholars have suggested. Nor was it some kind of grand beneficial scheme to unify Tibet. It was an all-out foreign invasion of Mongolian army who took over Tibet, murdered thousands of Tibetans, including the Tibetan king of Tsang who had been imprisoned.
The oppression, destruction, murder and chaos caused by the Gelugpas and invading Mongolian army is only just starting to be revealed. For example, scholars are now writing more about the censorship and banning of texts and philosophical views such as Zhentong Madhyamika, and the stealing and sealing up of those texts. The 17th Karmapa recently spoke about how all the Karma Kagyu shedras in central Tibet were destroyed by the Gelugpas/Mongolians and were never allowed to be re-established until post-1959 in exile. I will explain more about historical accounts of what happened to the 10th karmapa in particular, in the next post.
Karma often works in not so mysterious ways though, and the ‘Little Potala” monastery established by the 5th Dalai Lama, is now nothing more than a profit-making mass tourist (Tibetan Buddhist Disneyworld) attraction. Although it is said to currently accommodate in its rebuilt structures 700 monks in 200 associated houses, I did not see any monastics there at all. Nor did I see any prayer rituals or Dharma activity while there. It seemed to be more of a museum where masses of people dressed in Tibetan national dress were bussed in and endless rounds of photographs with professional photographers hired for the day to take self-portrait photos. The energy of the place did not feel spiritual at all, and in fact almost ‘oppressive’ in terms of the mass tourism and lack of authenticity. However, this seemed to be also a karmic (as opposed to Chinese issue), as the five main Karma Kagyu monasteries were nothing like that at all. There were few tourists, no entrance fees, even though in many ways they were more beautiful and authentic.
I also visited the main ‘Big Buddha’ (Jokhang) Buddhist temple in the city centre of Shangri-la itself (also a Gelugpa one and again a tourist attraction) as well as one of the biggest prayer wheels in the world next to it (see photos below). There was not a photo of the 14th Dalai Lama in sight. However, the museum there, which also housed some stunning artefacts from the Tibetan Buddhist sites, exhibited huge ‘propaganda’ thankas showing the yellow hat Gelugpas bowing down to and collaborating with the Chinese Red Army guard, non of which portrayed the Dalai Lama. There was a thangka studio in Lijiang run by a Chinese artist where I saw such large scale propagangda thangkas being painted hung up alongside thangkas of Tara and Buddha. I did not see any such thangkas like that of the Karma Kagyu or other lineages. In fact, the thangka I saw next to that one was one of the Karma Kagyu refuge tree, with all the Karmapas present.
At night time, the main Shangri la square in front of the ‘Big Buddha’ monastery was beautifully lit up, and there were pop music concerts and abundant food stalls and restaurants open. On my final night there, I saw a round of Tibetan dancers (most dressed in normal daily clothes) dancing. It was a testament to the resilience of the local Tibetans there, but perhaps also to the tragedy of what happens to a people and culture when they lose contact with authentic Dharma, and culture is seen as how one looks, dresses and dances. In that respect Tibetans are no different from other cultures suffering under the overwhelming ‘religion’ of global capitalism and mass consumption (see video here).
Dedicated to the memory and courage of all those murdered by the invading Gelugpa/Mongolian forces, and to the rightful return of texts and monastic land and property stolen by them, to freedom for Tibetans in Tibet, as well as harmonious relations between India, China and Tibet.
Music? Can You Hear Me? གོ་གྱིན་འདུག་གས། by Tibetan exile musician and rapper GTashi (featuring K.Kush).
Written and compiled by Adele Tomlin, 24th July 2024.
A. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE GELUG RISE TO TOTAL POWER IN TIBET: PERCEIVED PETTY INSULTS AND MALE EGOISM
In this section/article I will focus on some of the key political and social events in Tibet from the rule of Tai Situpa, Jangchub Gyeltsen onwards to the invasion and takeover of Tibet by the Mongolian military/Gelugpas and how this event, followed by the 5th Dalai Lama’s new political relationship with the Qing Dynasty Chinese Emperor marked a new and different era in Tibetan politics, that karmically led to its ultimate downfall, with the Chinese gaining greater influence and control over Tibet as a result of the Gelugpa actions.
In the next article, I will focus more on what actually happened to the 10th Karmapa and Karma Kagyu as a result of the foreign invasion, when discussing my visit to the second Karma Kagyu monastery I visited in Lijiang.
-
Safe as an old woman carrying gold (Genmo Serkho): Secular rule for three centuries from the time of Tai Situpa, Changchub Gyeltsen
As the 14th Zhamarpa describes in his 2012 book, Golden Swan in Turbulent Waters” (a translation of the 10th Karmapa’s autobiographical accounts, and the important Moonstone Mala historical account by 8th Tai Situpa and Belo) from the 14th Century time of the Phagmo Dru dynasty led by Tai Situpa, Jangchub Gyeltsen, secular rule in Tibet was peaceful and lasted almost three centuries:
“In the early 1300’s, Jangchub Gyaltsen (1302-1364) became the head of the myriarchy of Phagmo Dru, or Phagdru Kagyu. The Mongolian Khan Toghan Temur (r. 1333-1368, the last emperor of the Yuan Dynasty) gave him the Chinese title “Tai Situ,” an honorary title roughly equivalent in status to prime minister. He was then known as Tai Situ Jangchub Gyaltsen. By the mid-1300’s, the Sakya rule of Tibet had weakened considerably due to government corruption. Over the period 1354-1358, Tai Situ Jangchub Gyaltsen successfully overthrew the government and its corrupt ministers and became head of the Tibetan government. During his rise to power, Jangchub Gyaltsen did not align himself with any foreign military power.
Soon after taking power as the first ruler of the Phagmo Drupa or Phagdru Dynasty, Tai Situ Jangchub Gyaltsen reformed and reorganized the government. He abolished the myriarchy system in which the majority of heads/patriarchs were Kagyupa lamas and replaced it with a secular dzong system rather like the fiefdoms of medieval Europe.”
“It came to an end when the Mongolian warlord Gushri Khan invaded Tibet and took power there from 1639-1642. He established the Fifth Dalai Lama as the supreme authority over all of Tibet in 1642. The Fifth Dalai Lama’s rise to power occurred during the lifetime of the Tenth Karmapa Choying Dorje who was inadvertently caught up in the turbulence of the time…
Shakabpa (the modern Tibetan historian) writes of Tai Situ, Jangchub Gyaltsen: “During his time, the country was so secure that it was said that an old woman carrying a sackful of gold could pass without fear from one end of Tibet to the other; thus, this period of internal security was known as the era of Genmo Serkhor (“Old Woman Carrying Gold”).””
The termas of Guru Padmasambhava and the predictions regarding the maelvolent influence of Gelugpas and the Mongolians on Tibet and Buddha Dharma
The 14th Zhamarpa explains that:
“In the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, all the terlung sections found in the discovered terma texts contained the same prediction: one day the Yellow (Gelug) sect would invite the evil Mongolian armies into Tibet, destroy the genuine Dharma and ultimately bring about the downfall of Tibet…
Rather than pay heed to the warnings, some Gelugpas were angry with the terton lamas and tried to discredit them. “Tertons are fakes. How can the Dharma come from rocks?” they declared. They felt that some termas intentionally criticized their sect.”
Little did they know then (or even now) that Guru Padmasambhava’s predictions would indeed come true. According to the Moonstone Mala historical text:
“Once he (Ogyen Guru Rinpoche) predicted what would become of the four Kagyu sects when the birth or emanation of Lord Tsangpa Lhayimetog- the Fifth Dalai Lama of the Gelug sect- took place. The Karma sect (Karma Kagyu) would be like a cushion; on the other hand, the Taglung (meaning land of the tiger) Kagyu sect would preserve its stripes; the Drigung (dri means female yak) Kagyu’s horn would be broken; and the Drugpa (dru means dragon) Kagyu would find its own future.”
In one way or another these predictions came true. Tibet’s downfall under Chinese rule arose due to the 5th Dalai Lama’s new relation with the Qing Emperor shortly after his taking both spiritual and political power in Tibet. Also, for example, the Drugpa Kagyu, booted out of Tibet and Ladakh by the Mongolians/Gelugpas, went on to found Bhutan and banned the Gelugpas from ever going there and setting up monasteries, for more on that see here.
The Jokhang monastic quarters expansion incident: Gelugpa monks attack and destroy the 7th Karmapa’s plans for residence at Jokhang temple for Vinaya vow holding monks
The next petty event that was said to have created tension between the Gelugpas and the Karmapas and Karma Kagyu, was the Gelugpa wrong perception that they owned and controlled the sacred Jokhang Temple in Tibet, and that the 7th Karmapa’s plans to expand the monks’ residence there was an intrusion into their territory.
As a result, some Gelugpa monks actively destroyed the building work for the new residences there. Despite this wanton vandalism and destruction, it is said that many urged the 7th Karmapa to punish the Gelugpa monks but he refused to do so. In fact, “Quite to the contrary, the Karmapa let the unruly monks go free without a trial or even a reprimand.” (Golden Swan (2012))
A perceived insult to the 3rd Dalai Lama: 9th Karmapa not standing up to greet him
The next ‘crack ‘ in Gelug-Karma Kagyu relations also defies belief at the petty worldliness of some of the Gelug attendants around the 3rd and 4th Dalai Lamas.
“At one point – the exact year is unknown – the Third Dalai Lama went to see the Ninth Karmapa (1555-1603) and the Fifth Shamarpa at Tsurphu Monastery. The two Karma Kagyu masters followed customary protocol and received him according to his rank. The Ninth Karmapa remained seated on his throne, while the Fifth Shamarpa rose and stood on his throne.
However, some of the Third Dalai Lama’s administrators chose to interpret
the fact that neither Karmapa nor Shamarpa came down from their thrones to receive the Dalai Lama as a great insult to their spiritual master.
Those administrators used this to drive a wedge between the two sects.”
It is said that the Gelugpa administrators then actively hindered and blocked any communication or resolution between the 4th Dalai Lama and the Karma Kagyu lamas. This active blocking was “condemned by key figures of the time – the Fifth Dalai Lama and the chief abbot of the Gaden Monastery (Gaden Thri Rinpoche Konchog Chopel) and Kharnag Lotsa- as well as by the modern scholar Shakabpa.”
The Sixth Shamarpa’s Prophetic Verses on a Scarf, the Mongolian looting of Karmapa’s horse ranch and a full on Mongolian invasion instigated by the Gelug administrators
Just when you think the petty politics of Gelugpas could not get any more juvenile and egoistic, there is another perceived ‘insult’ of the 4th Dalai Lama, this time contained in some poetic prediction penned by the 6th Zhamarpa (according to the Moonstone Mala historical text):
“Not long after the possible meeting with the Fourth Dalai Lama was
thwarted by the schemes of his aides, the Sixth Shamarpa visited Lhasa.
At the Jokhang Temple, he offered a white scarf to the Buddha, on which
he had written predictions in a series of poems. Later, when the Fourth Dalai Lama’s administrators found out about these poems, they selectively
picked out just two verses as follow:
“At the three cities of Zhag, Ti, Drag,
where Je Choying [10th Karmapa] was like a deer in the field
why lock horns with him?
Jowo Buddha, you know this should not happen.
The earring of the ear,
not as long as the measure of a half-finger,
will one day extend to a length
even Lord Shiva cannot reach.
What to do then?
Jowo Buddha, you know this should not happen.”
The Gelugpa administrators, such as Sonam Chophel, by falsely charging that the Sixth Shamarpa’s poem was insulting and threatening to the Gelug sect, then incited Mongolians to loot Karmapa’s horse ranch. When the Tsang government sent troops to repel the attackers, animosity naturally grew on both sides. Just as Shakabpa observed, those Gelug administrators “destroyed the well-being of Dharma and society in Tibet.” Thus it seems that
“…because the meeting between the Sixth Shamarpa and the Fourth Dalai Lama was thwarted, the hostility toward the Karmapa and Karma Kagyu harbored by Sonam Chopel and other Gelug administrators aligned with him festered. Sonam Chopel eventually invited the Mongol Gushri Khan to invade Tibet in 1639. That war won by the Mongol warlord resulted in a Tibetan religious leader, namely the Fifth Dalai Lama, becoming the country’s political ruler. Tibet’s religious and political powers were unified in the hands of one person after three centuries when they had been divided during the rule of Phagdru, Rinpung, and Tsang [1].” (Golden Swan (2012))
The Mongolian invasion destroyed and stole many monasteries of Nyingma, Kagyu and Jonang and ultimately led to the total demise of Tibet under Chinese rule. I will write more about what happened to the 10th Karmapa and Karma Kagyu in the next post or two.
The 5th Dalai Lama and the Qing Chinese Emperor The beginning of the end for Tibet
Ironically, and tragically for many Tibetans who see the 14th Dalai Lama as their Tibetan hero and saviour, it was the meeting and relationship of the 5th Dalai Lama with the Qing Chinese Emperor Shunzhi in 1652 (at the invitation of the Emperor who built a palace for him to stay in) that led to the ultimate demise of Tibet and and subsequent Chinese claims of ownership. Thus proving correct the terma predictions by Guru Padmasambhava:
“For the first time since the end of the Yuan Dynasty in the 14’h century, a Tibetan political leader travelled to the Chinese court and established a direct personal relationship with a Chinese emperor. A few religious leaders of different sects did visit the Ming court, but their relationships with the emperors were not political. To be sure, Tibetan heads of state during the Ming Dynasty sent tribute missions to China, but they did not appear in person. Ming emperors bestowed titles on Tibetan rulers and gave them seals (a sign of authority), which they could use to bolster their prestige and legitimacy.
Nevertheless, unlike the situation in the Yuan Dynasty, Ming China did not exert control of Tibet. After Changchub Gyaltsen (1302-1364) came to power in Tibet until after the death of the Fifth Dalai Lama- which covered the period from the end of the Yuan Dynasty until the first decades of the Qing rule in China – the Chinese court did not interfere with an independent Tibet.
The meeting between the Fifth Dalai Lama and the Chinese emperor began a relationship between the Chinese imperial court and Tibet that would eventually lead to the Qing government’s interference in Tibetan political affairs and even in the religious affairs of the Gelugpa. Later in the 18th century, Tibet became subject to Qing’s laws and edicts. China stationed troops in Lhasa, and a Chinese amban exercised authority over the Tibetan government. The Qing rule of Tibet continued until the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911 and today forms an important basis for China’s claim on Tibet.” (Golden Swan (2012)
An opinion which the historical facts support and other scholars attest. The Dzungar Khanate invaded Tibet in 1717 and was subsequently expelled by the Qing in 1720. The Qing emperors then appointed imperial residents known as ambans to Tibet, most of them ethnic Manchus, that reported to the Lifan Yuan, a Qing government body that oversaw the empire’s frontier. Chinese authorities referred to Tibet as a vassal state up until the 1950s, and then as an “integral” part of China.
According to Jaques Gernet, the Qing gained a firm hold over Tibet in 1751, although as a protectorate, Tibet retained a large amount of internal authority. Melvyn Goldstein states there is “no question” that Tibet was subordinate to the Qing dynasty following the first decades of the 18th century. Meanwhile, Elliot Sperling says that after the Sino-Nepalese War (1788–1792), Tibet’s subordination to the Qing was “beyond dispute” and that one of the memoirs of a Tibetan minister involved in the war states unambiguously that he was a subject of the Qing emperor. The Golden Urn system of selecting reincarnations was instituted by the Qing, and real authority over Tibet was wielded by its offices and officials. However, for most of the 19th century this authority was weak. After the death of the 8th Dalai Lama, Jamphel Gyatso in 1804, the Dalai Lamas did not exercise any real power for the next 70 years, during which monk regents reigned with the support of the Qing.
Although the 13th Dalai Lama managed to wrestle back some power from the Chinese in the 19th Century, this was short-lived and in 1959 the Chinese communists (with the support of many progressive Tibetans, like Gedun Chophel who wanted the Ganden government removed from absolute power there) violently booted out the ruling Gelugpas in a manner not that dissimilar to how the Mongolians booted out and destroyed the Karmapa and Karma Kagyu, Jonang, Nyingma and Drugpa Kagyu. The tables had truly turned on the Gelugpas in the most obvious and horrific way possible, although it seems they have yet to see it as a karmic result at all.
B. VISITING SHANGRI-LA: LITTLE POTALA, BIG BUDDHA TEMPLE AND THE HUGE PRAYER WHEEL
Getting There: Shangri-la train station with Tibetan-style architecture and huge white stupa
Shangri-la is located on the famous Southern Silk Road, which originates in Sichuan province in the north, crosses Yunnan province and goes to Vietnam. It is 198 kilometres (123 mi) to the northwest of Lijiang in the Dechen Tibetan Autonomous Region and well connected by road and air with other major cities in Yunnan and Sichuan.
I got the super fast bullet train to Shangri-la from Lijiang, which took only one hour (ticket one way around 6 GBP). Here is a photo of the ‘Tibetan-style’ architecture at the new, modern and well-organised train station and huge white stupa nearby. My internet connection (China Unicom) stopped working several times I was in China, including on my first day after spending 100 RMB for 30 days and over 60 GB. I had wanted to buy China Mobile but there was no place to buy that at the Kunming airport. Thankfully, I was able to use my other SIM card for international roaming. When I arrived at the train station, my internet connection did not work, I could not use the taxi app and my phone battery was almost finished, so I asked a young Chinese guy (and his friend ) who had spoken to me in English on the train if I could share their taxi to the old town, which he agreed. While in the taxi, he told me he was on holiday from his training as a member of the Secret Service police!
I first spent some time in the town of Shangri-la visiting the Big Buddha temple, huge prayer wheel next to it, and the cultural museum. These were all situated in the main square (see photos below). Other than the huge prayer wheel and the buddhist artefacts in the museum there was very little actual ‘Dharma’/religious activity to see there though.
The Ganden Sumtsenling Monastery (Little Potala)
The Ganden Sumtsenling monastery (དགའ་ལྡན་སུམ་རྩེན་གླིང་, 松赞林寺 Sōngzànlín Sì), is situated 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the city of Shangri-la at elevation 3,380 metres (11,090 ft) in Yunnan province, China (the capital of the Dechen Tibetan Autonomous Region). Built in 1679, by the Gelugpa sect at the bidding of the 5th Dalai Lama, the monastery is the said to be the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan province and is sometimes referred to as the Little Potala Palace due to its being based on the style of the Potala Palace in Lhasa.
Its architecture is a fusion of the Tibetan and Han Chinese. It was extensively damaged in the Cultural Revolution and subsequently rebuilt in 1983; at its peak, the monastery contained accommodation for 2,000 monks. The entrance gate is at the foot of the hill and provides access to the main hall of the monastery through 146 steps. In the 24 April 1936, it is said the monastery had provided full support to the Communist general He Long who passed through this area during his campaign. However, the monastery was partially destroyed in 1959.
Here are some photos I took of my short trip there on the 7th July 2024 (the day after the 14th Dalai Lama’s birthday). Unlike photos of the Karmapas at the Karma Kagyu monasteries in Lijiang, there were no photos of the Dalai Lamas anywhere. I was the only foreigner there and did not stay long, the energy of the place was kind of depressing and crowded and the tourists posing for photographs in Tibetan national costume for hours at a times, rather sad indeed.
For example, one Han Chinese woman in full Tibetan costume and make-up (who did not speak a word of Tibetan) shouted at me when I accidentally brushed past her photographer’s shoulder (they were both taking up the whole pathway for many minutes getting the pose right). When I asked her whether she was Tibetan she replied that she was not, but that Tibet is part of China so the monastery was Chinese. Even though I was the only foreigner visiting there, she also shouted something in English about ‘white privilege’. The irony of this incident to a ‘white woman’ who has spent the last fifteen years of her life in India and Nepal on self-funded studying, translating and promoting the Tibetan language for the Buddha Dharma, by a such a Chinese woman in front of the biggest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in that Tibetan region was so strange, it was almost comical. I quickly left as it felt like a bit of a ‘demonic’ attack, and the monastery itself clearly has a lot of ‘unaired’ historical demons, and was paying a karmic result for them too.
Here are some photos of the short bus trip up to the monastery itself. It was well-organised and as the bus dropped us off, the many Chinese speaking tourists in Tibetan national dress began to take photos of themselves in front of the monastery:
Scenes from the City: Big Buddha Temple, Huge Prayer Wheel and Culture Museum in Shangri-la City
Endnotes
[1] Regarding the Sixth Shamarpa’s poem on a scarf, Shakabpa writes of
the nonsensical interpretations by the Fourth Dalai Lama’s administrators:
“Then the administrators of the Dalai Lama made silly judgments
about this poem….There was not one word that was insulting to the Gelug sect, but they (the Dalai Lama’s administrators) construed the poem as threatening to their sect. Although they were not intelligent, the administrators acted as if they were. They took revenge by requesting the Mongolians to loot the Karmapa’s horse ranch. This event is known to be the basis for the destruction of the well-being of Dharma and Tibetan society.