Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ness of the Ming dynasty, Sino-Tibetan relations effectively took on the form of exchanges
of diplomatic courtesies by two independent governments.
The Tibetans undertook to remove all traces of the Mongol administration, drawing on
the traditions of the former Yarlung kings. Officials were required to dress in the manner
of the former royal court, a revised version of King Songtsen Gampo's code of law was
enacted, a new taxation system was enforced, and scrolls depicting the glories of the
Yarlung dynasty were commissioned. The movement was a declaration of Tibet's inde-
pendence from foreign interference and a search for national identity.
TANGTONG GYELPO
Tangtong Gyelpo (1385-1464) was Tibet's Renaissance man par excellence. Nyingmapa
yogi, treasure finder, engineer, medic and inventor of Tibetan opera, Tangtong formed a
song-and-dance troupe of seven sisters to raise money for his other passion, bridge
building. He eventually built 108 bridges in Tibet, the most famous of which was over the
Yarlung Tsangpo near modern-day Chushul. Tangtong is often depicted in monastery
murals with long white hair and a beard, and is usually holding a section of chain links
from one of his bridges.
Rise of the Gelugpa & the Dalai Lamas
In 1374, a young man named Lobsang, later known as Tsongkhapa, set out from his home
near Kokonor in Amdo to central Tibet, where he undertook training with all the major
schools of Tibetan Buddhism. By the time he was 25 he had already gained a reputation as
a teacher and a writer.
Tsongkhapa established a monastery at Ganden, near Lhasa, where he refined his think-
ing, steering clear of political intrigue, and espousing doctrinal purity and monastic discip-
line. Although it seems unlikely that Tsongkhapa intended to found another school of
Buddhism, his teachings attracted many disciples, who found his return to the original
teachings of Atisha an exciting alternative to the politically tainted Sakyapa and Kagyupa
orders. Tsongkhapa's movement became known as the Gelugpa (Virtuous) order, which
today remains the dominant school in Tibet.
By the time of the third reincarnated head of the Gelugpa, Sonam Gyatso (1543-88), the
Mongols began to take a renewed interest in Tibet's new and increasingly powerful order.
In a move that mirrored the 13th-century Sakyapa entrance into the political arena, Sonam
