The ''Heart Sūtra'' (Sanskrit: प्रज्ञापारमिताहृदय ''''; Chinese: 般若波羅蜜多心經) is a Mahāyāna Buddhist sūtra. Its Sanskrit name '''' literally translates to "Heart of the Perfection of Transcendent Wisdom." The ''Heart Sūtra'' is often cited as the best known and most popular of all Buddhist scriptures. The core teaching is merely the remphasis of sunyata / dependent origination as the cardinal doctrine of Buddhism.

Introduction

The Heart Sūtra is a member of the Perfection of Wisdom (Prajñāpāramitā) group of Mahāyāna Buddhist literature, and along with the ''Diamond Sūtra'', is perhaps the most prominent representative of the genre.

The Heart Sūtra is made up of 14 ''shlokas'' in Sanskrit; a ''shloka'' is composed of 32 syllables. In Chinese, it is 260 Chinese characters, while in English it is composed of sixteen sentences. This makes it one of the shortest of the Perfection of Wisdom texts, which exist in various lengths up to 100,000 shlokas. According to Buddhist scholar and author Geshe Kelsang Gyatso in his commentary to the ''Heart Sūtra'':

The ''Essence of Wisdom Sutra'' (''Heart Sūtra'') is much shorter than the other Perfection of Wisdom sūtras but it contains explicitly or implicitly the entire meaning of the longer Sutras.

This sutra is classified by Edward Conze as belonging to the third of four periods in the development of the Perfection of Wisdom canon, although because it contains a ''mantra'' (sometimes called a ''dharani''), it does overlap with the final, tantric phase of development according to this scheme, and is included in the tantra section of at least some editions of the Kangyur. Conze estimates the sutra's date of origin to be 350 CE; some others consider it to be two centuries older than that. Recent scholarship is unable to verify any date earlier than the 7th century CE.

The Chinese version is frequently chanted (in the local pronunciation) by the Chan (Zen/Seon/Thiền) sects during ceremonies in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam respectively. It is also significant to the Shingon Buddhist school in Japan, whose founder Kūkai wrote a commentary on it, and to the various Tibetan Buddhist schools, where it is studied extensively.

The sūtra is in a small class of sūtras not attributed to the Buddha. In some versions of the text, starting with that of Fayue dating to about 735, the Buddha confirms and praises the words of Avalokiteśvara, although this is not included in the preeminent Chinese version translated by Xuanzang. The Tibetan canon uses the longer version, although Tibetan translations without the framing text have been found at Dunhuang. The Chinese Buddhist canon includes both long and short versions, and both versions exist in Sanskrit.

Origin and early translations

The ''Heart Sūtra'', it is generally thought, is likely to have been composed in the 1st century CE in Kushan Empire territory, by a Sarvastivadin or ex-Sarvastivadin monk. The earliest record of a copy of the sūtra is a 200-250CE Chinese version attributed to the Yuezhi monk Zhi Qian. It was supposedly translated again by Kumarajiva around 400CE, although John McRae and Jan Nattier have argued that this translation was created by someone else, much later, based on Kumarajiva's ''Large Sūtra''. Zhi Qian's version, if it ever existed, was lost before the time of Xuanzang, who produced his own version in 649CE, which closely matches the one attributed to Kumarajiva. Xuanzang's version is the first record of the title "Heart Sūtra" (心經 ''xīnjīng'') being used for the text, and Fukui Fumimasa has argued that ''xinjing'' actually means ''dharani scripture''. According to Huili's biography, Xuanzang learned the sutra from an inhabitant of Sichuan, and subsequently chanted it during times of danger in his journey to the West.

However, based on textual patterns in the Sanskrit and Chinese versions of the ''Heart Sūtra'' and the ''Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra'', scholar Jan Nattier has suggested that the earliest (shortest) version of the Heart Sūtra was probably first composed in China in the Chinese language from a mixture of Indian-derived material and new composition, and that this assemblage was later translated into Sanskrit (or back-translated, in the case of most of the sūtra). She argues that the majority of the text was redacted from the ''Larger Sutra on the Perfection of Wisdom'', which had originated with a Sanskrit Indian original, but that the "framing" passages (the introduction and concluding passages) were new compositions in Chinese by a Chinese author, and that the text was intended as a dharani rather than a sūtra. The Chinese version of the core (i.e. the short version) of the Heart Sūtra matches a passage from the ''Large Sutra'' almost exactly, character by character; but the corresponding Sanskrit texts, while agreeing in meaning, differ in virtually every word. Furthermore, Nattier argues that there is no evidence (such as a commentary would be) of a Sanskrit version before the 8th century CE, and she dates the first evidence (in the form of commentaries by Xuanzang's disciples Kuiji and Wonch'uk, and Dunhuang manuscripts) of Chinese versions to the 7th century CE. She considers attributions to earlier dates "extremely problematic". In any case, the corroborating evidence supports a Chinese version at least a century before a Sanskrit version. This theory has gained support amongst some other prominent scholars of Buddhism, but is by no means universally accepted.

Title

The Zhi Qian version is titled ''Po-jo po-lo-mi shen-chou i chuan'' or ''Prajnaparamita Dharani''; the Kumarajiva version is titled ''Mo-ho po-jo po-lo-mi shen-chou i chuan'' or ''Maha Prajnaparamita Mahavidya Dharani''. Xuanzang's was the first version to use ''Hrdaya'' or "Heart" in the title.

Despite the common name ''Heart Sūtra'', the word ''sūtra'' is not present in known Sanskrit manuscripts. Xuanzang's was also the first version to call the text a ''sutra''. No extant Sanskrit copies use this word, though it has become standard usage in Chinese and Tibetan, as well as English.

Some citations of Zhi Qian's and Kumarajiva's versions prepend ''moho'' (which would be ''maha'' in Sanskrit) to the title. Some Tibetan editions add ''bhagavatī'', meaning "Victorious One" or "Conqueror", an epithet of ''Prajnaparamita'' as goddess.

In the Tibetan text the title is given first in Sanskrit and then in Tibetan: Sanskrit: ''''

English: ''Bhagavatī Heart of Perfect Wisdom''

The text

Various commentators divide this text in different numbers of sections. Briefly, the sutra describes the experience of liberation of the bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokiteśvara, as a result of insight gained while engaged in deep meditation to awaken the faculty of prajña (wisdom). The insight refers to the fundamental emptiness of all phenomena, the five aggregates of human existence (skandhas): form (rūpa), feeling (vedanā), volitions (samskārā), perceptions (), and consciousness (vijñāna).

The specific sequence of concepts listed in lines 12-20 ("...in emptiness there is no form, no sensation, ... no attainment and no non-attainment") is the same sequence used in the Sarvastivadin ''Samyukta Agama''; this sequence differs in the texts of other sects. On this basis, Red Pine has argued that the ''Heart Sūtra'' is specifically a response to Sarvastivada teachings that dharmas are real. Lines 12-13 enumerate the five skandhas. Lines 14-15 list the twelve ayatanas or abodes. Line 16 makes a reference to the eighteen ''dhatus'' or elements of consciousness, using a conventional shorthand of naming only the first (eye) and last (conceptual consciousness) of the elements. Lines 17-18 assert the emptiness of the Twelve Nidānas, the traditional twelve links of dependent origination. Line 19 refers to the Four Noble Truths.

Avalokiteśvara addresses Śariputra, who was, according to the scriptures and texts of the Sarvastivada and other early Buddhist schools, the promulgator of abhidharma, having been singled out by the Buddha to receive those teachings. Avalokiteśvara famously states that, "Matter is empty, emptiness is matter." and declares the skandhas ''themselves'' to be dependently originated (i.e. empty). Avalokiteśvara then goes through some of the most fundamental Buddhist teachings such as the Four Noble Truths and explains that in emptiness none of these notions apply. This is interpreted according to the concept of smaran as saying that teachings, while accurate descriptions of conventional truth, are mere statements about reality – they are not reality itself – and that they are therefore not applicable to the ultimate truth that is by definition beyond our comprehending. Thus the bodhisattva, as the archetypal Mahāyāna Buddhist, relies on the perfection of wisdom, defined in the larger Perfection of Wisdom sutra to be the wisdom that perceives reality directly without conceptual attachment. This perfection of wisdom is condensed in the mantra with which the sutra concludes.

It is unusual for Avalokiteśvara to be in the central role in a Prajñāpāramitā text. Early Prajñāpāramitā texts involve Subhuti, who is absent from both versions of the ''Heart Sūtra'', and the Buddha who is only present in the longer version. This could be considered evidence that the text is Chinese in origin.

==Mantra== Jan Nattier points out in her article on the origins of the Heart Sūtra that this mantra in several variations is present in the Chinese associated with several different Prajñāpāramitā texts. The version in the Heart Sūtra runs:

Sanskrit IAST: ''''

Sanskrit Devanāgarī: गते गते पारगते पारसंगते बोधि स्वाहा

Sanskrit IPA:

Chinese: 揭諦揭諦 波羅揭諦 波羅僧揭諦 菩提娑婆訶

Korean: 아제아제 바라아제 바라승아제 모지사바하

Malayalam: ഗതി ഗതി പരഗതി പരസംഗതി ബോദ്ധി സ്വാഹാ

Tamil: கதி கதி பரகதி பரஸம்கதி பொதி ஸ்வாஹா

Bengali: গথি গথি পারাগাথী পারাসাম্গাথী বোধি স্ভআহা

Thai: คเต คเต ปารคเต ปารสงฺคเต โพธิ สวาหา (คะเต คะเต ปาระคะเต ปาระสังคะเต โพธิ สะวาหา)

Chinese exegesis

In the traditions of Chinese Buddhism in the Sinosphere, it is said that the Indian masters who came to China to translate Sanskrit texts never translated mantras into Chinese because they knew this could not be done. They also held that it was impossible to explain the esoteric meanings of the mantras in words. It is said that when a devotee succeeds in realizing singleness of mind (''samādhi'') by repeating a mantra, then its profound meaning will be clearly revealed to him or her.

Tibetan exegesis

Each Buddhist tradition with an interest in the Heart Sūtra seems to have its own interpretation of the sūtra, and therefore of the mantra. As Alex Wayman commented:

One feature of these commentaries [in Tibetan] on the ''Heart Sūtra'' struck me quite forcibly: each commentary seemed so different to the others, and yet they all seemed to show in greater or lesser degree the influence of the Mādhyamika school of Buddhist philosophy.

Donald Lopez goes further to suggest:

The question still remains of the exact function of the mantra within the sutra, because the sutra provides no such explanation and the sadhanas make only perfunctory references to the mantra.

Tibetan exegesis of the mantra tends to look back on it from a Tantric point of view. For instance seeing it as representing progressive steps along the five paths of the Bodhisattva, through the two preparatory stages (the path of accumulation and preparation – ''gate, gate''), through the first part of the first bhumi (path of insight – ''pāragate''), through the second part of the first to the tenth bhumi (path of meditation – ''Pārasamgate''), and to the eleventh bhumi (stage of no more learning – ''bodhi svāhā''). As Geshe Kelsang Gyatso explains in ''Heart of Wisdom'':

This mantra, retained in the original Sanskrit, explains in very condensed form the practice of the five Mahayana paths, which we attain and complete in dependence upon the perfection of wisdom.

The current Dalai Lama explains the mantra in a discourse on the Heart Sutra both as an instruction for practice and as a device for measuring one's own level of spiritual attainment, and translates it as'' go, go, go beyond, go thoroughly beyond, and establish yourself in enlightenment''. In the discourse, he gives a similar explanation to the four stages (the four ''go'''s) as in the previous paragraph.

Translation

Edward Conze attempted to render the mantra into English as: "gone gone, gone beyond, gone altogether beyond, O what an awakening, all hail!" There are several approaches to translating the mantra, most of which assume that the mantra obeys the rules of Classical Sanskrit. However, the string of words resists analysis and, like most mantras, is not a grammatical sentence.

Recordings

The ''Heart Sūtra'' has been set to music a number of times. Many singers solo this sutra. The Buddhist Audio Visual Production Centre (佛教視聽製作中心) produced an album of recordings of the ''Heart Sūtra'' in 1995 featuring a number of Hong Kong pop singers, including Alan Tam, Anita Mui and Faye Wong and composer by Andrew Lam Man Chung (林敏聰) to raise money to rebuild the Chi Lin Nunnery. Other Hong Kong pop singers, such as the Four Heavenly Kings sang the ''Heart Sūtra'' to raise money for relief efforts related to the 1999 Chichi earthquake. Shaolin Monk Shifu Shi Yan Ming also recites the Sutra at the end of the song "Life Changes" by the Wu-Tang Clan, in remembrance of the deceased member ODB. The outro of the b-side song Ghetto Defendant by the British first wave punk band The Clash also features the heart sutra, recited by American beat poet Allen Ginsberg. A slightly edited version is used as the lyrics for Yoshimitsu's theme in the PlayStation 2 game Tekken Tag Tournament.

See also

Avalokiteśvara

Prajñāpāramitā

Mahāyāna sutras

Notes

References

Buswell, Robert E. (ed). ''Encyclopedia of Buddhism'' (2003) MacMillan Reference Books. ISBN 0-02-865718-7

Conze, Edward. ''Buddhist Wisdom Books: Containing the "Diamond Sutra" and the "Heart Sutra"'' (New edition). Thorsons, 1975. ISBN 0-04-294090-7

Conze, Edward. ''Prajnaparamita Literature'' (2000) Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers ISBN 81-215-0992-0 (originally published 1960 by Mouton & Co.)

Fukui Fumimasa 福井 文雅 (1987) (in Japanese). Hannya shingyo no rekishiteki kenkyu 般若心経の歴史的研究. 東京: Shunjusha 春秋社. ISBN 4-393-11128-1

Lopez, Donald S., Jr. ''The Heart Sutra Explained: Indian and Tibetan Commentaries'' (1988) State Univ of New York Pr. ISBN 0-88706-589-9

Luk, Charles. ''The Secrets of Chinese Meditation'' (1991) Samuel Weiser. ISBN 978-0877280668

Nattier, Jan. 'The Heart Sūtra: A Chinese Apocryphal Text?'. ''Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies'' Vol. 15 (2) 1992. p. 153-223.

Pine, Red. ''The Heart Sutra: The Womb of the Buddhas'' (2004) Shoemaker 7 Hoard. ISBN 1-59376-009-4

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. ''Heart of Wisdom: An Explanation of the'' Heart Sutra, Tharpa Publications (4th. ed., 2001) ISBN 978-0-948006-77-7

Wayman, Alex. 'Secret of the Heart Sutra.' in ''Buddhist insight: essays'' Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1990. pp. 307–326. ISBN 81-208-0675-1.

Further reading

Geshe Sonam Rinchen. ''Heart Sutra: An Oral Commentary'' Snow Lion Publications http://www.snowlionpub.com/html/product_6838.html

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. ''Heart of Wisdom'': An Explanation of the ''Heart Sutra'', Tharpa Publications (4th. ed., 2001) ISBN 978-0-948006-77-7

The Dalai Lama (2005). ''Essence of the Heart Sutra:The Dalai Lama's Heart of Wisdom Teachings.'' Boston Massachusetts: Wisdom Publications. ISBN 978-0-86171-284-7

External links

Translations

From the Chinese translation by Xuanzang (T08n251). From the Chinese translation by Prajñā (T08n253). From the Chinese translation by Tang master Hsüan-Tsang From the Tibetan text.

Discourses

A YouTube video of a 47-minute discourse by Hsing Yun

Dr. Yutang Lin: The Unification of Wisdom and Compassion

Category:Mahayana sutras Category:Vaipulya sutras

bo:རིན་ཆེན་སྡེ་ cs:Sútra srdce de:Herz-Sutra es:Sutra del Corazón fr:Sūtra du Cœur gan:心經 ko:반야심경 hi:हृदय सूत्र id:Sutra Hati it:Sutra del Cuore ka:გულის სუტრა la:Orsa Cordis ms:Sutra Hati nl:Hartsoetra ja:般若心経 no:Hjertesutraen pl:Sutra Serca pt:Sutra do Coração ru:Сутра сердца tr:Kalp Sutra uk:Сутра Серця vi:Bát-nhã-ba-la-mật-đa tâm kinh zh-yue:心經 zh:摩訶般若波羅蜜多心經

Imee Ooi (pronounce as English "E-ME WOO --E" (connected) - Ch: 黃慧音, pinyin: Huáng Huìyīn, which means HUANG-Yellow - HUI-Wisdom - YIN-Sound/Music, being her original name by birth) is a Malaysian music producer, composer, arranger and vocalist who brings traditional Buddhist chants, mantras and dharanis (typically from the Sanskrit, Pali, Tibetan or Mandarin languages) into sung versions with accompanying musical scores. She also is a classical pianist by training.

Ooi is the musical director and composer of two highly-acclaimed stage musicals; ''Siddhartha'' and ''Above Full Moon'', and is currently working on a musical entitled ''Jewel of Tibet''. The musical is set during the Tang Dynasty and is about a Tang princess who marries a Tibetan king and how she brings Buddhism to Tibet.

Imee Ooi established I.M.M Musicworks in 1997, and to date has released over 20 albums.

Discography

''Jayamangalagatha Mantra''

''The Chant of Metta''

''Great Compassionate Mantra''

''Mantra of Guanyin''

''Mantras of the Sanskrit''

''Namo Amitabha (Mandarin)''

''Diamond Sutra (Mandarin)''

''Arya Ekdasa-Mukha Dharani''

''Medicine Buddha Dharani''

''Amitabha (Mandarin)''

''Usnisa Vijaya Dharani Sutra''

''Karaniya Metta Sutta''

''Ratana Sutta, Discourse of the Jewels''

''The Wisdom of Manjusri Bodhisattva''

''Series of 10 Short Mantras, Volume 1''

''Series of 10 Short Mantras, Volume 2''

''Series of 10 Short Mantras, Volume 3''

''Series of 10 Short Mantras, Volume 4''

''Tisarana''

''Heart Sutra''

''Om Mani Padme Hum''

''Green Tara Mantra''

''The Mantra of Guru Rinpoche''

''Chants from Heart to Heart''

References

Meet Imee the mantra musician

I.M.M. Music Works

An interview by 劉潔芬 in Chinese: 俗世慧音

Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:Malaysian Buddhists Category:Malaysian Chinese people Category:Malaysian female singers Category:Malaysian musicians Category:Performers of Buddhist music

es:Imee Ooi

reign	1391–2005
native lang1	Tibetan
native lang1 name1
native lang2	Wylie transliteration
native lang2 name1	taa la'i bla ma
native lang3	Pronunciation
native lang3 name1
native lang5	THDL
native lang5 name1	Dalai Lama
native lang8	Pinyin Chinese
native lang8 name1	Dálài Lǎmā
royal house	Dalai Lama / Takla
royal anthem	}}

The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word ''dalai'' meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word བླ་མ ་''bla-ma'' (with a silent "b") meaning "teacher". According to the current Dalai Lama, the Tibetan word "lama" corresponds precisely to the better known Indian word "guru".

In religious terms, the Dalai Lama is believed by his devotees to be the rebirth of a long line of tulkus who are considered to be manifestations of the bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokiteśvara. Traditionally, the Dalai Lama is thought of as the latest reincarnation of a series of spiritual leaders who have chosen to be reborn in order to enlighten others. The Dalai Lama is often thought to be the leader of the Gelug School, but this position belongs officially to the Ganden Tripa, which is a temporary position appointed by the Dalai Lama who, in practice, exerts much influence.

For certain periods of time between the 17th century and 1959, the Dalai Lamas sometimes directed the Tibetan government, which administered portions of Tibet from Lhasa. The 14th Dalai Lama remained the head of state for the Central Tibetan Administration ("Tibetan government in exile") until his retirement on March 14, 2011. He has indicated that the institution of the Dalai Lama may be abolished in the future, and also that the next Dalai Lama may be found outside Tibet and may be female.

The origin of the title of ''Dalai Lama''

In 1578 the Mongol ruler Altan Khan bestowed the title ''Dalai Lama'' on Sonam Gyatso. The title was later applied retrospectively to the two predecessors in his reincarnation line, Gendun Drup and Gendun Gyatso. Gendun Gyatso was also Sonam Gyatso's predecessor as abbot of Drepung monastery. However, the 14th Dalai Lama asserts that Altan Khan did not intend to bestow a title as such and that he intended only to translate the name "Sonam Gyatso" into Mongolian.

. . . many writers have mistranslated ''Dalai Lama'' as "Ocean of Wisdom". The full Mongolian title, "the wonderful Vajradhara, good splendid meritorious ocean", given by Altan Khan, is primarily a translation of the Tibetan words ''Sonam Gyatso'' (''sonam'' is "merit").

The 14th Dalai Lama commented:

The very name of each Dalai Lama from the Second Dalai Lama onwards had the word Gyatso [in it], which means "ocean" in Tibetan. Even now I am Tenzin Gyatso, so the first name is changing but the second part [the word "ocean"] became like part of each Dalai Lama's name. All of the Dalai Lamas, since the Second, have this name. So I don't really agree that the Mongols actually conferred a title. It was just a translation.

Whatever the intention may have been originally, the Mongolian "Dalai", which does not have any meaning as a Tibetan term, came to be understood commonly as a title.

The name or title ''Dalai Lama'' in Mongolian may also have derived originally from the title taken by Temüjin or Genghis Khan when he was proclaimed emperor of a united Mongolia during 1206. Temüjin took the name Čingis Qāghan or "oceanic sovereign", the anglicized version of which is Genghis Khan.

Tibetans address the Dalai Lama as ''Gyalwa Rinpoche'' ("Precious Victor"), ''Kundun'' ("Presence"), ''Yishin Norbu'' ("Wish fulfilling Gem") and so on.

Sonam Gyatso was an abbot at the Drepung Monastery who was considered widely as one of the most eminent lamas of his time. Although Sonam Gyatso became the first lama to have the title "Dalai Lama" as described above, since he was the third member of his lineage, he became known as the "Third Dalai Lama". The previous two titles were conferred posthumously upon his supposed earlier incarnations.

Yonten Gyatso (1589–1616), the 4th Dalai Lama, and a non-Tibetan, was the grandson of Altan Khan.

The tulku tradition of the Dalai Lama has evolved into, and been inaugurated as, an institution:

"The institution of the Dalai Lama has become, over the centuries, a central focus of Tibetan cultural identity; "a symbolic embodiment of the Tibetan national character." Today, the Dalai Lama and the office of the Dalai Lama have become focal points in their struggle towards independence and, more urgently, cultural survival. The Dalai Lama is regarded as the principal incarnation of Chenrezig (referred to as Avalokiteshvara in India), the bodhisattva of compassion and patron deity of Tibet. In that role the Dalai Lama has chosen to use peace and compassion in his treatment of his own people and his oppressors. In this sense the Dalai Lama is the embodiment of an ideal of Tibetan values and a cornerstone of Tibetan identity and culture."

Verhaegen mentions the trans-polity influence that the Institution of the Dalai Lama has had historically in areas such as western China, Mongolia, Ladakh in addition to the other Himalayan Kingdoms:

"The Dalai Lamas have also functioned as the principal spiritual guide to many Himalayan kingdoms bordering Tibet, as well as western China, Mongolia and Ladakh. The literary works of the Dalai Lamas have, over the centuries, inspired more than fifty million people in these regions. Those writings, reflecting the fusion of Buddhist philosophy embodied in Tibetan Buddhism, have become one of the world's great repositories of spiritual thought."

The current Dalai Lama is often called "His Holiness" (HH) by Westerners (by analogy with the Pope), although this does not translate to a Tibetan title.

Before the 20th century, European sources often referred to the Dalai Lama as the "Grand Lama". For example, in 1785 Benjamin Franklin Bache mocked George Washington by terming him the "Grand Lama of this Country". Some in the West believed the Dalai Lama to be worshipped by the Tibetans as the godhead.

History

During 1252, Kublai Khan granted an audience to Drogön Chögyal Phagpa and Karma Pakshi, the 2nd Karmapa. Karma Pakshi, however, sought the patronage of Möngke Khan. Before his death in 1283, Karma Pakshi wrote a will to protect the established interests of his sect by advising his disciples to locate a boy to inherit the black hat. His instruction was based on the premise that Buddhist ideology is eternal, and that Buddha would send emanations to complete the missions he had initiated. Karma Pakshi's disciples acted in accordance with the will and located the reincarnated boy of their master. The event was the beginning of the teacher reincarnation system for the Black-Hat Line of Tibetan Buddhism. During the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Yongle bestowed the title ''Great Treasure Prince of Dharma'', the first of the three ''Princes of Dharma'', upon the Black-Hat Karmapa. Various sects of Tibetan Buddhism responded to the teacher reincarnation system by creating similar lineages.

Unification of Tibet

In the 1630s, Tibet became entangled in power struggles between the rising Manchu and various Mongol and Oirat factions. Ligden Khan of the Chakhar, retreating from the Manchu, set out to Tibet to destroy the Yellow Hat sect. He died on the way in Koko Nur in 1634. His vassal Tsogt Taij continued the fight, even having his own son Arslan killed after Arslan changed sides. Tsogt Taij was defeated and killed by Güshi Khan of the Khoshud in 1637, who would in turn become the overlord of Tibet, and act as a "Protector of the Yellow Church." Güshi helped the Fifth Dalai Lama to establish himself as the highest spiritual and political authority in Tibet and destroyed any potential rivals. The time of the Fifth Dalai Lama was, however, also a period of rich cultural development.

The Fifth Dalai Lama's death was kept secret for fifteen years by the regent (), Sanggye Gyatso. This was apparently done so that the Potala Palace could be finished, and to prevent Tibet's neighbours taking advantage of an interregnum in the succession of the Dalai Lamas.

Tsangyang Gyatso, the Sixth Dalai Lama, was not enthroned until 1697. Tsangyang Gyatso enjoyed a lifestyle that included drinking, the company of women, and writing love songs. In 1705, Lobzang Khan of the Khoshud used the sixth Dalai Lama's escapades as excuse to take control of Tibet. The regent was murdered, and the Dalai Lama sent to Beijing. He died on the way, near Koko Nur, ostensibly from illness. Lobzang Khan appointed a new Dalai Lama who, however was not accepted by the Gelugpa school. Kelzang Gyatso was discovered near Koko Nur and became a rival candidate.

The Dzungars invaded Tibet in 1717, and deposed and killed Lobzang Khan's pretender to the position of Dalai Lama. This was widely approved. However, they soon began to loot the holy places of Lhasa, which brought a swift response from Emperor Kangxi in 1718; but his military expedition was annihilated by the Dzungars, not far from Lhasa.

A second, larger, expedition sent by Emperor Kangxi expelled the Dzungars from Tibet in 1720 and the troops were hailed as liberators. They brought Kelzang Gyatso with them from Kumbum to Lhasa and he was installed as the seventh Dalai Lama in 1721.

"After him [Jamphel Gyatso the VIIIth Dalai Lama (1758–1804)], the IXth and Xth Dalai Lamas died before attaining their majority: one of them is credibly stated to have been murdered and strong suspicion attaches to the other. The XIth and XIIth were each enthroned but died soon after being invested with power. For 113 years, therefore, supreme authority in Tibet was in the hands of a Lama Regent, except for about two years when a lay noble held office and for short periods of nominal rule by the XIth and XIIth Dalai Lamas. It has sometimes been suggested that this state of affairs was brought about by the Ambans—the Imperial Residents in Tibet—because it would be easier to control the Tibet through a Regent than when a Dalai Lama, with his absolute power, was at the head of the government. That is not true. The regular ebb and flow of events followed its set course. The Imperial Residents in Tibet, after the first flush of zeal in 1750, grew less and less interested and efficient. Tibet was, to them, exile from the urbanity and culture of Peking; and so far from dominating the Regents, the Ambans allowed themselves to be dominated. It was the ambition and greed for power of Tibetans that led to five successive Dalai Lamas being subjected to continuous tutelage."

Thubten Jigme Norbu, the elder brother of the present 14th Dalai Lama, describes these unfortunate events as follows:

"It is perhaps more than a coincidence that between the seventh and the thirteenth holders of that office, only one reached his majority. The eighth, Gyampal Gyatso, died when he was in his thirties, Lungtog Gyatso when he was eleven, Tsultrim Gyatso at eighteen, Khadrup Gyatso when he was eighteen also, and Krinla Gyatso at about the same age. The circumstances are such that it is very likely that some, if not all, were poisoned, either by loyal Tibetans for being Chinese-appointed impostors, or by the Chinese for not being properly manageable."

Thubten Gyatso, the 13th Dalai Lama, assumed ruling power from the monasteries, which previously had great influence on the Regent, during 1895. Due to his two periods of exile in 1904–1909, to escape the British invasion of 1904, and from 1910–1912 to escape a Chinese invasion, he became well aware of the complexities of international politics and was the first Dalai Lama to become aware of the importance of foreign relations. After his return from exile in India and Sikkim during January 1913, he assumed control of foreign relations and dealt directly with the Maharaja and the British Political officer in Sikkim and the king of Nepal rather than letting the Kashag or parliament do it.

Thubten Gyatso issued a Declaration of Independence for his kingdom in Central Tibet from China during the summer of 1912 and standardised a Tibetan flag, though no other sovereign state recognized the independence. He expelled the Ambans and all Chinese civilians in the country, and instituted many measures to modernise Tibet. These included provisions to curb excessive demands on peasants for provisions by the monasteries and tax evasion by the nobles, setting up an independent police force, the abolishment of the death penalty, extension of secular education, and the provision of electricity throughout the city of Lhasa in the 1920s. Thubten Gyatso died in 1933.

The 14th Dalai Lama was not formally enthroned until 17 November 1950, during the People's Republic of China invasion of the kingdom. Fearing for his life in the wake of a revolt in Tibet in 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama fled to India where he has led a government in exile since. In 2001, he ceded his absolute power over the government to an elected parliament of selected Tibetan exiles. He has advocated for full independence for Tibet, though a popular referendum in the 1990s demanded he seek autonomy instead. He is still seeking great autonomy from China, although he has threatened to go back to advocating independence if this strategy does not work.

Residence

Starting with the 5th Dalai Lama and until the 14th Dalai Lama's flight into exile during 1959, the Dalai Lamas spent the winter at the Potala Palace and the summer at the Norbulingka palace and park. Both are in Lhasa and approximately 3 km apart.

Following the failed 1959 Tibetan uprising, the 14th Dalai Lama sought refuge in India. The then Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, allowed in the Dalai Lama and his coterie of Tibetan government officials. The Dalai Lama has since lived in exile in Dharamsala, in the state of Himachal Pradesh in northern India, where the Central Tibetan Administration is also established. Tibetan refugees have constructed and opened many schools and Buddhist temples in Dharamsala.

Searching for the reincarnation

By the Himalayan tradition, phowa (Tibetan) is the discipline that transfers the mindstream to the intended body. Upon the death of the Dalai Lama and consultation with the Nechung Oracle, a search for the Lama's reincarnation, or ''yangsi'' (''yang srid''), is conducted. Traditionally it has been the responsibility of the High Lamas of the Gelugpa Tradition and the Tibetan government to find his reincarnation. The process can take around two or three years to identify the Dalai Lama, and for the 14th, Tenzin Gyatso it was four years before he was found. The search for the Dalai Lama has usually been limited historically to Tibet, although the third tulku was born in Mongolia. Tenzin Gyatso, though, has stated that he will not be reborn in the People's Republic of China. In his autobiography, ''Freedom In Exile'', he states that if Tibet is not free, he will reincarnate elsewhere''."

The High Lamas used several ways in which they can increase the chances of finding the reincarnation. High Lamas often visit the holy lake, called Lhamo La-tso, in central Tibet and watch for a sign from the lake itself. This may be either a vision or some indication of the direction in which to search and this was how Tenzin Gyatso was found. It is said that Palden Lhamo, the female guardian spirit of the sacred lake, Lhamo La-tso, promised Gendun Drup, the 1st Dalai Lama in one of his visions "that she would protect the reincarnation lineage of the Dalai Lamas." Ever since the time of Gendun Gyatso, the 2nd Dalai Lama, who formalised the system, the Regents and other monks have gone to the lake to seek guidance on choosing the next reincarnation through visions while meditating there.

The particular form of Palden Lhamo at Lhamo La-tso is Gyelmo Maksorma, "The Victorious One who Turns Back Enemies". The lake is sometimes referred to as "Pelden Lhamo Kalideva", which indicates that Palden Lhamo is an emanation of the goddess Kali, the shakti of the Hindu God Śhiva.

It was here that during 1935, the Regent, Reting Rinpoche, received a clear vision of three Tibetan letters and of a monastery with a jade-green and gold roof, and a house with turquoise roof tiles, which led to the discovery of Tenzin Gyatso, the present 14th Dalai Lama.

High Lamas may also have a vision by a dream or if the Dalai Lama was cremated, they will often monitor the direction of the smoke as an indication of the direction of the rebirth.

Once the High Lamas have found the home and the boy they believe to be the reincarnation, the boy undergoes a series of tests to affirm the rebirth. They present a number of artefacts, only some of which belonged to the previous Dalai Lama, and if the boy chooses the items which belonged to the previous Dalai Lama, this is seen as a sign, in conjunction with all of the other indications, that the boy is the reincarnation.

If there is only one boy found, the High Lamas will invite Living Buddhas of the three great monasteries together with secular clergy and monk officials, to confirm their findings and will then report to the Central Government through the Minister of Tibet. Later a group consisting of the three major servants of Dalai Lama, eminent officials and troops will collect the boy and his family and travel to Lhasa, where the boy would be taken, usually to Drepung Monastery to study the Buddhist sutra in preparation for assuming the role of spiritual leader of Tibet.

However, if there are several possibilities of the reincarnation, in the past regents and eminent officials and monks at the Jokhang in Lhasa, and the Minister to Tibet would decide on the individual by putting the boys' names inside an urn and drawing one lot in public if it was too difficult to judge the reincarnation initially.

List of Dalai Lamas

There have been 14 recognised reincarnations of the Dalai Lama: File:1stDalaiLama.jpg2nd Dalai Lama3rd Dalai Lama4th Dalai Lama5th Dalai Lama6th Dalai Lama7th Dalai Lama8th Dalai Lama9th Dalai Lama10th Dalai Lama11th Dalai Lama12th Dalai Lama13th Dalai Lama14th Dalai Lama

!! Name !! Picture !! Lifespan !! Recognised !! Enthronement !! Tibetan language	Tibetan/Wylie !! Tibetan pinyin/Chinese !! Alternative spellings
align="right"	1	1st Dalai Lama>Gendun Drup	60px ||	1391–1474	–	N/A	དགེ་འདུན་འགྲུབ་''dge 'dun 'grub''	Gêdün Chub根敦朱巴	Gedun DrubGedün DrupGendun Drup
align="right"	2	Gendun Gyatso ||	File:2Dalai.jpg>60px	1475–1542	–	N/A	དགེ་འདུན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་''dge 'dun rgya mtsho''	Gêdün Gyaco根敦嘉措	Gedün GyatsoGendün Gyatso
align="right"	3	Sonam Gyatso ||		1543–1588	?	1578	བསོད་ནམས་རྒྱ་མཚོ་''bsod nams rgya mtsho''	Soinam Gyaco索南嘉措	Sönam Gyatso
align="right"	4	Yonten Gyatso ||	File:4DalaiLama.jpg>60px	1589–1617	?	1603	ཡོན་ཏན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་''yon tan rgya mtsho''	Yoindain Gyaco雲丹嘉措	Yontan Gyatso, Yönden Gyatso
align="right"	5	Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso ||	File:NgawangLozangGyatso.jpg>60px	1617–1682	1618	1622	བློ་བཟང་རྒྱ་མཚོ་''blo bzang rgya mtsho''	Lobsang Gyaco羅桑嘉措	Lobzang GyatsoLopsang Gyatso
align="right"	6	Tsangyang Gyatso ||	File:6DalaiLama.jpg>60px	1683–1706	1688	1697	ཚངས་དབྱངས་རྒྱ་མཚོ་''tshang dbyangs rgya mtsho''	Cangyang Gyaco倉央嘉措
align="right"	7	Kelzang Gyatso ||	File:7DalaiLama.jpg>60px	1708–1757	?	1720	བསྐལ་བཟང་རྒྱ་མཚོ་''bskal bzang rgya mtsho''	Gaisang Gyaco格桑嘉措	Kelsang GyatsoKalsang Gyatso
align="right"	8	Jamphel Gyatso ||	File:8thDalaiLama.jpg>60px	1758–1804	1760	1762	བྱམས་སྤེལ་རྒྱ་མཚོ་''byams spel rgya mtsho''	Qambê Gyaco強白嘉措	Jampel GyatsoJampal Gyatso
align="right"	9	Lungtok Gyatso ||	File:9thDalaiLama.jpg>60px	1805–1815	1807	1808	ལུང་རྟོགས་རྒྱ་མཚོ་''lung rtogs rgya mtsho''	Lungdog Gyaco隆朵嘉措	Lungtog Gyatso
10	Tsultrim Gyatso ||	File:10thDalaiLama.jpg>60px	1816–1837	1822	1822	ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས་རྒྱ་མཚོ་''tshul khrim rgya mtsho''	Cüchim Gyaco楚臣嘉措	Tshültrim Gyatso
11	Khendrup Gyatso ||	File:11thDalaiLama1.jpg>60px	1838–1856	1841	1842	མཁས་གྲུབ་རྒྱ་མཚོ་''mkhas grub rgya mtsho''	Kaichub Gyaco凱珠嘉措	Kedrub Gyatso
12	Trinley Gyatso ||	File:12thDalai Lama.jpg>60px	1857–1875	1858	1860	འཕྲིན་ལས་རྒྱ་མཚོ་'''phrin las rgya mtsho''	Chinlai Gyaco成烈嘉措	Trinle Gyatso
13	Thubten Gyatso ||	File:BMR.86.1.23.3-O-1- cropped.jpg>60px	1876–1933	1878	1879	ཐུབ་བསྟན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་''thub bstan rgya mtsho''	Tubdain Gyaco土登嘉措	Thubtan GyatsoThupten Gyatso
14	Tenzin Gyatso ||	File:Tenzin Gyatzo foto 1.jpg>60px	born 1935	1937	1950(currently in exile)	བསྟན་འཛིན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་''bstan 'dzin rgya mtsho''	Dainzin Gyaco丹增嘉措	Tenzing Gyatso

There has also been one nonrecognised Dalai Lama, Ngawang Yeshey Gyatso, declared 28 June 1707, when he was 25 years old, by Lha-bzang Khan as the "true" 6th Dalai Lama – however, he was never accepted as such by the majority of the population.

Future of the position

"In the mid-1970s Tenzin Gyatso, The Fourteenth Dalai Lama, told a Polish newspaper that he thought he would be the last Dalai Lama. In a later interview published in the English language press he stated "The Dalai Lama office was an institution created to benefit others. It is possible that it will soon have outlived its usefulness." These statements caused a furor amongst Tibetans in India. Many could not believe that such an option could even be considered. It was further felt that it was not the Dalai Lama's decision to reincarnate. Rather, they felt that since the Dalai Lama is a national institution it was up to the people of Tibet to decide whether or not (sic) the Dalai Lama should reincarnate."

The government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) has claimed the power to approve the naming of "high" reincarnations in Tibet, based on a precedent set by the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. The Qianlong Emperor instituted a system of selecting the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama by a lottery that used a golden urn with names wrapped in clumps of barley. This method was used a few times for both positions during the 19th century, but eventually fell into disuse. In 1995, the Dalai Lama chose to proceed with the selection of the 11th reincarnation of the Panchen Lama without the use of the Golden Urn, while the Chinese government insisted that it must be used. This has led to two rival Panchen Lamas: Gyaincain Norbu as chosen by the Chinese government's process, and Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as chosen by the Dalai Lama.

During September 2007 the Chinese government said all high monks must be approved by the government, which would include the selection of the 15th Dalai Lama after the death of Tenzin Gyatso. Since by tradition, the Panchen Lama must approve the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, that is another possible method of control.

In response to this scenario, Tashi Wangdi, the representative of the 14th Dalai Lama, replied that the Chinese government's selection would be meaningless. "You can't impose an Imam, an Archbishop, saints, any religion...you can't politically impose these things on people," said Wangdi. "It has to be a decision of the followers of that tradition. The Chinese can use their political power: force. Again, it's meaningless. Like their Panchen Lama. And they can't keep their Panchen Lama in Tibet. They tried to bring him to his monastery many times but people would not see him. How can you have a religious leader like that?"

The Dalai Lama said as early as 1969 that it was for the Tibetans to decide whether the institution of the Dalai Lama "should continue or not". He has given reference to a possible vote occurring in the future for all Tibetan Buddhists to decide whether they wish to recognize his rebirth. In response to the possibility that the PRC may attempt to choose his successor, the Dalai Lama has said he will not be reborn in a country controlled by the People's Republic of China or any other country which is not free. According to Robert D. Kaplan, this could mean that "the next Dalai Lama might come from the Tibetan cultural belt that stretches across northern India, Nepal, and Bhutan, presumably making him even more pro-Indian and anti-Chinese".

See also

Engaged Spirituality

Tibet Autonomous Region

Notes and references

Bibliography

Dowman, Keith. (1988). ''The Power-Places of Central Tibet: The Pilgrim's Guide''. Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd., London. ISBN 0-7102-1370-0 (pbk).

Laird, Thomas (2006). ''The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama''. Grove Press, New York. ISBN 978-0-8021-827-1.

Richardson, Hugh E. (1984). ''Tibet and its History''. Second Edition, Revised and Updated. Shambhala. Boston & London. ISBN 0-87773-376-7 (pbk)

Murray Silver, "When Elvis Meets the Dalai Lama," (Bonaventure Books, Savannah, 2005).

Norbu, Thubten Jigme and Turnbull, Colin M. (1968). ''Tibet: An account of the history, the religion and the people of Tibet''. Reprint: Touchstone Books. New York. ISBN 0-671-20559-5.

Schulemann, Guenther: ''Geschichte der Dalai-Lamas'', Harrassowitz, Leipzig, 1958.

Sheel, R. N. Rahul. "The Institution of the Dalai Lama." ''The Tibet Journal'', Vol. XIV No. 3. Autumn 1989.

Stein, R. A. (1972). ''Tibetan Civilization''. Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-0806-1 (cloth); ISBN 0-8047-0901-7 (paper).

Diki Tsering, edited & introduced by Khedroob Thondop. (2000). ''Dalai Lama, My Son: A Mother's Story''. Virgin Publishing Company, London. ISBN 0-7535-0571-1.

Verhaegen, Ardy (2002). ''The Dalai Lamas: The Institution and Its History''. Emerging Perceptions in Buddhist Studies, no. 15. New Delhi, India: D. K. Printworld (P) Ltd. ISBN 81-246-0202-6.

Yá Hánzhāng 牙含章: ''The Biographies of the Dalai Lamas'' (''Dálài Lǎmá chuán'' 达赖喇嘛传; Beijing, Foreign Languages Press 1993); ISBN 7-119-01267-3.

Further reading

Goodman, Michael H. (1986). ''The Last Dalai Lama''. Shambhala Publications. Boston, MA.

Mullin, Glenn H. (2001). ''The Fourteen Dalai Lamas: A Sacred Legacy of Reincarnation''. Clear Light Publishers. Santa Fe, NM. ISBN 1-57416-092-3.

Dalai Lama. (1991) ''Freedom in Exile: The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama.'' San Fransisco, CA.

External links

The official site of the Dalai Lama

Interview with 14th Dalai Lama Discussing His Reincarnation

Additional Information on the Dalai Lama

* Category:Gelug Buddhists Category:Lamas Category:Lhasa Category:Politics of Tibet Category:Tulkus Category:Tibetan Buddhist titles Category:Buddhist religious leaders Category:Deified people

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