Karma Phuntsok Namgyal
Karma Phuntsok Namgyal (Kar ma p'un ts'ogs rnam rgyal) (1587-1620) was a king of Tibet who ruled from 1618 to 1620. He belonged to the Tsangpa Dynasty that held power in Tsang (West Central Tibet) since 1565, and was the foremost secular power in Tibet until 1642.
Family
The family background of Karma Phuntsok Namgyal is somewhat unclear. According to a religious biography, he was the son of Karma Thutob Namgyal, ruler of Upper Tsang, and a lady from Yargyab. Other sources make him the son of either of the rulers Karma Tseten or Karma Tensung.[1] The law code issued by his son Karma Tenkyong Wangpo vaguely says that Karma Thutob Namgyal and his brothers had Karma Phuntsok Namgyal as their son, perhaps suggesting the Tibetan practice of polyandry.[2] According to some texts his uncle Karma Tensung passed away in 1611. However, other sources mention his as a Tsangpa leader by 1603.[3] As such he would have directed the military attacks into Ü (East Central Tibet) in 1604-05. According to another source his first major feat was an incident in 1607 when he led his troops in an attack that dispersed a Mongol troop that had been called in by the lord of Kyishod near Lhasa.[4] At his accession he held control over the entire Tsang, Toh (western Tibet) and some parts of Ü.[5] In 1612-13 he subjugated large fresh territories, and his writ ran from Chang in Gyaru to Nyangtod, Lotod and Ü. The new acquisitions were nevertheless far from secured, and he had to take up arms from time to time.[6]
Fighting the Gelugpa
Like his predecessors Karma Phuntsok Namgyal was a staunch supporter of the Karmapa sect of Buddhism. This made him oppose the authority of the Gelugpa sect, headed by the Fourth Dalai Lama Yonten Gyatso (1589-1616) and the Fourth Panchen Lama Lozang Chokyi (1570-1663). After a tour in southern Tibet, Karma Phuntsok Namgyal arrived to Lhasa and sent his secretary to ask the Dalai Lama for a religious audience. However, the entourage of Yonten Gyatso declined the request on the pretext that their spiritual lord was in deed medittaion and could not be disturbed. Karma Phuntsok Namgyal was deeply offended.[7] In December 1614 he gathered all the governors and religious hierarchs in Tsang to a meeting at Samdrubtse (Shigatse). He pushed the participants into accepting the head of the Black Hat line of the Karmapa, Choyin Dorje, as the desi (ruler). This step strengthened Tsangpa authority since real power was in their hands.[8] Two years later the Dalai Lama passed away. His supporters in Ü joined forces with the Mongol cavalrymen who had formed the escort of Yonten Gyatso. The pro-Gelugpa troops attacked the Tsangpa soldiers who were pushed back to Jangtanggang and Chakpori. An agreement was reached whereby the leading position of the Gelugpa in the Lhasa valley was confirmed. Karma Phuntsok Namgyal returned the Ganden, Sera and Drepung monasteries.[9]
Conquest of Central Tibet
The peace was soon broken. In 1618, before a new reincarnation of the Dalai Lama had been found, a host of Chokhur Mongols who had come to Ü on pilgrimage raided cattle belonging to the Tsangpa. Karma Phuntsok Namgyal invaded Ü in retaliation. At first the Mongol and Ü forces were successful, but in the end the Tsangpa troops were completely victorious. Monks from Drepung and Sera tried to resist but suffered great losses. Several Gelugpa monasteries in Ü were forced to convert to the Karmapa brand of Buddhism.[10] The Tsangpa ruler was known as cakravartin, world ruler, by virtue of his strength.[11] By this time, the Tsangpa ruler may be termed king of Tibet, although he was never able to overcome his enemies completely. According to a story, the Panchen Lama, although an enemy of the dynasty, was invited to treat Karma Phuntsok Namgyal from an illness. As a reward the ruler lifted the ban to search for the reincarnation of Yonten Gyatso.[12] The boy was eventually found in 1619 and installed as Lobzang Gyatso, the Fifth Dalai Lama (1617-82). Shortly after this, Karma Phuntsok Namgyal passed away. His date of death is given variously as 1620, 1621, 1623 or 1632. He was succeeded by his son Karma Tenkyong Wangpo, the last king of the Tsangpa Dynasty.
References
- ^ Tsepon W.D. Shakabpa, One Hundred Thousand Moons, Leiden 2009, p. 283.
- ^ Giuseppe Tucci, Tibetan Painted Scrolls, Rome 1949, p. 697.
- ^ Hugh E. Richardson, Tibet and its History, Boston & London 1984, Appendix, chronological table, p. 307.
- ^ Giuseppe Tucci, 1949, p. 698.
- ^ Tsepon W.D. Shakabpa, Tibet. A Political History, Yale 1967, pp. 90, 98.
- ^ Giuseppe Tucci, 1949, p. 698.
- ^ Tsepon W.D. Shakabpa, 1967, p. 99.
- ^ Ya Hanzhang, Biographies of the Tibetan Spiritual Leaders Panchen Erdenis, Beijing 1994, p. 30.
- ^ Ya Hanzhang, 1994, pp. 31-32.
- ^ Tsepon W.D. Shakabpa, 2009, pp. 327-28.
- ^ Giuseppe Tucci, 1949, p. 698.
- ^ Ya Hanzhang, 1994, p. 33.