In the brutal history of Tibet, Cangyang Gyatso is by no means the only Dalai Lama who died on the plateau at a young age.
The 9th Dalai Lama Londo Gyatso died at the age of 11, the 10th Dalai Lama Chuchen Gyatso died at the age of 22, and the 11th Dalai Lama Kaizhu Gyatso died at the age of 18...
These living Buddhas, who are also known as the Dalai Lama, died even younger than Cangyang Gyatso, but in the long history of the monk, people will only sigh for this lover monk.
Do not abide by the precepts, wander the city, although he is a living Buddha, but he is more in love poetry, and the phrase "the world is safe and complete, and it does not live up to the Qing" has become the white moonlight in the hearts of countless obsessive men and women in later generations.
Compared with the name of the Dalai Lama, it is always his poetry that makes posterity remember Cangyang Gyatso.
Cangyang Gyatso yearns for freedom, he should be a bird soaring in the world, but when the golden wire cage is trapped, his heaven and earth are only left.
As an outlier in the history of Tibetan Buddhism, Cangyang Gyatso, who was once a living Buddha, failed to own a spiritual pagoda in the Potala Palace, and the status of the dignitary Dalai Lama was almost stripped by the Qing court.
When a lover enters Tibet in an eventful autumn, his end is already predetermined at that time.
eventful period
Cangyang Gyatso was born at the right time and at the wrong time.
In terms of timing, his previous life, the fifth Dalai Lama, Lobsang Gyatso, made an excellent start for him.
The Fifth Dalai Lama is also a well-known figure in the history of Tibetan Buddhism, this Dalai Lama can be called an all-rounder, proficient in Sanskrit, poetics, calendars, medicine and other studies, and has only preserved 30 collections in his lifetime, the largest number of all Dalai Lamas.
But the most outstanding place of the Dalai Lama, who can leave a name for himself in history just by virtue of learning, is politically.
When he stepped into the history of Tibet, the famous Gelug sect was being persecuted by all sides at a time when he was still a spiritual child, and he had to hide in Shannan to escape pursuit.
In just 11 years, the Fifth Dalai Lama single-handedly brought the Gelug sect from the trough to the peak, overthrew the Kagyu sect, established the Kadan Pozhang Dynasty headed by him, and developed the Gelug sect from a purely religious organization to a theocratic organization, thus anchoring the future political pattern of Tibet.
It stands to reason that in a previous life, when such a situation was opened, Cangyang Gyatso should have used the bargaining chip of combining religious and political leaders to make a contribution.
Unfortunately, he met a distinguished regent.
The Fifth Dalai Lama was a very good monk, but in his later years he was still unable to do so.
By the end of his reign, power in the Red Palace was effectively in the hands of his disciple Sanjay Gyatso.
When the fifth Dalai Lama passed away in the Potala Palace, Sanjay Gyatso completely became a figure who covered the sky.
Sanjay Gyatso chose to conceal the news of the death of the Fifth Dalai Lama, declaring that the Dalai Lama had "settled in" and needed to practice indefinitely, that no outsiders would see him, and that all affairs would be handled by Diba on his behalf.
And he is that diba.
In Tibetan, Dipa, commonly known as the King of Zao, is the highest official appointed by the Dalai Lama to manage the administrative affairs of Tibet.
Although the news was blocked from the outside world, Sanjay Gyatso, as a generation master, never had the luxury of hoping that the news of his master's death could be hidden forever.
In order to give himself another way back, he still sent his henchmen to the people to find the reincarnated spirit boy according to the ritual path, and in case the news leaked in the future, he only needed to greet the spirit boy immediately to remedy it.
It was in this situation that Cangyang Gyatso entered the history of Tibetan Buddhism.
Cangyang Gyatso was chosen as a spirit boy in large part because he was born at the foot of Mount Nala in southern Tibet.
This remote and relatively isolated place is easier to hide news, and as the mission of the Nyingma Red Sect, if there is a Yellow Sect leader here, it is enough for the local people to change their faith and further expand the power of the Gelug sect.
In Wu Jianling, Cangyang Gyatso grabbed the relics of the Dalai Lama in his previous life, so the son of a serf became a reincarnated soul boy.
The first time the name of Cangyang Gyatso spread throughout Tibet was in the thirty-fifth year of the Kangxi Dynasty, and on the way to conquer Kaltan Kangxi learned from Tibetan captives that the fifth Dalai Lama had long since passed away.
After learning the news, Kangxi Longyan was furious, and immediately sent a letter to Yi Dao and others to bring Sanjay Gyatso.
"If the estimate is not handsome, you will not be given lightly."
When the letter came to the Potala Palace, Sanjay Gyatso immediately sent his henchman Nima Tang Xiazhong to Beijing with a reply to plead guilty.
In Sanjay Gyatso's letter of incrimination to Kangxi, he explained that the reincarnated soul boy had already found out that he had been secretly mourning because of the turmoil and did not dare to let the news of the Dalai Lama's death come out, and now he only hoped that the emperor would remember that he was an ordained man and spare his life.
After Kangxi saw the letter, considering that the rebellion in the Dzungar Ministry had just been decided, it was not easy to cause trouble again, so he accepted the fact, and only asked Sanjay Gyatso to welcome the spirit boy back to Lhasa as soon as possible.
On the 17th day of the ninth month of the 36th Tibetan calendar of the Kangxi Dynasty, Sanjay Gyatso personally came to the foot of Mount Nara in Mensu and respectfully asked Cangyang Gyatso to return to Lhasa.
In October of the same year, Cangyang Gyatso sat in the main hall of the Potala Palace and officially became the Sixth Dalai Lama at the age of 14.
But for Cangyang Gyatso, becoming the Dalai Lama was only the beginning of his tragedy.
Amorous Buddha
Cangyang Gyatso's previous life created the Tibetan political landscape.
But by the time Cangyang Gyatso entered Lhasa, the crisis was already all over the corner.
Whether it was his disciple Sanjay Gyatso in his previous life, or Lazang Khan, who was in the spotlight of the outside world, it was enough to kill him, the powerless empty Dalai Lama.
In the struggle between Sanjay Gyatso and Lazang Khan, Cangyang Gyatso, who came from a serf family, was destined to be a puppet.
The arrival of Cangyang Gyatso eased the political atmosphere in Tibet to a certain extent.
But this honeymoon period was just torture for Cangyang Gyatso.
Unlike other reincarnated soul children who practiced as children, Cangyang Gyatso was nearly 15 years old when he entered Lhasa.
On the one hand, he had lived on earth for many years and was accustomed to the civilian life, and on the other hand, as a religious leader, he did not study Buddhism and other studies at all.
Both inside and outside, they only need a puppet Dalai, but they still hope that this puppet of Cangyang Gyatso can look more like a real Dalai.
In order to make up for the shortcomings of Kuranyang Gyatso, Kuwaku Gyatso strictly supervised him.
Under the leadership of monks such as Chendajie and Gelongjia Muyanchapa, Cangyang Gyatso began a boring journey of studying the scriptures.
"Sangye Gyatso strictly ordered Gyamuzang Chaba Gen Jingjing and others to urge the Sixth Dalai Lama to study hard."
Years of earthly life have long imprinted the spirit of Cangyang Gyatso, and Cangyang Gyatso loves the outside world more than the Buddha kingdom in those scriptures.
When Cangyang Gyatso was practicing, he often remembered the characters of his hometown, and he had long been accustomed to being at ease, and he often walked around because he was tired of studying.
But as the Dalai Lama, he does not even have the right to walk, and no monk dares to bluntly say that Cangyang Gyatso is not, but as long as Cangyang Gyatso leaves the seat for a walk, he will be followed by a string of scripture masters.
They knelt on the ground and did not say anything about the fault of Cangyang Gyatso, but only begged the Dalai Lama to sit down and listen to the scriptures.
All that Cangyang Gyatso could do was cry and go back to study the scriptures.
Whether it is the classics of the Sayi, Gelug or Nyingma schools, Cangyang Gyatso has to dabble in, and he learns everything from the Tibetan scriptures, mantras, canons, etc., and he studied the Kangyur three times with three different scripture masters alone.
Although the process of studying the sutras was forced, the naturally intelligent Cangyang Gyatso still studied many classics, such as "The Fundamental Mantra", "Bodhisattva Suixufa", "Bodhi Path Broad Teachings", etc. have become the heart sutra of Cangyang Gyatso.
In addition to the scriptures, Cangyang Gyatso also studied inming, poetry, and calendars with Reqiang Bchaba Qunpei and others, and even learned to dance the Vajra dance on the snow in winter.
These intricate and all-encompassing learning experiences laid the foundation for Cangyo Gyatso's future love song creation.
The court life in the walled courtyard did not erase Cangyang Gyatso's attachment to earthly life, but instead exacerbated his dissatisfaction with reality and his boredom with politics.
Under this conflict between reality and ideals, the lover was born.
After his studies, Kuranyo Gyatso had more freedom.
By day, he was a noble Buddhist leader, and at night, under the pseudonym Sang Wangpo, he roamed the liquor shops and streets of Lhasa.
Later, Cangyang Gyatso did not even hide his wild state at all.
In the sanctuary of the Potala Palace, he "wore satin civilian clothes, a ring on his hands, long hair on his head, and was intoxicated with singing and dancing feasts." Even in the 41st year of the Kangxi Dynasty, when he toured Shigatse, he directly disregarded dissuasion and returned his monk's robe to his teacher, Panchen Lobsang Yeshi, as a sign of resignation.
Cangyang Gyatso grew up in the relatively relaxed Nyingma sect, and the Buddhism he fundamentally recognized was the more liberal Nyingma religion that allowed marriage, but as the Dalai Lama, he could only play the role needed by the other party under the strict supervision of the Gelug school.
In the midst of endless pain, Cangyang Gyatso can only rely on poetry.
The "Love Poems of the Sixth Dalai Lama Cangyang Gyatso" alone records 124 four-word love poems by Cangyang Gyatso, and other unverifiable poems are difficult to count.
Some people say that Cangyang Gyatso was amorous, but throughout the historical facts of Cangyang Gyatso's life, his poetry is not so much about praising the love of men and women, but rather about writing about love to pin on his emotions that he cannot find freedom.
When Cangyang Gyatso left the foot of Mount Nara at the age of 14, he did not want to put on the fancy clothes brought by the lamas, and insisted on wearing the old clothes of his hometown and going on the road.
In front of his home, he planted three saplings and promised to return when they were as tall, but he never returned.
The death of a lover monk
In July 1705, Sanjay Gyatso died, and it was Razang Khan who killed him.
But Cangyang Gyatso, who had removed one rope from his neck, did not relax because of this, and the other rope around his neck was tighter.
In the struggle between Lazang Khan and Sanjay Gyatso, although Cangyang Gyatso was only a puppet and unable to participate in politics, his Dalai identity was still regarded as a thorn in the side of Lazang Khan, who had once wiped out his great enemies.
When Sanjay Gyatso was there, Cangyang Gyatso could still enjoy that little freedom under his wings, and when the wings were gone, the more brutal and fierce Razang Khan directly wanted to kill Cangyang Gyatso.
Less than a year after Sanjay Gyatso's death, Razang Khan called Cangyang Gyatso, who was the Dalai Lama, to his side.
In full view of everyone, this Khan King reprimanded the sixth Dalai Lama Cangyang Gyatso as if he were a child, and counted his debauchery.
Subsequently, Cangyang Gyatso faced endless difficulties, but a generation of love monks could only endure under the sword soldiers.
Just insulting Cangyang Gyatso, Razang Khan felt that it was not enough, he openly reported to the Qing court, calling Cangyang Gyatso a pseudo-Dalai Lama, reprimanding him for "delaying the color of wine and not abiding by the rules", and demanding that Kangxi abolish Cangyang Gyatso's position as the Dalai Lama.
When the phrase "edict to the Jingshi master" came to Lhasa, Cangyang Gyatso came to a dead end.
Razang Khan mobilized soldiers to take Cangyang Gyatso to Beijing, and when Cangyang Gyatso left, hundreds of people cried and begged, and countless white hadasa arrived in front of Cangyang Gyatso.
Less than 20 miles from Lhasa, the monks of Drepung Monastery rioted, leaving the temple to take Cangyang Gyatso back to the mountain.
But their strength was too weak, and when Lazang Khan sent troops to fight, countless blood stained the Buddhist Holy Land.
After three days of hard work, Cangyang Gyatso became unbearable.
Looking at the corpses scattered all over the mountain road, he couldn't bear it, unwilling to kill more lives because of himself, he said to the monks: "Life and death have nothing to lose to me", and then walked out of the monastery gate and went straight to the Mongolian army.
When winter ushered in Qinghai, Cangyang Gyatso's life also came to an end, and a generation of 23-year-old love monks passed away outside Xiningkou.
There are different accounts of the death of Cangyang Gyatso in different historical sources.
The "Qing History Manuscript" recorded: "The Dalai Lama, established by the abolition of the mulberry knot, sent an edict to the Jingshi Division." Walk to Qinghai Road to die. According to custom, those who act in disobedience abandon the corpses. ”
The "Biography of the Seventh Dalai Lama" recorded: "Cangyang Gyatso and his party went to Wanganor, where they died, and his subordinates and others remembered his merits and favors, prayed with tears, and the body of Cangyang Gyatso was welcomed to Xining." Within a few days, believers offer offerings and prayers. ”
In other literature, Cangyang Gyatso's ending is almost always death in Qinghai, and the cause of death is mostly death by illness, and the occasional poisoning on the way can hardly explain the murderer's intention, but there are differences in how the body is handled.
However, there are also documents that point out that Cangyang Gyatso may not be dead.
Ya Hanzhang puts forward different possibilities in the biography of the Dalai Lama: "According to the biography of the 13th Dalai Lama in Tibetan, 'When the 13th Dalai Lama went to Wutai Mountain in Shanxi to make a pilgrimage to the Buddha, he personally visited the temple where the 6th Dalai Lama Cangyang Gyatso was sitting in retreat. According to this account, after the sixth Dalai Lama Cangyang Gyatso was sent to the mainland, the Qing Emperor placed him under house arrest at Mount Wutai, where he later died. ”
Compared with the house arrest theory, the more widespread is the "Alxa theory".
Master Fazun's "History of Politics and Religion of the Tibetan Nationalities" reads: "Kangxi ordered the envoy to go to Tibet to mediate and handle the matter, and Lasang repeated all kinds of miscellaneous words to slander him. When he reached the Qinghai realm, the emperor sent a decree to reprimand the envoy for mishandling it, and when the envoy was in a difficult situation, the master gave up his name and retreated. Traveled around India, Nepal, Kang, Tibet, Gansu, Qinghai, Mongolia and other places. Hongfa Lisheng, boundless career. At that time, Chincha had to report his death, and a public case was over. ”
This theory points out that Cangyang Gyatso traveled around after his escape, and finally came to Alxa Banner in Inner Mongolia, where he lived, successively served as the abbot of 13 temples, and then promoted Buddhism here, made boundless achievements, and died of illness in 1746, and was buried in the spiritual pagoda there.
Whether the end is seen in the death of the main history or written in the wild history, Cangyang Gyatso's life has left enough traces that for a lover like him, the end of his life may not be a relief.
Sources of information:
Digest newspaper "The Legend of Cangyang Gyatso"
Tibet Studies: An Examination of the Life of the Sixth Dalai Lama Cangyang Gyatso
China Reading News "Cangyang Gyatso: This Love Is Not About the Wind and the Moon"