The Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, , ; zh, c=哲布尊丹巴呼圖克圖, p=Zhébùzūn Dānbā Hūtúkètú; bo, རྗེ་བཙུན་དམ་པ་ཧུ་ཐུག་ཐུ་, Jetsün Dampa Hutuktu; "Venerable Excellent incarnate lama" are the spiritual heads of the

Gelug 240px, The 14th Dalai Lama (center), the most influential figure of the contemporary Gelug tradition, at the 2003 Bodhgaya (India). The Gelug (, also Geluk; "virtuous")Kay, David N. (2007). ''Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain: Transplantati ...

lineage of

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...

in Mongolia. They also hold the title of ''Bogd Gegeen'', making them the top-ranked lamas in Mongolia.

History

The first Jebtsundamba, Zanabazar (1635–1723), was identified as the

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is ...

of the scholar

Taranatha Tāranātha (1575–1634) was a Lama of the Jonang school of Tibetan Buddhism. He is widely considered its most remarkable scholar and exponent. Taranatha was born in Tibet, supposedly on the birthday of Padmasambhava. His original name was Kun ...

of the

Jonang The Jonang () is one of the schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Its origins in Tibet can be traced to early 12th century master Yumo Mikyo Dorje, but became much wider known with the help of Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen, a monk originally trained in the ...

school of Tibetan Buddhism. Zanabazar was the son of the Tüsheet Khan Gombodorj, ruler of central Khalkha Mongolia, and himself became the spiritual head of the Khalkha Mongols. On May 29, the Jebtsundamba Khutukhtu paid homage to the Kangxi Emperor in 1691 at Dolonnor. Like Zanabazar, the

2nd Jebtsundamba Khutughtu The 2nd Jebtsundamba Khutughtu (1724-1757), was the second incarnation of the Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, the spiritual heads of the Gelug lineage of Tibetan Buddhism in Outer Mongolia. His personal name was ''Luvsandambiydonmi'' and his Tibetan cerem ...

was a member of Mongolia's highest nobility and direct descendant of Genghis Khan. After

Chingünjav Chingunjavi ( mn, Чингүн, ; also known as ''Admiral Chingün'', mn, Чингүн, 1710–1757) was the Khalkha prince ruler of the Khotogoids and one of the two major leaders of the 1756-57 rebellion in Outer Mongolia. Although his rebellio ...

's rebellion and the demise of the second Jebtsundamba Khutugtu, the Qianlong Emperor decreed in 1758 that all future reincarnations were to be found from among the population of Tibet. When northern Mongolia declared independence in 1911, the eighth Jebtsundamba (1869–1924) was elevated to theocratic ruler, called

Bogd Khan Bogd Khan, , ; ( – 20 May 1924) was the khan of the Bogd Khaganate from 1911 to 1924, following the state's ''de facto'' independence from the Qing dynasty of China after the Xinhai Revolution. Born in Tibet, he was the third most importa ...

. He was the head of state until his death in 1924. The communist government of the

Mongolian People's Republic The Mongolian People's Republic ( mn, Бүгд Найрамдах Монгол Ард Улс, БНМАУ; , ''BNMAU''; ) was a socialist state which existed from 1924 to 1992, located in the historical region of Outer Mongolia in East Asia. It w ...

, which replaced the theocracy in 1924, declared that there were to be no further reincarnations. A reincarnation was in fact found almost at once in north Mongolia, and some high lamas of the dead Khutughtu's suite went to interview the child's mother, Tsendjav, and to instruct her in the details of the life of the former incarnation, so that she could familiarize the child-candidate with the tests which he would have to undergo. Faced with the possibility of a new Khutughtu who was born within Mongolia and was not even a foreigner from Tibet, the Central Committee of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party decided in July 1925 to turn the matter over to the elderly 13th Dalai Lama in

Lhasa Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Region in Southwest China. The inner urban area of Lhas ...

. The Dalai Lama's decision would nonetheless be subject to new Mongolian legislation for the

separation of church and state The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular sta ...

. In February 1929, the installation of any further Khutughtus was forbidden. A 9th Jebtsundamba Khutughtu was installed by the

14th Dalai Lama The 14th Dalai Lama (spiritual name Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, known as Tenzin Gyatso (Tibetan: བསྟན་འཛིན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་, Wylie: ''bsTan-'dzin rgya-mtsho''); né Lhamo Thondup), known as ...

as the head of a reinvigorated Jonang lineage. He was born Jampal Namdol Chökyi Gyaltsen in 1932 and he died in early 2012. Despite the Chinese government's claim to have inherited the authority and ultimate decision right for the choice of successor of all high lamas in Mongolia and Tibet, the 9th Jebstundamba will be reincarnated within the independent Mongolia and the selection will be confirmed by the Dalai Lama. This puts China in a dilemma of endangering their foreign affairs with Mongolia for the choice of the next Lama or to forfeit this right that they claim to have control of religious affairs, ultimately giving up their authority over the choice of the next Dalai Lama and putting their current choice of the

Panchen Lama The Panchen Lama () is a tulku of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. Panchen Lama is one of the most important figures in the Gelug tradition, with its spiritual authority second only to Dalai Lama. Along with the council of high lamas, h ...

in question.

List of Jebtsundamba Khutuktus

Bogdo gegeen (Mongolian and ceremonial Tibetan language names) *1635–1723: Öndör Gegeen Zanabazar (), 1st Jebtsundamba Khutughtu *1724–1757: Luvsandambiydonmi (),

*1758–1773: Ishdambiynyam (), 3rd Jebtsundamba Khutughtu *1775–1813: Luvsantüvdenvanchug (), 4th Jebtsundamba Khutughtu *1815–1841: Luvsanchültimjigmed (), 5th Jebtsundamba Khutughtu *1843–1848: Luvsantüvdenchoyjijaltsan (), 6th Jebtsundamba Khutughtu *1850–1868: Agvaanchoyjivanchugperenlaijamts (), 7th Jebtsundamba Khutughtu *1870–20 May 1924: Agvaanluvsanchoyjindanzanvaanchigbalsambuu (), 8th Jebtsundamba Khutughtu and

*1936–1 March 2012: Jambalnamdolchoyjijantsan (''Jampal Namdrol Chokye Gyeltsen''), 9th Jebtsundamba Khutughtu (b. 1933; from 1991, recognized by the Dalai Lama; in Tibet exile to 1959, then in India; died in

Ulaanbaatar Ulaanbaatar (; mn, Улаанбаатар, , "Red Hero"), previously anglicized as Ulan Bator, is the capital and most populous city of Mongolia. It is the coldest capital city in the world, on average. The municipality is located in north ce ...

) *On November 23, 2016 during a visit to Mongolia, the

Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current D ...

announced his belief that the 10th Jebtsundamba Khutughtu had been reborn in Mongolia and that a process for identifying him had begun.

Notes

References

External links

The Zanabazar quadratic script, Ragchaagiin Byambaa
* ttp://news.gogo.mn/event/print/30526 List of the first eight Jebtsundamba Khutuktus (in Mongolian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Khutuktu, Jebtsundamba * Gelug Buddhists Tulkus