Bundesarchiv Bild 135-S-12-40-25, Tibetexpedition, Regent von Tibet

Bundesarchiv Bild 135-S-12-20-36, Tibetexpedition, Regent von Tibet

Reting Rinpoche () was a title held by abbots of

Reting Monastery Reting Monastery () is an historically important Buddhist monastery in Lhünzhub County in Lhasa, Ü-Tsang, Tibet. It is also commonly spelled "Radreng." History Reting Monastery was founded by Atiśa's chief disciple Dromtön in 1057 in t ...

, a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

monastery in central

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

History of the lineage

Historically, the Reting Rinpoche has occasionally acted as the selector of the new

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 ...

incarnation. It is for this reason that most observers believe the Chinese government has tried to install a sympathetic figure in the position.

List of Reting Rinpoches

# Ngawang Chokden (1677–1751) # Lobsang Yeshe Tenpa Rabgye (1759–1815) # Ngawang Yeshe Tsultrim Gyaltsen (1816–1863) # Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenpai Gyaltsen (1867-1910) #

Jamphel Yeshe Gyaltsen (Thubten) Jamphel Yeshe Gyaltsen or Thupten Jampel Yishey Gyantsen, ( Dagpo, 1912 – Lhasa, 1947) was a Tibetan tulku and the fifth Reting Rinpoche. Life Gyantsen played a significant role in Tibetan history as the one-time regent of the ...

(1912–1947) # Tenzin Jigme Thutob Wangchuk (1948–1997) # Lodrö Gyatso Trinley Lhündrup (2000–present), appointed by

PRC China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Regency of the Fifth Reting Rinpoche

The fifth Reting Rinpoche, Thubten

(1911–1947; ), played a significant role in Tibetan history as the one-time regent of the present Dalai Lama. He was replaced in 1941 and subsequently is alleged to have organized an uprising against his replacement. He died in 1947 in the prisons of Lhasa's

Potala The Potala Palace is a ''dzong'' fortress in Lhasa, Tibet. It was the winter palace of the Dalai Lamas from 1649 to 1959, has been a museum since then, and a World Heritage Site since 1994. The palace is named after Mount Potalaka, the mythic ...

, apparently the victim of poisoning. A jailor also allegedly reported that his testicles were bound and beaten until he died of the pain.Kimura, Hisao. ''Japanese Agent in Tibet: My Ten Years of Travel in Disguise.'' Serindia Publications. London:1990.pg 20

/ref> Melvyn C. Goldstein report words from

Tsepon W. D. Shakabpa Tsepon Wangchuk Deden Shakabpa (, January 11, 1907 – February 23, 1989) was a Tibetan nobleman, scholar, statesman and former Finance Minister of the government of Tibet. Biography Tsepon Shakabpa was born in Lhasa Tibet. His father, Laja Tas ...

who said many people said so, but an investigation was carried out by the Tibetan Assembly to check Reting's body. Shakabpa was member of the committee that also included

Tsarong Tsarong Dasang Dramdul (; ; born Namgang; 1888–1959), commonly known simply as Tsarong or by his title Tsarong Dzasa, was a Tibetan diplomat, economist, civil engineer and close aide of the 13th Dalai Lama. He was an important figure in the ...

, Khenchen Lobsang Tashi, Gyetakba, as well as representatives from Reting and Sera Monasteries. Tsarong declared to the Assembly there was no evidence that Reting was strangled, there was no wound or anything. The episode exposed a number of the political dimensions of the religious hierarchy in Lhasa. Critics of the fifth Reting Rinpoche accused him of widespread corruption, and involvement with married women as a monk. Defenders alleged that his imprisonment was partly the result of his attraction to the teachings of the

Nyingma Nyingma (literally 'old school') is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. It is also often referred to as ''Ngangyur'' (, ), "order of the ancient translations". The Nyingma school is founded on the first lineages and trans ...

lineage, a politically sensitive orientation,Gyatso, Lobsang. ''Memoirs of a Tibetan Lama'' Snow Lion Publications. Ithaca: 1998. Page 235 and that the case against him had been fabricated by the cabinet minister Kapshopa. His time as regent, imprisonment and death feature significantly in Martin Scorsese's 1997 film ''

Kundun ''Kundun'' is a 1997 American epic biographical film written by Melissa Mathison and directed by Martin Scorsese. It is based on the life and writings of Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, the exiled political and spiritual leader of Tibet. Ten ...

''.

Sixth and seventh Reting Rinpoche

Reincarnation

Tenzin Jigme Thutob Wangchuk was born 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 Lhasa ...

in 1948. He was identified as the reincarnation of the fifth Reting Rinpoche in 1951 and enthroned in 1955. He was recognized by the Tibetan government. He stayed in Tibet when the Tibetan government went in exile in 1959 during the

Tibetan diaspora The Tibetan diaspora are the diaspora of Tibetan people living outside Tibet. Tibetan emigration has three separate stages. The first stage was in 1959 following the 14th Dalai Lama's defection to Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh, India. The s ...

World Tibet Network News World Tibet News (WTN) as well as World Tibet Network News, is a website created in 1992 by Thubten Samdup and the NGO Canada Tibet Committee.Gyaltsen Gyaltag, ''Exiled Tibetans in Europe and North America'' (translated by Susanne Martin), iExil ...

(January 11, 2000
''Beijing Discovers Another "Living Buddha" (AFP)''
/ref> He died in 1997 and was succeeded by a reincarnation that was appointed by the Chinese government and not considered legitimate by the Tibetan Government in Exile.

References

External links

Further biographical info
about the fifth Reting Rinpoche, Thupten Jampel Yishey Gyantsen. {{Reting Rinpoches * Lamas Gelug tulkus Gelug Lamas * Tibetan Buddhists from Tibet