The Tatsag or Tatsak (Wylie: ''rTa-tshag'') lineage is a

Tibetan Buddhist Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Darjeeling, Sikkim, and Arunachal Prades ...

reincarnation lineage whose first member was Baso Chokyi Gyaltsen (1402–73). Since 1794 the Tatsag has been the owner of the

Kundeling Monastery Kundeling Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Lhasa, Tibet, China. It was founded around 1794, and follows the Gelug school. The head of the monastery belongs to a lineage of incarnations that dates back to 1402. There is dispute over th ...

Lhasa Lhasa, officially the Chengguan District of Lhasa City, is the inner urban district of Lhasa (city), Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous Region, Southwestern China. Lhasa is the second most populous urban area on the Tibetan Plateau after Xining ...

. There has been some controversy over the representative of the lineage in recent years.

Founder

Baso Chokyi Gyeltsen was the first member of the lineage, born to a noble family in Lato in 1402. His elder brother was Tsongkhapa Lobzang Drakpa's (1357–1419). He became a monk at an early age, and studied under Yongdzin Khedrub and Jampel Gyatso (1356–1428). He either founded or took over leadership of the monastery of Baso Lhundrub Dechen, and was given the title of Baso Choje, He was planning to move to

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

when he was appointed head of

Ganden Monastery Ganden Monastery (also Gaden or Gandain) or Ganden Namgyeling or Monastery of Gahlden is one of the "great three" Gelug university monasteries located in Dagzê County, Lhasa, Tibet. The other two are Sera Monastery and Drepung Monastery. Gan ...

in 1463, where he stayed until his death in 1473.

Early lineage

A reincarnation of Baso Chokyi Gyeltsen was identified in Jedrung Lhawang Chokyi Gyeltsen (1537–1603). His reincarnation was in turn identified in Ngawang Chokyi Wangchuk (1606–52), called the 5th Tatsak Jedrung. At this time Wonpo Lhakyab (1474–1502), nephew of the First Pakpa Lha, was identified as having been the 2nd Tatsak. A fictional Liyul Chogyel (1509-1526) was invented as 3rd Tatsak. The early Tatsag lineage is:

Kundeling Monastery

The eighth incarnation,

Yeshe Lobsang Tenpai Gonpo Yeshe Lobsang Tenpai Gonpo (Wylie: ''ye shes blo bzang bstan pa'i mgon po''; 1760 – 30 December 1810) was the 8th Tatsag (rta tshag), a Tibetan reincarnation lineage. From 1789 to 1790 and from 1791 until his death in 1810 he was regent (desi) ...

, was granted ownership of the Kundeling Monastery. A set of paintings in ground mineral pigment on cotton held by the

Rubin Museum of Art The Rubin Museum of Art, also known as the Rubin Museum, is dedicated to the collection, display, and preservation of the art and cultures of the Himalayas, the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia and other regions within Eurasia, with a permanent ...

depicts the first eight Talsags. It was probably created after the passing of the 8th Tatsag in 1810. The eighth and tenth members of the lineage served as regents of Tibet (1789–90, 1791–1811, 1875–86). Proprietors of the Kundeling monastery have been:

Thirteenth incarnation

The thirteenth member of the lineage as recognized by the Dalai Lama was Tenzin Chokyi Gyaltsen (''bsTan-'dzin chos-kyi rgyal-mtshan''), born about 1958. He fled to India in 1959. The 13th Tatsag Jedrung Hutuktu was found in Lhasa and was recognized after he moved to India. He became a well-known scholar.

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama The 14th Dalai Lama (born 6 July 1935; full spiritual name: Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, shortened as Tenzin Gyatso; ) is the incumbent Dalai Lama, the highest spiritual leader and head of Tibetan Buddhism. He served a ...

personally performed his ordination, hair cutting and naming ceremonies in the main temple of

Dharamshala Dharamshala (, ; also spelled Dharamsala) is a town in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It serves as the winter capital of the state and the administrative headquarters of the Kangra district since 1855. The town also hosts the Tibeta ...

on 13 April 1993. A parallel incarnation is recognized in Lhasa, Lobzang Yeshe Jampal Gyatso (''Blo-bzang ye-shes''. Lobzang Yeshe, born in 1959, was recognized by the Kundeling Labrang.

References

Sources

* * * * {{refend Tibetan Buddhist spiritual teachers Tibetan Buddhist titles