Compilation of citations concerning Tsepn Lungshar 1) General representation of Lungshar's role in Tibetan politics in the 20ies (Page 1) 2) Lungshar

and his attempt to install his son as 1 th !armapa (Page ")

General representation of Lungshar's role in Tibetan politics in the 20ies # $istor% of &odern Tibet' 1(1)*1(+1, The -emise of the Lamaist .tate

von Melvyn C. Goldstein,Gelek Rimpoche

159 Surprisingly, Lungshar was also one of the few Tibetan officials with a broad understanding of the world. He had lived and traveled in England and estern Europe and was fa!iliar with estern history. His e"posure to European political syste!s and history convinced hi! that refor!s were necessary if Tibet was to survive in the !odern world. Lungshar went to Europe when the #alai La!a decided in 191$ to follow the advice of Sir %harles &ell and send four youths to England for a estern education.'$() He appointed Lungshar to acco!pany these '$() &ell 19*+, 1*$-*(. . To! &rowns fro! %entral /sia 1*1, #uring his stay in England, Lungshar learned a !oderate a!ount of basic English and a great deal about 0de!ocratic0 political institutions and the way they had replaced hereditary !onarchical institutions during the 0age of revolution.0'(1) His son, Lhalu, recalls that his father would often tell stories about the fall of the 2ings of 3rance and 4taly and their brutal e"ecutions. Lungshar was also deeply i!pressed by the way the &ritish !onarchy had avoided such violent revolution by accepting a constitutional !onarchy. #uring his stay in England he beca!e convinced that Tibet !ust change voluntarily or e"perience the fate of 3rance.'(1) 1*$, #uring his stay in England, Lungshar learned a !oderate a!ount of basic English and a great deal about 0de!ocratic0 political institutions and the way they had replaced hereditary !onarchical institutions during the 0age of revolution.0'(1) His son, Lhalu, recalls that his father would often tell stories about the fall of the 2ings of 3rance and 4taly and their brutal e"ecutions. Lungshar was also deeply i!pressed by the way the &ritish !onarchy had avoided such violent revolution by accepting a constitutional !onarchy. #uring his stay in England he beca!e convinced that Tibet !ust change voluntarily or e"perience the fate of 3rance.'(1) Lungshar, li2e Tsarong, was a forward5thin2ing favorite of the #alai La!a who was dedicated to developing a strong central govern!ent but did not li2e Tsarong6s blatant bias toward the &ritish.

#le/ &c!a%, $istor% of Tibet0 1ol0 222 2ntroduction p2), 4n 19(7 he was arrested at a !eeting in the 8otala. 4n an echo of the events surrounding the atte!pted assassination of the #alai La!a in 1+99, Lungshar was found guilty of practising 6blac2 !agic6 against the 9egent and leading !e!bers of the :ashag. He was i!prisoned and blinded. To! &rowns fro! %entral /sia, /L/ST/49 L/;& ($5ff 8 ($*, <n $+ =une 191(, therefore, Lungshar was received by the :ing at &uc2ingha! 8alace.9 The #alai La!a6s gifts were handed over. Tsarong' Lungshar and !unphela !0 -$34-5P (in &c!a% p +1"ff) 5$1, Lungshar returned to Tibet in Septe!ber 1917 with letter and presents fro! the &ritish %rown to the #alai La!a. His report of the Tibetan students progress in England and general observations about Europe and their political syste!s !ust have i!pressed the #alai La!a whose !ain concern after the recent declaration of Tibetan independence was its !odernisation in every sphere. Soon afterwards, Lungshar was appointed a ;inister of 3inance. ... 4n /pril19$9, Lungshar was appointed to the post. /s the co!!ander5in5chief and 3inancial !inister of the Tibetan >overn!ent, Lungshar had reached the ?enith of his power. @et he was to pursue power with vehe!ence, plotting the downfall of his opponents with s2ill and sorcery.

8 5$* Lungshar, the head of the /sse!bly was once again at the pea2 of power. &ehind hi! stood the solid bloc2 of the three !onasteries whose abbots supported his idea of subordinating the :ashag under the /sse!bly. Soon the :ashag had subAugated itself before the /sse!bly. 8 5$B, ;eanwhile, Lungshar6s idea of a republic was creating doubts in the !inds of !any. The !onasteries began to wonder about the role of religion and !onastic establish!ent in a republic. They began to wonder if Lungshar, a lay!an was not using the! to get !ore power for hi!self. 5$9, Lungshar6s idea of a republic, i!planted in his !ind during his stay in Europe, would have served Tibet well had it been properly e"ecuted. &ut unfortunately the root cause of the failure was in Lungshar hi!self. Though e"tre!ely learned and brilliant, Lungshar6s a!bition for power was wild and he did not hesitate to Austify any !eans to achieve his ends. 5(9, $0 60 7ichardson, The 78a*sgreng couspirac% of 1("9, :Lungshar 8as an unusual phenomena( in &c!a% p +);ff) in Tibet. 4n hi! certain Cualities inherent in the Tibetan character were overdeveloped and e"aggerated. / strain of rec2lessness !ade hi! in the well5worn phrase, 0drun2 with power.0 5(1

The Tibetan govern!ent sent troops under the co!!and of Lungshar and Tshogaw to stop hi!, but they were too late and the 8anchen La!a escaped with a large entourage. The #alai La!a responded by appointing his own ad!inistrator, the #?asa La!a, to ta2e over the ad!inistration of Tashilhunpo,

So far the Cuotation fro! ;c:ay, /le" 5 History of Tibet. Dol. 444 The description of Lungshar as a de!ocratic refor!er is not undisputed. So!e state that this was !otivated by his earlier !entioned thirst for power. /ctually for Etactical reasonsF he later alied with the !ost conservative ele!ents of tibetan society. <L#C! #44#L., Goldstein and the 4egation of Tibetan $istor% (Part 22) = >am%ang 4orbu >oldstein6s Eglowing but i!plausible account of Lungshar fro! LungsharGs own son, =angAu la, who was teaching Tibetan language at #r. >raha!Gs Ho!es in :ali!pong where #awa Horbu studied.F /ctually, if one reviews Aust the raw data that >oldstein lays out about Lungshar, and disregards his interpretation, it beco!es i!!ediately clear that far fro! being a progressive or a refor!ist, Lungshar was the !ost effective player on the ultra5conservative and reactionary side of Tibetan politics. He was, as >oldsteinGs own infor!ation clearly points out, the chief factor in under!ining the !odern Tibetan !ilitary, the refor!s of the 1(th #alai La!a, and by logical e"tension the defense of the nation against the %hinese invasion. >oldstein tells us that at the outset of the !oderni?ation period, Tibetan politics was divided into two ca!ps, the new !ilitary under the co!!ander5in5chief, Tsarong which was Fco!!itted to !oderni?ationI and the Fultra5conservativeI !onastic seg!ent allied with reactionary officials, led by the !on2 official Te!pa #hargay, who was also the #alai La!aGs cha!berlain JdronyerchemoK. >oldstein clearly states that Lungshar had Ftactically alliedI hi!self with the ultra5conservative group. The leader of the conservative group, Te!pa #hargay, was 2nown to his !on2 colleagues by the co!ple!entary nic2na!e, /ra :arpo or Fwhite beardI. The !ilitary officers and lay officials who despised hi! called hi! dronyerchemo /pso - after the shaggy Tibetan terrier. Surprisingly >oldstein !a2es no !ention of the peAorative F/psoI and writes as if he were only 2nown as Fwhite beardI. hile this !ay not be evidence of >oldsteinGs sy!pathy for the ultra5 conservatives, it does point to where !ost of his infor!ation !ight have co!e fro!. e 2now that Lungshar was given to supernatural beliefs and Dronyerchemo "apso" Tempa occult practises. >oldstein tells us that he was Fwidely considered to be an e"pert in !irror divination JthrababK and blac2 !agic Dhargay JdeyK.I 9inchen #ol!a Taring tell us Jrepeated by Luciano '1$) 8etech K that the death of Shatra 8alAor Sowang in 19$+, Aust before his appoint!ent as a 2ashag !inister, was popularly attributed to !agic by Lungshar. Then, of course we have LungsharGs own atte!pt to !urder the !inister Tri!on by blac2 !agic, which >oldstein !entions. Even in a society as religious Jand perhaps credulousK as the Tibetan, LungsharGs obsession with !agic was e"ceptional. 4n sharp contrast, !any of the young !ilitary officers and !odernists at the ti!e regarded the!selves as rationalists Jeven if they were so only in a superficial senseK. Tsarong was considered by !any to be an atheist, and 9inchen #ol!a Taring atte!pts to defend hi! on this charge in her autobiography, #aughter of Tibet.

/nyway, Ethe Thirteenth #alai La!a fully trusted LungsharI accounts the 17t #alai La!a and FL JhisK !ain ai! was that the Tibetan govern!ent should be led by officials and not by la!as. Lungshar said that la!as have no e"perience in ad!inistration and so forth.I1

Lungshar and his attempt to install his son as 1 th !armapa .%l?ia @ong, !armapa Prophecies' -elhi 2010, ong, 8. $ E/fter the death of the 15th :ar!apa, a very powerful >elugpa govern!ent !inister na!ed Lungshawa wanted to have his son recogni?ed as the reincarnation of :ar!apa. Lungs hawa was dedicated to !oderni?ing Tibet. He thought that if his son were a :ar!apa, it would facilitate his plans for Tibet6s north5western and ea stern regions, w hose inhabitants were followers of the :ar!a :agyu School. H.H. the 1(th #alai La!a was subseCuendy persuaded to confir! Lungshawa6s son as the 1*th :ar!apa. However, the 15th :ar!apa6s labrang Jthe Tsurphu !onastery ad!inistrationK did not accept this recognition, stating that 0 the son of this aristocrat is not the reincarnation of the 15th >yalwa :ar!apa :hachup #orAe.0 ong 8. (B1, E<nce instance where the #alai La!as and the Tibetan govern!ent did try to interfere in the process of recogni?ing the :ar!apas was during the ti!e of the recognition of the 1*th :ar!apa. /t that ti!e there was a boy, the son of the finance ;inister Lungshawa, who! the 1(th #alai La!a recogni?ed as the 1*th :ar!apa. :ar!a :agyu la!as, on the other hand, recogni?ed a boy fro! the /thubtsang fa!ily of #erge. They reAected the 1(th #alai La!a6s candidate, and the 1(th #alai La!a accepted that reAection and ac2nowledged the :agyu chosen candidate. That candidate grew up to be H. H. 9angAung 9igpe #orAe.F <5--$#'. 43T .&2L24G 5nco?ering Corruption at the 1*leart of Tibetan <uddhism Toda% 672! -0 C57764 p0 9)ff This is another position that history contradicts. :henpo %hodra2 Tenphel, the abbot of 9u!te2 until the ta2eover in 199( and the top authority on the history of the :ar!apas, has told the story behind this incident. 04t is true that the thirteenth #alai La!a6s ad!inistration did atte!pt to participate in the recognition of the si"teenth :ar!apa, but at that ti!e the. :ar!a :agyu saw it as interference. /fter failing to install his candidate, the #alai La!a eventually had to bac2 down. 0/fter the death of the fifteenth :ar!apa in 19$$, there was a period of eight years before the Tsurphu ad!inistration could find a suitable candidate as his reincarnation,0 %hodra2 said. 04n the !eanti!e, B7 &M##H/6 S H<T S;4L4H> govern!ent officials in Lhasa saw this as an opportunity to bring the border area of eastern Tibet under the control of the #alai La!a6s govern!ent as a buffer against %hina. %entral Tibetan officials thought that if they controlled the :ar!apa, then they could control :ha!, where the :ar!a :agyu was strong. Since nearly eight years had passed
1 Thomas Laird, The Story o Ti!et, Conversations "ith the Dalai Lama, Grove #ress, $e" %ork, &''(. http)**""".phay+l.com*ne"s*article.asp,-id.&&11/ 0L1C2 1$$1LS) Goldstein and the $egation o Ti!etan 3istory 4#art 556 7 8amyang $or!+ 4#art 5 is as "ell an interesting disc+ssion o Goldstein9s !ook) http)**""".phay+l.com*ne"s*article.asp,-id.&&':(.

without Tsurphu finding a :ar!apa, the Lhasa govern!ent figured that Tsurphu !ight never find one. Therefore, there would be no har! for the govern!ent to no!inate its own boy to be the ne"t :ar!apa.0 /ccordingly, Tsepon Lungshar, the defense !inister in the #alai La!a6s council of state, the :ashag, convinced the thirteenth #alai La!a Thubten >yatso J1+B*519((K to proclai! Lungshar6s son to be the ne"t :ar!apa. There was no historical precedent for the #alai La!a to appoint a :ar!apa, and no #alai La!a in the past had even helped to recogni?e a previous :ar!a :agyu leader. /ppendi" / to this boo2 includes a chart that lists each :ar!apa along with the la!as who recogni?ed hi!. There are no #alai La!as on the list. &ut the thirteenth #alai La!a had his own political reasons to agree to the !inister6s reCuest. ;ter centuries as a satellite of the %elestial E!pire, in 191( Tibet was able to declare its independence and e"pel the s!all %hinese garrison in Lhasa. ea2ened by internal fighting in the wa2e of the overthrow of the last Ning e!peror 0Henry0 8uyi two years earlier, the new Hationalist %hinese govern!ent could not oppose Tibet6s !ove by force. &ut the Hationalists never recogni?ed Tibet6s independence, and continued to clai! the country as an integral part of %hina. The #alai La!a 2new that %hina6s wea2ness was a rare opportunity to establish Tibet6s independence in the eyes of the world. Lungshar agreed, and with a group of progressives in Lhasa, he supported the #alai La!a6s efforts to !oderni?e the Tibetan govern!ent against the opposition of strong conservative forces centered on the three large >elug !onasteries in Lhasa. The Three Seats of #repung, Sera, and >anden wielded considerable political clout through their ar!ies of dopdops or 0fighting !on2s0 and their traditional influence over powerful noble fa!ilies in %entral Tibet. These huge !onasteries used their power to bloc2 or delay refor!s to !oderni?e Tibet, clai!ing that such innovations as opening English5language schools, Aoining the League of Hations, or building a !ode! ar!y would threaten the country6s traditional &uddhist culture. B5 0The large !onasteries were also concerned about losing power to a !odern govern!ent under the #alai La!a with a well5eCuipped ar!y and centrali?ed ad!inistration,0 %hodra2 said. /gainst the opposition of strong conservatives, the #alai La!a atte!pted to push through refor!s against the cloc25before %hina would regain its strength and try to reta2e Tibet. 4n the early twenties, the govern!ent began an a!bitious !oderni?ation progra!. 4n 19$$, the sa!e year that the fifteenth :ar!apa died, the #alai La!a established an ar!y !odeled on the &ritish forces in 4ndia. His govern!ent then went on to introduce !odern innovations such as passports, a postal service, and syste!i?ed national ta"ation, all to build Tibet6s strength and show the outside world that the Land of Snows was a !odern nation rather than a !edieval vassal state of %hina. The thirteenth #alai La!a thus hoped to gain international recognition of Tibet6s independence. The Lhasa govern!ent also hoped to unify the various regions where ethnic Tibetans traditionally lived into one !odern nation. 3or its strategic i!portance, the #alai La!a wanted !ore control over :ha!, where the :ar!apa was strong. :henpo %hodta2 provided his analysis. 0/nd so, perhaps against his better spiritual Audg!ent, but for co!pelling political reasons, the #alai La!a agreed to interfere in the

:ar!apa selection process and support Tsepon Lungshar6s son as a candidate. 4n 19$9 or 19(1 5 Tsurphu records are not clear on the date 5 the Tibetan leader !ade a procla!ation that his !inister6s son was the reincarnation of the :ar!apa. 08redictably, the Tsurphu labrang reAected this interference. The :ar!apa6s !onastery said that the govern!ent had no role in choosing a :ar!apa. /s it turned out, at the sa!e ti!e, the :ar!apa6s ad!inistration had finally found its own candidate. 4n response to His Holiness the thirteenth #alai La!a6s procla!ation about Lungshar6s son, the :ar!apa6s ad!inistration politely infor!ed the Tibetan leader that it had located a boy of its own, a son of a noble fa!ily 2nown as /thub Tsang of the 2ingdo! of #erge in :ha!. 0/t the ti!e, the thirteenth #alai La!a did not press the issue, perhaps recogni?ing that if the :ar!apa6s own labrang had found a boy at last, then it was better for everyone to have an authentic :ar!apa than a politically appointed one. 0&ut before the Tsurphu ad!inistration could enthrone the /thub boy, out of respect for His Holiness the thirteenth #alai La!a6s B* &M##H/6 S H<T S;4L4H> power as political ruler, Tsurphu officials had to for!ally reCuest hi! to reverse his action and allow the! to proceed with the enthrone!ent of their own boy. 4n response, the thirteenth #alai La!a did withdraw Tsepon Lungshar6s son as a candidate, thus that he the authority of the :ar!apa6s own school to choose its head la!a6s reincarnation. This boy later beca!e His Holiness the si"teenth :ar!apa 9angAung 9igpe #orAe.0 Sadly, Lunghsar6 s son, the failed :ar!apa, soon died after falling off a roof. Lungshar suffered !ore hardship as well. 4n the thirties, facing strong opposition by conservatives, the #alai La!a had to bac2 down on his !ilitary and ad!inistrative refor!s in Lhasa. /fter the d1irteenth #alai La!a6s death, conservative rivals pushed aside Lungshar6s group and arrested the defense !inister. He was convicted of atte!pted !urder and plotting to overthrow the state. The govern!ent !ade an e"a!ple of the unfortunate !inister, ordering his eyes to be put out and sentencing hi! to life i!prison!ent. Tragically., the defeat of Lungshar6s group effectively ended refor!s in Tibet, leaving the country isolated and friendless in the world and defenseless against6the %hinese invasion that would co!e two decades later.F$

TulAu 5rg%en 7inpoche, <laBing .plendor, pg +(* 0 Late in his life, the 15th :ar!apa wrote a prediction letter concerning his rebirth and gave it to his attendant =a!pal Tsultri!. &la?ing Splendor, E=a!pal Tsultri! put the letter inside the reliCuary bo" he wore around his nec2 and 2ept it there.... /fterward, he went straight to >olo2, his ho!e region far away to the northeast, for four or five !onths. 4n the !eanti!e, the govern!ent in Lhasa had sent a representative to Tsurphu as2ing to be shown the prediction letter, ... '/s it was the wish of the late :ar!apa, =a!pal TsOltri! had not infor!ed anybody about the letter) / frantic search for 'the) ... letter began. ... They even tore open his !attress. &ut, of course, they ca!e up with nothing5=a!pal Tsultri! was unsuspectingly wandering about in distant >olo2 with
& 0;DD319S $<T SM5L5$G ;ncovering Corr+ption at the 1=leart o Ti!etan 0+ddhism Today >R52 D. C;RR>$, pg ?: . C+rren) (. Chodrak told me that his so+rce or the story "as a !ook p+!lished !y Topga Rinpoche in Ti!etan in $e" Delhi in 1@@:, Tam natshok ktm tog ge rimo or 1ssorted Tales on9 the 1rt o Thinking. Topga9s !ook in t+rn "as !ased on records kept !y the general secretary at d1e 2armapa9s Ts+rph+ monastery in the 1@&'s. 4 ootnote on pg. /'&6

the letter in the bo" around his nec2. 3inally, the Tsurphu officials were forced to ad!it that they had no letter. Soon after, the thirteenth #alai La!a6s office issued a for!al state!ent that the :ar!apa6s reincarnation had been born as the son of one of the cabinet !inisters in Lhasa. J...K This news reached all the way to >olo2. Hearing it, =a!pal Tsultri! cut his stay short and hurried bac2 to Tsurphu. /s soon as he arrived, he e"clai!ed, hat do you !ean there is no prediction letterP 4 have it right hereQ6 J...K /t the sa!e ti!e, a delegation was sent to Lhasa infor!ing the govern!ent of the newfound letter, with the !essage, 6we have found the :ar!apa6s prediction letter and it is authentic The officials at the central govern!ent replied, 6rirst you say there is no letter and now you say there is. The office of the #alai La!a has already issued a position. 4t cannot be changed. The petitioning and refusal went bac2 and forth for an entire year. Then one day, while playing on a rooftop near the 8otala, the cabinet !inister6s son fell and bro2e his pelvis. 4n those days, such inAuries were very serious and the boy soon died of co!plications. How the Tsurphu office was as2ed to send out a search party for another candidate. /s the :ar!apa had written the prediction letter in beautiful poetry with e"tre!ely precise details, Tsurphu only sub!itted a single candidate5the one identified in the letter. The Lhasa govern!ent replied, you cannot sub!it Aust one candidate. That6s the sa!e as you deciding who the tul2u is. 4f you are as2ing us to decide, which is the tradition, you !ust sub!it two or three different choices and we will decide which one it is /gain Tsurphu was in !aAor tur!oil and one !eeting followed another. J...K &ut the :hyentse of 8alpung, another i!portant la!a fro! :ha!, was not only very wise but also very clever. He ca!e up with an idea to circu!vent the proud officials in Lhasa. 0;a2e one candidate6s na!e the son of the fatherR he suggested, 0and the 6other6 candidate, the na!e of the son of the !other,6 So they wrote down two different na!es for the sa!e boy, sent the! to the govern!ent and awaited their reply. hen it finally ca!e, it said, 0The correct tul2u is the son of the !other, not the son of the father,6 This was how the authentic tul2u of the fifteenth :ar!apa was established at Tsurphu after !any trials and tribulations. hen 4 thin2 of the fifteenth :ar!apa, :ha2yab #orAe, 4 a! struc2 with a!a?e!entQ To have such far5reaching powers of clairvoyanceQF Jend of the citation of &la?ing SplendorK Tenga 9inpoche states in an interview in the ger!an buddhist Aournal E#har!ane2tarF that in the biography of the 15th :ar!apa it is !entioned as well, that a !inister of the Lhasa govern!ent had his son no!inated as 1*th :ar!apa J#har!ane2tar (S+9K