Editing 3rd Dalai Lama

{{Short description|Spiritual leader of Tibet from 1578 to 1588}}
{{Infobox Dalai Lama
|name           = 3rd Dalai Lama, Sonam Gyatso
|religion = [[Tibetan Buddhism|Buddhism]]
|title          = 3rd Dalai Lama
|image          = Sonam Gyatso.jpg
|caption        =
|period         = 1578–1588
|predecessor    = [[2nd Dalai Lama|Gendun Gyatso]]
|successor      = [[4th Dalai Lama|Yonten Gyatso]]
|module = {{Infobox Chinese|child=yes| headercolor=#FFCC33
|c      = 索南嘉措
|hindi          =
|pinyin         =
|tib    = བསོད་ནམས་རྒྱ་མཚོ་
|wylie          = bsod nams rgya mtsho
|zwpy   = Soinam Gyaco
|THDL           =
}}
|father         =
|mother         =
|birth_date     = 1543
|birth_place    = Tolung, [[Ü-Tsang]], [[Tibet]]
|death_date     = {{death year and age|1588|1543}}
|death_place    = [[Northern Yuan]]
}}
{{Tibetan Buddhism}}
The '''3rd Dalai Lama, Sonam Gyatso''' ({{bo|t=བསོད་ནམས་རྒྱ་མཚོ་|w=bsod nams rgya mtsho|z=Soinam Gyaco}}; 1543–1588), was the first in the tulku lineage to be entitled formally as the [[Dalai Lama]]. In 1578 [[Altan Khan]] presented the spiritual title of Dalai Lama, in honor of Sonam Gyatso's profound teachings conferred in Mongolia, which soon became a Tibetan Buddhist country. He founded [[Kumbum Monastery]], [[Litang County#History|Lithang Monastery]], and [[Namgyal Monastery]]. The spiritual title was retrospectively given to his two tulku lineage predecessors, the [[1st Dalai Lama]] and the [[2nd Dalai Lama]].

Sonam Gyatso was born near [[Lhasa]] in 1543 and was recognised as the reincarnation of [[Gendun Gyatso]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tbrc.org/kb/tbrc-detail.xq;jsessionid=48EACEC4EF34D7B1A57829F9CAD5C828?RID=P84&selected=works-by&wylie=n |title=tbrc.org: dge 'dun rgya mtsho |access-date=2008-11-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090706005709/http://www.tbrc.org/kb/tbrc-detail.xq;jsessionid=48EACEC4EF34D7B1A57829F9CAD5C828?RID=P84&selected=works-by&wylie=n |archive-date=2009-07-06 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and subsequently enthroned at [[Drepung Monastery]] by [[Panchen Sonam Dragpa]], who became his tutor. Panchen Sonam Dragpa was the 15th [[Ganden Tripa]] and his texts still serve as the core curriculum for many [[Gelug]] monasteries. The 3rd Dalai Lama studied at Drepung Monastery and became its abbot. His reputation spread quickly and the monks at [[Sera Monastery]] also recognised him as their abbot.<ref name="Laird, Thomas 2006 p. 139">Laird, Thomas (2006). ''The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama'', p. 139. Grove Press, N.Y. {{ISBN|978-0-8021-1827-1}}</ref>

According to Sumpa Khenpo, the great [[Gelug]] scholar, he also studied [[Nyingma]] [[tantra|tantric]] doctrines.<ref>Stein, R. A. (1972). ''Tibetan Civilization'', pp. 171–172. Stanford University Press, Stanford California. {{ISBN|0-8047-0806-1}} (cloth); {{ISBN|0-8047-0901-7}} (paper).</ref>

When one of Tibet's regional kings, who had been supported by the [[Kagyu]] school, died in 1564, Sonam Gyatso presided over his funeral. His political power, and that of the [[Gelug]] school, grew in dominance in Tibet by the 1570s.<ref name="Laird, Thomas 2006 p. 139"/>

==Origin of the title "Dalai Lama"==
The title "Dalai Lama" was first bestowed by [[Altan Khan]] upon Sonam Gyatso in 1578, when [[Altan Khan]] was a Chinese Prince of Shunyi during the Ming Dynasty (Wang, 顺义王) of China. The spiritual title of "Dalai Lama" was derived from the Mongolian ''Dalai-yin qan'' (or Dalaiin khan) one.{{sfn|Schwieger|2014|p=33|ps=: "Although the Mongolian word dalai is equivalent to the Tibetan word gyats+o, meaning 'ocean', and would therefore seem to refer to this component in the names of the Dalai Lamas (except for the first one), it was constructed in analogy to the older Mongolian title dalai-yin-qan, 'Ocean Qan'".}}

Since the time of [[Genghis Khan]], only people who were of his royal lineage were allowed to rule Mongolia.{{citation needed|reason=Your explanation here|date=December 2015}} This frustrated many would-be rulers who were not of this line.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=The history of Tibet |date=2003 |publisher=RoutledgeCurzon |editor=Alex McKay |isbn=0-7007-1508-8 |location=London |pages=18–19 |oclc=50494840}}</ref> Altan Khan was the most destructive of these usurpers.{{citation needed|reason=Your explanation here|date=December 2015}} He perceived that through the Buddhist faith he could gain legitimacy by claiming to be a reincarnation of [[Kublai Khan]].<ref name=":0" />{{verify|date=August 2024}}

Altan Khan chose the Gelug order of Tibetan Buddhism (founded by [[Tsongkhapa]], 1357–1419). In 1577 he invited the leader of this order, Sonam Gyatsho, to come to Mongolia and teach his people. At some point, Sonam Gyatso proclaimed Altan Khan to be the reincarnation of Kublai Khan.

In response to Sonam Gyatso's teachings, Altan Khan conferred the title of Dalai Lama on Sonam Gyatso.<ref name=":0" /> Altan Khan posthumously awarded the title to his two predecessors,<ref name=":0" /> making Sonam Gyatso the 3rd Dalai Lama.

==Altan Khan and the conversion of Mongolia==
Sonam Gyatso, a monk of the Gelug (Yellow Hat) school of Tibetan Buddhism, was in a position of finding a foreign patron for the Gelug school. He established a ''cho-yon'' or priest and patron relationship with [[Altan Khan]], ruler of numerous Mongol tribes<ref name=":0" /> and a prince of Ming China. At the time, the Mongolians were not united under a single religion. Their practices instead consisted of superstition, indigenous religious conceptions, and shamanism.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mahayana Buddhism: Mongolian Buddhism |url=https://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/mongol-txt.htm |access-date=2024-03-25 |website=www.buddhanet.net}}</ref> However, Sonam Gyatso was against shamanism and its idols.<ref name="Znamenski2003">{{cite book|author=Andrei A. Znamenski|title=Shamanism: Critical Concepts in Sociology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-Elbb5zYvWMC&q=Tusiyetu+khan&pg=PA246|year=2003|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-415-31192-2|pages=246–}}</ref>

Altan Khan first invited Sonam Gyatso to [[Tümed]]  in 1569, but apparently the Dalai Lama refused to go and sent a disciple, who reported back to the Dalai Lama about the great opportunity to spread Buddhist teachings throughout [[Mongolia]].<ref>Norbu, Thubten Jigme and Turnbull, Colin M. (1968). ''Tibet: An account of the history, religion and the people of Tibet'', p. 218. Touchstone Books, New York. {{ISBN|0-671-20099-2}} (hbk); {{ISBN|0-671-20559-5}} (pbk).</ref>{{verification needed|date=March 2024}} In 1573 Altan Khan took some Tibetan Buddhist monks prisoner.<ref>Stein, R. A. (1972). Tibetan Civilization, p. 81. Stanford University Press, Stanford California. {{ISBN|0-8047-0806-1}} (cloth); {{ISBN|0-8047-0901-7}} (paper).</ref>{{relevant?|date=March 2024}}

Altan Khan invited Sonam Gyatso to Mongolia again and embraced [[Tibetan Buddhism]]. After some hesitation, with followers begging him not to go, Sonam Gyatso's party set out and was met at Ahrik Karpatang in Mongolia where a specially prepared camp had been set up to receive them. Thousands of animals were given to him as offerings and five hundred horsemen had been sent to escort him to Altan Khan's court. When they arrived there, they were greeted by over ten thousand people, including Altan Khan dressed in a white robe to symbolize his devotion to the [[Dharma]].<ref>[[Mullin, Glenn H.]] (2001). ''The Fourteen Dalai Lamas: A Sacred Legacy of Reincarnation'', pp. 143–145. Clear Light Publishers, Santa Fe, New Mexico. {{ISBN|1-57416-092-3}}.</ref>

Some sources say this first meeting between Sonam Gyatso and Altan Khan took place in [[Amdo]]<ref>Goldstein, Mervyn C. ''The Snow Lion and the Dragon: China, Tibet, and the Dalai Lama'', p. 8. (1997). University of California Press. {{ISBN|0-520-21254-1}}.</ref> near [[Qinghai Lake|Lake Kokonor]],<ref>Kapstein, Matthew K. ''The Tibetans'', p. 133. (2006). Blackwell Publishing. {{ISBN|978-0-631-22574-4}}.</ref> which was heavily populated by Mongolian peoples. 

While Altan Khan bestowed the title ''Dalai'' on Sonam Gyatso, the latter gave the title of ''Brahma'', the king of religion, to Altan Khan.<ref>''The Dalai Lamas of Tibet'', p. 86. Thubten Samphel and Tendar. Roli & Janssen, New Delhi. (2004). {{ISBN|81-7436-085-9}}.</ref>

Altan Khan had [[Thegchen Chonkhor]], Mongolia's first monastery, built, and a massive program of translating Tibetan texts into Mongolian was commenced. Within 50 years most Mongolians had become Buddhist, with tens of thousands of monks who were members of the Gelug school, loyal to the Dalai Lama.<ref>Laird (2006), p. 144.</ref>

Sonam Gyatso's message was that the time had come for Mongolia to embrace Buddhism, that from that time on there should be no more animal sacrifices, the images of the old gods were to be destroyed, there must be no taking of life, animal or human, military action must be given up and the immolation of women on the funeral pyres of their husbands must be abolished.<ref>Norbu, Thubten Jigme and Turnbull, Colin M. (1968). ''Tibet: An account of the history, religion and the people of Tibet'', p. 219. Touchstone Books, New York. {{ISBN|0-671-20099-2}} (hbk); {{ISBN|0-671-20559-5}} (pbk).</ref> He also secured an edict abolishing the Mongolian custom of blood-sacrifices.<ref>Stein, R. A. (1972). Tibetan Civilization, p. 82. Stanford University Press, Stanford California. {{ISBN|0-8047-0806-1}} (cloth); {{ISBN|0-8047-0901-7}} (paper).</ref> "These and many other such laws were set forth by Gyalwa Sonam Gyatso and were instituted by Altan Khan."<ref>Mullin, Glenn H. (2001). ''The Fourteen Dalai Lamas: A Sacred Legacy of Reincarnation,'' p. 146. Clear Light Publishers, Santa Fe, New Mexico. {{ISBN|1-57416-092-3}}.</ref>

The 3rd Dalai Lama publicly announced that he was a reincarnation of [[Drogön Chögyal Phagpa]], while Altan Khan was a reincarnation of Kublai Khan, and that they had come together again to cooperate in propagating Buddhism.<ref name=Laird_146>Laird (2006), p. 146.</ref>

The alliance with the Mongolians would later prove instrumental in establishing the Gelug school as the spiritual and political leaders of [[Tibet]] during the reign of the [[5th Dalai Lama|Great Fifth Dalai Lama]].

Altan Khan died in 1582, only four years after meeting with the 3rd Dalai Lama.<ref name=Laird_146/> According to legend, [[Abtai Sain Khan]] was given a Buddha relic by the 3rd Dalai Lama to help in the spread of Buddhism.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.infomongolia.com/ct/ci/3295 |title=Buddha Relic was introduced to the public |access-date=2013-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005080540/http://www.infomongolia.com/ct/ci/3295 |archive-date=2013-10-05 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Altan Khan was succeeded by his son [[Sengge Düüreng]] who continued to diligently support Buddhism, and two years later the 3rd Dalai Lama made another visit to Mongolia. On his way, he founded the monastery of [[Kumbum]] at the birthplace of the great teacher and reformer, [[Je Tsongkhapa]].{{citation needed|reason=Your explanation here|date=December 2015}}

Gyalwa Sonam Gyatso had also founded [[Litang County#History|Lithang]] monastery in Eastern Tibet, as well as the small monastery [[Phende Lekshe Ling]] in either 1564 or 1565, which became known as [[Namgyal Monastery]] in 1571,<ref name="Bryant Wheel">{{cite book|last=Bryant|first=Barry|title=Wheel of Time Sand Mandala: Visual Scripture of Tibetan Buddhism|orig-year=1992|year=2003|publisher=Snow Lion Publications|location=Ithaca, NY|isbn=1559391871|pages=95, 96|edition=2nd}}</ref> the personal monastery of all the subsequent Dalai Lamas.<ref>see Note no.1</ref> By 1585, he was back in Mongolia and converted more Mongolian princes and their tribes.

In October of 1587, Gyalwa Sonam Gyatso was promoted to Duǒ Er Zhǐ Chàng (朵儿只唱) by the emperor of China, and seal of authority was given. <ref>《明实录》又载：“万历十五年（1587）十月丁卯……番僧答赖（即达赖）准升‘朵儿只唱名号，仍给敕命、图书……” 
 [[Ming Veritable Records]]: "In the 15th year of the Wanli reign (1587), on October 11, the foreign monk Dalai (i.e., the Dalai Lama) was allowed to be promoted to the title of 'Dorzhichang' and was still given imperial edicts and books...</ref><ref>http://www.xzmuseum.cn/2022/01/29/4c422b5112c04aacae89e2eda9d7af3c.html 有藏文史料里记载，“明朝于万历十五年（1587年），遣使臣在内蒙，敕封索南嘉措为‘朵尔只唱’，并邀请他入京面圣。” The Tibetan historical materials recorded that "In the 15th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1587), the Ming Dynasty sent envoys to Inner Mongolia to confer the title of 'Dorjichang' on Sonam Gyatso and invited him to Beijing to meet the emperor."</ref>

[[File:朵兒只唱圖記.png|thumb|220px|Duǒ Er Zhǐ Chàng, seal of authority<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Blzk5WjeZWUC&dq=%E6%9C%B5%E5%84%BF%E5%8F%AA%E5%94%B1&pg=PA102 | isbn=978-7-80113-884-2 | title=历史的见证 | date=2001 | publisher=五洲传播出版社 }}</ref><ref>http://www.tibetology.ac.cn/2023-11/24/content_42609192.htm “朵儿只唱”图记是一枚明代象牙图章，方形印面，配以狮钮，高6.1厘米、边长5.2厘米，原收藏于西藏罗布林卡，现收藏于西藏博物馆 The "Duo'er Zhichang" seal is an ivory seal from the Ming Dynasty. It has a square seal face and a lion button. It is 6.1 cm high and 5.2 cm long. It was originally collected in the Norbulingka in Tibet and is now collected in the Tibet Museum.</ref>]]

The Dalai Lama was again invited to meet the Ming emperor, and this time he accepted but fell ill and died in 1588, at the age of 45,<ref name="Bryant Wheel" />) in Mongolia while returning to Tibet.<ref>Norbu, Thubten Jigme and Turnbull, Colin M. (1968). ''Tibet: An account of the history, religion and the people of Tibet'', p. 220. Touchstone Books, New York. {{ISBN|0-671-20099-2}} (hbk); {{ISBN|0-671-20559-5}} (pbk).</ref><ref>Laird (2006), p. 146-147.</ref>

Altan Khan's great-grandson, [[Yonten Gyatso]], was identified as the [[4th Dalai Lama]].

"''To others give the victory and the spoils; The loss and defeat, take upon oneself''" — Sonam Gyatso.<ref>Norbu, Thubten Jigme and Turnbull, Colin M. (1968). ''Tibet: An account of the history, the religion and the people of Tibet''. Reprint: Touchstone Books. New York. {{ISBN|0-671-20559-5}}, p. 321.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* ''Essence of Refined Gold by the Third Dalai Lama: with related texts by the Second and Seventh Dalai Lamas''. (1978) Translated by Glenn H. Mullin. Tushita Books, Dharamsala, H.P., India.
* {{cite book|first=Peter|last=Schwieger|title=The Dalai Lama and the Emperor of China: a political history of the Tibetan institution of reincarnation|location=New York|publisher=Columbia University Press|year=2014|oclc=905914446|isbn=978-0-231-53860-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dHoyBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA33}}

==Further reading==
* Mullin, Glenn H. (2001). ''The Fourteen Dalai Lamas: A Sacred Legacy of Reincarnation'', pp.&nbsp;129–163. Clear Light Publishers. Santa Fe, New Mexico. {{ISBN|1-57416-092-3}}.

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090802162134/http://www.tbrc.org/kb/tbrc-detail.xq tbrc.org: bsod nams rgya mtsho]
* Sönam Gyatso: 16th or 17th century gilt copper portrait sculpture in the Oriental Collections of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia: https://web.archive.org/web/20130105184636/http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/03/hm3_5_7a.html

{{s-start}}
{{s-rel|bu}}
{{s-bef|before=[[2nd Dalai Lama|Gendun Gyatso]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Dalai Lama]]|years=1578–1588}}
{{s-aft|after=[[4th Dalai Lama|Yonten Gyatso]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Dalai Lamas}}
{{Buddhism topics}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gyatso, Sonam}}
[[Category:1543 births]]
[[Category:1588 deaths]]
[[Category:Dalai Lamas|*3]]
[[Category:16th-century Tibetan people]]