Name Kuenga Gyaltshen Wylie name kun dga rgyal mtshan Name etymology Great joy of all sentient beings, banner of victory Naming history Person type Ethnicity Clan Khön Gender male Occupation Biographical Summary Sakya Pandita is among the most important and influential figures of the Renaissance period. Born in 1182 into the aristocratic Khön family, he is revered as the fourth patriarch of the Sakya tradition and was one of the greatest early scholars. The author of over one hundred titles, he is remembered for his opposition to what he believed were non-Indian innovations, from both Chinese and indigenous sources, to Tibetan Buddhism. In 1244 he was summoned to the court of the Mongol prince Köden (Godan), the grandson of Genghis Khan, where he taught and is reported to have healed the prince of leprosy. Köden granted Sakya Pandita temporal authority over Ü and Tsang in 1249, laying the groundwork for the preceptor-patron (mchod yon) relationship that became the model for Mongol/Chinese and Tibetan relations. He named his nephew, Phakpa (phags pa, 1235-1280), as his successor before he died in 1252 (Rhoton). Birth date (Tibetan) Water Male Tiger (Roerich 211) Birth date (international) 1182 (Roerich 211) Birth place (Tibetan) Death date Iron Female Hog (Roerich 211) Death date (international) 1251 (Roerich 211) Death place Liang-chou Family Sakya Khön Main Teacher Śākyaśrībhadra (1140?-1225) Teachers Drakpa Gyeltsen (grags pa rgyal mtshan ) (1147-1216); Shutön Dorje Kyab; Tshurtön Shönnu Sengge; Tsek Wangchuk Sengge; Jiwo Lhepa Changchup Ö; Samghaśrī; Dānaśīla; Sugataśrī (Rhoton 11) Main Disciple Phakpa (phags pa) (1235-1280) Disciples Spheres of activity Ü and Tsang; Sakya; Samyé; Kyirong; Trulpa’i de in Liang-chou Sect Sakya Detailed Template IDs TBRC ID: P1056 Names and titles (ming dang mgo sa) Name (ming gzhan dag/): kun dga rgyal mtshan Etymology: Type (rigs): Primary Name (ming gtso bo/): sa skya pang chen kun dga rgyal mtshan Primary Title: 4th Sakya Patriarch Title: Lord of the Dharma (chos rje) Personal Name: kun dga rgyal mtshan Birth names: Palden Döndrup (Rhoton, 11) Nicknames: Sapan Epithets: Family Name: Khön Types (rigs) Sentient being type (sems can rigs mi dra/): human historical/mythological religious scholar Gender (pho mo/): male (mo) Ethnicity (mi rigs): Birth and death (khrungs das) Birth International date (khrungs dus/ _spyi oi lo zla tshes grangs/): 1182 (Roerich 211) Birth Tibetan date (khrungs dus/ _spyi loi lo zla tshes grangs/): Water Male Tiger (Roerich 211) Death date (das dus/ _spyi oi lo zla tshes grangs/): 1251 (Roerich 211) Death date Tibetan (khrungs dus/ _spyi loi lo zla tshes grangs/): Iron Female Hog (Roerich 211) Places & Institutions (yul) Birth place (khrung yul/): Death place (das yul/): Liang-chou Principal sphere(s) of activity (spyod yul/): Ü and Tsang; Sakya; Samyé (1220s or 1230s); Kyirong (~1240); Trulpa’i de in Liang-chou (1247-1251) Family (khyim tshang/) Paternal clan (a phai rus pai ming/): Khön Maternal clan (a mai rus pai ming/): Related individuals: Father: Palchen Öpo (dpal chen od po) Mother: Nyithri Cham of Mangkhar (Rhoton 11) Brother: Sangtsha (1184-1239) (Rhoton 9) Uncle: Drakpa Gyeltsen (grags pa rgyal mtshan ) (1147-1216) Uncle: Sönam Tsémo Grandfather: Sachen Kunga Nyingpo (sa chen kun dga snying po) Great-grandfather: Könchok Gyalpo (dkon mchog rgyal po) (1034-1100) Grandmother: Machik Ödrön Nephew: Phakpa (phags pa) (1235-1280) Associates Types: *Main Patron: *Main Teacher: Śākyaśrībhadra (1140?-1225) *Teachers: Drakpa Gyeltsen (grags pa rgyal mtshan ) (1147-1216); Shutön Dorje Kyab; Tshurtön Shönnu Sengge; Tsek Wangchuk Sengge; Jiwo Lhepa Changchup Ö; Samghaśrī; Dānaśīla; Sugataśrī (Rhoton 11) *Main Disciple: Phakpa (phags pa) (1235-1280) *Disciples: *Enemy: *Deity: *Vision: Sapan had a vision of the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī during a guruyoga initiation ceremony imparted by Drakpa Gyeltshen (Rhoton 12). He also received a prophecy to Buddhahood from Drakpa Gyeltshen, Virūpa and Krnsapāda (Rhoton 18) Incarnational pedigree Past Lives: Future Lives: Emanations of: Mañjuśrī (Davidson, 345) Education (slob sbyong) Study Institutions: Thrang, Kyangdur, Chumik Ringmo (Rhoton 11) Teaching Institutions: Sakya; Samyé; Trulpa’i de east of Liang-chou Lineages: Lamdré lineage: Virūpa > Sachen Kunga Nyingpo > Drakpa Gyeltshen > Sakya Pandita > Phakpa > Khubilai Khan (Davidson 351) Things studied (doctrines, ritual, literature): Sakya Pandita was sent to Central Tibet in 1200 where he studied yogācāra, madhyamaka, and the logic and epistemology of Dharmakīrti. Under Śākyaśrībhadra he studied the abhidharma vinaya, prajñāpāramitā, and madhyamaka. His non-religious education included the study of medicine, court-epic poetical literature (kāvya), and literary criticism (alamkāra). As a pandita he was an expert in all recognized branches of Indian Buddhism (Rhoton 4) . Things taught Career Occupation Religious sectarian affilialtion (chos lugs): Sakayapa Institutional base(s): Sakya Summary of career activities: Sapan began formal studies in 1200 when he went to Thrang. He met Śākyaśrībhadra in 1204 and began studying with him the following year. Sapan took full monastic ordination in 1208 and took the chair of Sakya monastery following Drakpa Gyeltshens death in 1216. At some point in the 1220s or 1230s he went to Samyé to teach at the invitation of Shākya Gong (Rhoton 12). He wrote and translated numerous texts including manuals and commentaries. In 1240 he went to the border area of Kyirong where it is reported that he debated and defeated Harinanda, a non-Buddhist Indian scholar. He was summoned to the Mongol court in Kansu in 1244 and he arrived there in 1247. He continued to teach until his death in 1251. Productions While residing at Samyé, Sapan paid for its renovation and painted an image of Mañjuśrī (Rhoton 12). Writings (rtsom yig) *mkhas pa rnams jug pai sgo (Entrance Gate for the Wise) *legs par bshad pa rin po chei gter (Treasury of Aphoristic Jewels) *tshad ma rigs gter (Treasury of Epistemology) *thub pai dgongs gsal (Clarifying the Sages Intention) *sdom gsum rab dbye (A Clear Differentiation of three codes) *sgrai bstan bcos *tshad mai bstan bcos sde bdun gyi snying po rig pai gter grel pa dang bcas pa *bzoi bstan bcos *sku gzugs kyi bstan bcos *sa brtag pa *bstan pa rin po chei rtsis *yan lag brgyad pai bsdus don *phyogs bcui sangs rgyas byang chub sems dpa la zhu bai phrin yig dang skyes bu dam pa rnams la springs yig sogs phrin yig dang zhus lan mang ba *grub mtha rnam byed *pha rol phyin pai gzhung lugs spyii tshogs chos chen mo *bdag med mai bstod pai grel pa *rdo rje theg pai man ngag rten brel lngai yi ge *lam sbas bshad dang bla mai rnal byor *sems bskyed chen mo lung sbyor *chos nyams su blang bai rim pa *theg pa chen poi lam gyi rnam gzhag mdor bsdus *bsngo bai yon bshad *bdag nyid kyi rnam thar nga brgyad mai rtsa grel *sdeb sbyor me tog gi chun po *snyan ngag mkhas pai kha rgyan *mngon brjod tshig gi gter *zlos gar rab dgai jug pa *rol moi bstan bcos *byis pa bde blag tu jug pai grel pa *bstod pa rgyud gsum khor loi grel pa *sangs rgyas la bstod pa sogs bstod pa mang po mdzad Timeline/Events DD-MM-YYYY Tibetan Date Title of Event Description of Event Source 1182 Water Male Tiger Birth Roerich 211 1200 left Sakya to begin studies Sapan went to Thrang in the upper Nyang valley to study with Shutön Dorje Kyab Rhoton, 11 1203 Death of Palchen Öpo Sakya Panditas father Rhoton 11 1204 Met with Śākyaśrībhadra Rhoton 11 1208 Ordination Sapan took the full vows of monkhood with Śākyaśrībhadra Rhoton, 3 1216 Death of Drakpa Gyeltshen Sapan took the seat at Sakya after Drakpa Gyeltshens death Rhoton, 14 1220s or 1230s Travels to Samyé Sapan went to Samyé to teach at the invitation of Shākya Gong Rhoton, 12 1240 Debate at Kyirong Sapan debated Harinanda, a non-Buddhist scholar from India, and defeated him. Rhoton, 15 1244 Travels to Kansu Sapan left Sakya and travelled to Liang-chou in Kansu after being summoned by Prince Köden Rhoton, 16 1247 Met with Köden Rhoton, 17 1249 Köden grants Sapan temporal authority over Ü and Tsang Rhoton, 18 1251 Iron Female Hog Death Roerich 211 Short Summary of Life Sakya Pandita Kuenga Gyaltshen (kun dga’ rgyal mtshan, 1182-1251) is one of the most important and revered figures in Tibetan Buddhist history. The fourth patriarch of the Sakya tradition, he is renowned for his scholastic endeavors and abilities and devoted much of his writing to reaffirming the Indic roots of Buddhism in light of what he considered aberrant Tibetan innovations. He was invited to the Mongol court by Prince Köden in 1244 and the time he spent there established the foundation of the patron-preceptor relationship that became the source of Sakya authority in Tibet. Biographical sketch The fourth patriarch of the Sakya tradition and one of the most revered figures in Tibetan history, Sakya Pandita Kuenga Gyaltshen (kun dga’ rgyal mtshan, 1182-1251) was born in 1182 to Palchen Öpo (dpal chen od po) and Nyithri Cham of Mangkar. Born into the powerful Khön clan, Sakya Pandita’s (Sapan) uncle was the famous Drakpa Gyaltshen (grags pa rgyal mtshan, 1147-1216). His grandfather was Sachen Kunga Nyingp (sa chen kun dga’ snying po) and his great-grandfather was the founder of Sakya monastery, Könchok Gyalpo (dkon mchog rgyal po, 1034-1100). Sapan began studying tantric ritual and meditation at a young age under the tutelage of his father and uncle. At the age of eighteen he left home to pursue formal studies in Thrang in the upper Nyang valley with Shutön Dorje Kyab of the Sangphu tradition and who was also a disciple of Drakpa Gyaltshen. For four years he studied epistemology and logic as well as the teachings of the Kadampa, Dzokchen, Shiche, and other systems. He met the famous Indian scholar, Śākyaśrībhadra (1140?-1225) in 1204. Sapan began studying with him the following year and received additional instruction from three other India teachers. His studies were extensive and included training in art, medicine, Sanskrit grammar, epistemology, and Buddhist doctrine as well as the “minor sciences” such as poetry, drama, and metrics (Rhoton, 11-12). His uncle, Drakpa Gyeltshen, passed away in 1216, at which point Sapan succeeded him as the leader of the Sakya monastery. Because he had been the first Khön in several generations to take full monastic vows, he was very much an instrumental figure in the reestablishment of the full observance of the Vinaya code. The ordination of his disciples is emblematic of his larger project, which was to rescue Buddhism in Tibet from what he viewed as aberrant doctrines and practices. Based on the state of the Buddhism during his lifetime, Sapan believed that the doctrine had entered a period of decline and that this was accelerated by the fact that too many people were carelessly accepting false teachings. In numerous works, Sapan criticized virtually every sect and lineage in Tibet, though he did not disclaim the entire tradition. Instead, he based his criticisms on what he viewed as deviance from the original teachings of the various lineages themselves. Sapan’s criticisms—especially those directed toward the practices of Lama Zhang and other Kagyupa traditions—have been considered by many scholars as little more than polemical attacks initiated for sectarian purposes. In large part this is due to the fact that his critiques were straightforward and appeared to move beyond doctrinal debate to personal enmity. However, his criticisms were grounded in doctrinal and philosophical positions (Jackson, 67-94). His measure of authenticity was largely historical and traditionalist—he insisted that teachings be traced to their Indian sources—but he did not discredit the possibility of revealed scripture and ultimately relied on logic and rationality to gauge authenticity. However, he was adamantly opposed to what he considered to be Chinese or Tibetan inventions. One of Sapan’s major points of contention with his contemporaries was regarding the nature and necessity of the three systems of vows (the prātimoksa, the bodhisattva, and the vidyādhara). Sapan insisted the three vows were neither in conflict with one another nor distinct from one another but were bound together through Vajrayāna initiation (Rhoton, 23). Though his pointed criticisms were met with significant and often polemical opposition, Sapan’s extensive knowledge and abilities gained him international fame. For example, Sapan was invited to teach and reside at Samyé, one of the most revered sites in Tibet. Furthermore, he traveled to Kyirong a border region north of Kathmandu to engage in a debate with Harinanda, a non-Buddhist Indian scholar. While the deatails of Harinanda’s background are not clear, there is indication that he was a Hindu logician and had defeated other Buddhist scholars in debates prior to meeting with Sapan. According to histories written well after Sapan’s lifetime, he defeated Harinanda and converted him to Buddhism. Additionally, he was invited to the court of a ruler south of Tibet, though he declined the invitation (Rhoton, 18). The clearest indication of the extent of Sapan’s fame, however, is the fact that he was summoned to the Mongol court in Kansu by Prince Köden in 1244. The circumstances surrounding his summons are not clear, but based on what is reported to be Sapan’s own account, Rhoton and others speculate that he reluctantly agreed to the invitation only because it was accompanied by threat of force against Tibet in the event that he did not comply. Regardless, he reached Ling-chou in Kansu and met with Prince Köden in 1247. It is reported that he healed the Prince of leprosy, and through other miracles and sermons, converted him and his ministers to Mahāyāna Buddhism. Clearly, Sapan impressed the Mongol prince as he was granted temporal authority over Ü and Tsang in 1249. Sapan remained in Ling-chou until his death in 1251 (Rhoton, 16-18). In many ways, Sakya Pandita’s life, and especially his relationship with the Mongol court, is representative of the close of the Renaissance period. In the wake of the collapse of the Tibetan empire, the Renaissance period was characterized by a lack of centralized authority. Though the rise of institutionalized monasticism appeared to be generating new centers of power, this was interrupted and displaced by the patron-preceptor relationship that was established between the Sakya school and the Mongol empire. While this did not come into fruition until Sapan’s nephew and successor, Phakpa (‘phags pa, 1235-1280), was granted the title of imperial preceptor by Qubilai Khan, the roots of the model were laid with Sapan’s relationship with Prince Göden. Translations Pramānavārttika of Dharmakīrti (with Śākyaśrībhadra) Pramānavārttikatīkā of Śamkaranandana (with Samghaśrī) Samksiptapranidhāna of Candragomin Amarakośa of Amarasimha (partial) Kāvyādarśa of Dandin (partial) Āryaguhyamanitilaka (tantra) Āryavajrapātālatantrarāja Sarvatathāgatakāyavākcitta Guhyālamkāravyūhatantrarāja Ganacakravidhi Yuganaddhaprakāśasekaprakriyā Vajrakīlamūlatantra (Rhoton, 13) Images Sources Title: Tibetan Renaissance Author: Ronald M. Davidson Language: English Publisher location: New York Publisher: Columbia University Press Publication year: 2004 Edition (par gzhi): ID/Abbreviation: Title: Sakya Pandita in Encyclopedia of Buddhism, vol II Author: Ronald M. Davidson Editor: Robert E. Buswell Language: English Publisher location: New York Publisher: Thomson Gale Publication year: 2004 Edition (par gzhi): ID/Abbreviation: Title: Enlightenment by a Single Means: Tibetan Controversies on the Self-Sufficient White Remedy (dkar po chig thub) Author: David Jackson Language: English Publisher location: Wien Publisher: Der Österreichischen Akademie Der Wissenschaften Publication year: 1994 Edition (par gzhi): ID/Abbreviation: Title: A Clear Differentiation of the Three Codes: Essential Distinctions among the Individual Liberation, Great Vehicle, and Tantric Systems Author: Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltshen, translated by Jared Douglas Rhoton Language: English Publisher location: Albany Publisher: State University of New York Press Publication year: 2001 Edition (par gzhi): ID/Abbreviation: Title: The Blue Annals Author: Roerich Language: English Publisher location: Publisher: Publication year: Edition (par gzhi): ID/Abbreviation: Title: Author: Language: Publisher location: Publisher: Publication year: Edition (par gzhi): ID/Abbreviation:
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