Jonangpa - The 5th tradition of Tibetan Buddhism

[DS Star]

http://youtu.be/qi4u3ZKlBf4
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"The Jonang tradition is the primary holder of the Dro transmission and practice lineage of the Kalachakra Tantra, the Six Yogas of the Kalachakra completion stage, and the Zhentong (gzhan stong) or "emptiness of other" view...

In the 17th century, during the rule of Fifth Dalai Lama, the Geluk persecuted the Jonang and forcibly closed or converted the Jonang monasteries in Central Tibet. After this persecution, the Jonang were thought to have become extinct.

Recently, a number of remote Jonang monasteries were "re-discovered". In these monasteries the Jonang tradition continues its studies and practices uninterruptedly up to the present. Nowadays, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has repeatedly expressed his admiration for the preservation of the Jonang tradition and their Kalachakra practice.

...As a gesture of his support for the Jonang, His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama gifted the Jonang their first and only monastery in exile in Shimla, Northern India. This was named Takten Phuntsok Ling Monastery and is now the main center for the Jonang outside of Tibet. His Holiness also appointed Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa Rinpoche, who is the reincarnation of the famous Jonang master Taranatha and head of the Gelug tradition in Mongolia, to be the main representative for the Jonangpa tradition. "

- from "History of Jonang" article in http://kalachakranet.org/kalachakra_tantra_jonang_history.html

http://youtu.be/2KfD1uRJsDs

From his decisions and actions, HH the 14th Dalai Lama had shown his recognition of Jonang tradition. HHDL is reversing the decisions and actions by the Great Fifth Dalai Lama who had annexed and closed down the Jonang monasteries.

Similarly, when HHDL imposed the ban on Dorje Shugden practice, he is also reversing the decision and actions of the Great Fifth Dalai Lama...

"As all rituals failed, the 5th Dalai Lama soon realised that Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen was indeed not a spirit and had actually manifested as a Dharma Protector – Dorje Shugden. The Dalai Lama proceed to compose a praise in recognition of his awakened qualities. With this recognition by the Great Fifth, the calamities, dying of livestock, hail, earthquakes and all terrible things ceased. Everything flourished in the land once again and peace was restored.

This was how he was given the name Dorje Shugden. The 5th Dalai Lama subsequently ordered a temple of Dorje Shugden to be built in Lhasa. It was named Trode Khangsar and still stands there to this day as a popular pilgrimage site.

The Dalai Lama even made a statue of Dorje Shugden with his own hands, which he offered to Phelgyeling Monastery along with the practice. This statue can still be seen in Phelgyeling Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, where the monks have relocated since the 1950s."
- "Enthronement of Dorje Shugden", http://www.dorjeshugden.com/introduction/history/enthronement-of-dorje-shugden/

I wonder why HH the 14th Dalai Lama is reversing the decisions and actions by his own previous incarnation i.e. the Great Fifth; is it some kind of rebellious actions?

[Big Uncle]

Hey DS Star,

I found the answer to your question about why the Great Fifth Dalai Lama suppressed the Jonang tradition in a website, ( http://kalachakranet.org/kalachakra_tantra_jonang_history.html )

In the mid 17th century, the Jonang came under attack by the Geluk under the rule of the Fifth Dalai Lama. The Geluk considered the Zhentong view of emptiness to be heretical, and they sealed Jonang libraries, burned Jonang books, and forcibly converted Jonang monasteries into Geluk monasteries. However, the Geluk's real reason for their effort in eradicating the Jonang tradition was political, as the Jonang had politically 'dangerous' contacts with the Mongolians for the ruling Geluk.
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama confirmed this view in Glenn Mullin's The Fourteen Dalai Lamas (p.207):

"These monasteries were closed for political reasons, not religious ones, and their closing had nothing to do with sectarianism. They had supported the Tsangpa king in the uprising, thus committing treason. The Great Fifth believed that they should be closed in order to insure the future stability of the nation, and to dissuade other monasteries from engaging in warfare.

His Holiness continued, The fact is that the Great Fifth passed laws outlawing sectarian skirmishes, and passed laws ensuring the freedom of religion. This freedom was extended to not only the Buddhist schools, but also to the non-Buddhist ones. For example, he kept a Bonpo lama in his entourage to speak for the interests of the Bon movement. And on a personal level, he himself practiced so many non-Gelukpa lineages that the Gelukpas criticized him for straying from his roots."

However, I think that the Great Fifth took such a drastic measure because the fledgling Gelug tradition was in very real danger from many factions, namely the Karma Kagyu faction that were patronized by the Tsangpa Kings and also from Jonang tradition which were patronized by the Mongols. Therefore, he acted to safeguard the Gelug tradition as it was necessary at that time. It was a time where one had to exert overwhelming military power or be swallowed up. His military actions meant the survival of the Gelug tradition.