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BIRTH
OF THE DRUKPA LINEAGE
The Star, Mon Aug 13, 2007 Stories
& Photos: The Star/Hilary Chiew
TIBETAN
Buddhism or the Vajrayana tradition consists of four schools – the
Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu and Gelug.
The
Drukpa lineage, one of the more notable sub-sects of the Kagyu
school, was established in 1206 after its founder, Tsangpa Gyare
(1161-1211), saw nine dragons soaring into the sky from the earth at
the holy place where his guru, Lingchen Repa, had instructed him to
build a monastery.
Believing
it to be an auspicious sign, he promptly named his sect Druk
(meaning dragon), which also refers to the sound of thunder in
Tibetan. The spot where the monastery was built was named Namdruk
(Sky Dragon).
Buddhism
had arrived in Western Ladakh via Kashmir in the second century,
when it was a part of Tibet’s Kushan empire. At that time, much of
eastern Ladakh and western Tibet were practising the shamanistic Bon
religion.
Ladakh,
a land of high passes located on one of the Silk Road networks,
became an important trading centre. In 842AD, after the collapse of
the Kushan empire, a member of the royal family annexed Ladakh for
himself and founded an independent Ladakhi dynasty.
This
dynasty spearheaded the second spread of Buddhism by inviting
masters from northwest India to revive Buddhist teachings, besides
sending scholars to India to acquire knowledge. Its rulers also
constructed many monasteries throughout Ladakh and Tibet.
In
the 12th century, the dynasty expanded its rule into present-day
Nepal. However, in the next two centuries, the kingdom was invaded
by the Balti-Kashmir armies, which led to the partial conversion of
the predominantly Buddhist Ladakhis to Islam.
In
1470, Ladakh was reunited by the distant cousin of its then ruling
king, who founded the Namgyal (meaning victorious) dynasty, which
survives until today.
The
dynasty helped the Drukpa lineage to establish monasteries, and
successive reincarnated spiritual gurus strengthened the influence
of the lineage in Ladakh.
In
Bhutan, possibly the only remaining Tibetan Buddhist kingdom in the
world, the lineage is the dominant school and state religion. In
fact, the small Himalayan kingdom also takes the name of Druk Yul,
which means “Land of the Thunder Dragon”.
The
fourth reincarnation of Tsangpa Gyare – Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal
(1594-1651) – united the warring regions in Bhutan and became the
political and religious leader there.
He
devised many of Bhutan’s customs, traditions and ceremonies, thus
forging a unique cultural identity that’s distinct from Tibet’s.
The
Tibetan diaspora, particularly following the political persecution
of Tibetans under Chinese rule since 1950, further encouraged the
mushrooming of Tibetan Buddhism sects in various parts of India and
beyond.
Ladakh
is also known as “Little Tibet” for its significant population
of Tibetan descendants and preservation of threatened Tibetan
culture, notably the way of life of the monks and nuns.
Ladakh
is situated between the Himalaya and the Karakoram mountain ranges,
with altitudes between 2,500m and 7,000m above sea level.
It
borders Tibet, Pakistan and Kashmir Valley and consists of the Leh
and Kargil districts. Its importance as a trade post diminished
after 1960, when China closed its borders with Tibet and Central
Asia.
Since
1974, the Indian Government has encouraged nature-based tourism to
boost its local economies.
Today,
Ladakh attracts some 18,000 adventure-tourists annually. With a
population of 260,000, it is also the least inhabited part of India
because of its very harsh conditions. It receives less than 100mm of
rain per year.
Predominantly
Buddhist, Ladakh had asked for autonomy from the Muslim
Kashmiri-dominated Indian Government.
This
led to violent riots between its Buddhist and Muslim population in
1989. As a result, the Ladakh Hill Development Council was created
in 1993.
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