Khedrup Gelek Pelzang
Encyclopedia
Khedrup Gelek Pelzang better known as Khedrup Je, the 1st Panchen Lama, was one of the main disciples of Lama Tsongkhapa (founder of the Gelug
tradition of Tibetan Buddhism
).
Before becoming Tsongkhapa's foremost disciple, Khedrup Je had been a learned Sakyapa scholar. He is considered to be a reincarnation of Manjushri, the Buddha of Wisdom. He wrote an important text on Kalachakra
initiation which is still used by Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama
, as the basis of his public initiations into the Kalachakra. Altogether, there are nine volumes of his collected works, containing fifty-eight treatises.
Khedrup was posthumously decided to have been a previous incarnation of Lobsang Chökyi Gyaltsen (1570–1662), and is considered to be the First Panchen Lama and, like all the Panchen Lamas, was an incarnation of Amitabha
Buddha.
Traditionally, there were considered to be four Indian and three Tibetan incarnations before Khedrup, starting with Subhuti
, one of the original disciples of Gautama Buddha
.
Khedrup Je was unanimously chosen as Ganden Monastery
's third abbot (after Tsongkhapa and Gyaltsab Je
) by its monks, and also became the Ganden Tripa
, the leader of the Gelug tradition.
Khedrub Je was a prolific writer (for example on Kalachakra
), and founded Baiju Monastery
in Gyantse
District in Tibet in 1418. He also wrote many prayer books.
He founded the large Riwo Choling Monastery in the Yarlung Valley
which is now just a heap of ruins.
Gelug
The Gelug or Gelug-pa , also known as the Yellow Hat sect, is a school of Buddhism founded by Je Tsongkhapa , a philosopher and Tibetan religious leader...
tradition of Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
).
Before becoming Tsongkhapa's foremost disciple, Khedrup Je had been a learned Sakyapa scholar. He is considered to be a reincarnation of Manjushri, the Buddha of Wisdom. He wrote an important text on Kalachakra
Kalachakra
Kalachakra is a Sanskrit term used in Tantric Buddhism that literally means "time-wheel" or "time-cycles".The spelling Kalacakra is also correct....
initiation which is still used by Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
, as the basis of his public initiations into the Kalachakra. Altogether, there are nine volumes of his collected works, containing fifty-eight treatises.
Amitabha
Amitābha is a celestial buddha described in the scriptures of the Mahāyāna school of Buddhism...
Buddha.
Traditionally, there were considered to be four Indian and three Tibetan incarnations before Khedrup, starting with Subhuti
Subhuti
Subhūti was one of the Ten Great Śrāvakas of Śākyamuni Buddha, and foremost in the understanding of emptiness. In Sanskrit, his name literally means "Good Existence" . He is also sometimes referred to as or "Elder Subhūti"...
, one of the original disciples of Gautama Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
.
Khedrup Je was unanimously chosen as Ganden Monastery
Ganden Monastery
Ganden Monastery or Ganden Namgyeling is one of the 'great three' Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet, located at the top of Wangbur Mountain, Tagtse County, 36 kilometers ENE from the Potala Palace in Lhasa, at an altitude of 4,300m...
's third abbot (after Tsongkhapa and Gyaltsab Je
Gyaltsab Je
Gyaltsab Je or more elaborately, Gyaltsab Dharma Rinchen was born in the Tsang province of central Tibet. He was a famous student of Je Tsongkhapa, and actually became the first Ganden Tripa of the Gelug tradition after Je Tsongkhapa's death.Gyaltsab Je was a prolific writer; one of his most...
) by its monks, and also became the Ganden Tripa
Ganden Tripa
The Ganden Tripa or Gaden Tripa is the title of the spiritual leader of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, the school which controlled central Tibet from the mid-17th century until 1950s. He is identical with the respective abbot of Ganden Monastery...
, the leader of the Gelug tradition.
Khedrub Je was a prolific writer (for example on Kalachakra
Kalachakra
Kalachakra is a Sanskrit term used in Tantric Buddhism that literally means "time-wheel" or "time-cycles".The spelling Kalacakra is also correct....
), and founded Baiju Monastery
Palcho Monastery
The Palcho Monastery or Pelkor Chode Monastery or Shekar Gyantse is the main monastery in Gyantse, Gyangzê County, Shigatse Prefecture, Tibet, in the Nyangchu river valley...
in Gyantse
Gyantse
Gyantse is a town located in Gyangzê County, Shigatse Prefecture. It was historically considered the third largest and most prominent town in the Tibet region , but there are now at least ten larger Tibetan cities.-Location:The town is strategically located in the Nyang River Valley on the ancient...
District in Tibet in 1418. He also wrote many prayer books.
He founded the large Riwo Choling Monastery in the Yarlung Valley
Yarlung Valley
The Yarlung Valley is formed by the Yarlung River and refers especially to the district where it joins with the Chongye River, and broadens out into a large plain about 2 km wide, before they flow north into the Yarlung Zangbo River or Brahmaputra. It is situated in Nedong County of Lhokha...
which is now just a heap of ruins.
Further reading
- The Great Seal of Voidness: The Root Text for the Ge-lug/Ka-gyu Tradition of Mahamudra. The Main Path All Buddhas Have Travelled (dGe-ldan bkah-brgyud rin-po-chehi phyag-chen rtza-ba rg yal-bahi gzhung-lam). (1975) Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey et al. Library of Tibetan Works and Archives. Dharamsala, H.P., India.