Thubten Künga

Last updated March 07, 2019

Thubten Künga (1886 – 1964) was a Tibetan religious leader, and the 96th Ganden Tripa, the spiritual head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism between 1954 and 1964.

The Ganden Tripa or Gaden Tripa is the title of the spiritual leader of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, the school that controlled central Tibet from the mid-17th century until the 1950s. The 103rd Ganden Tripa, Jetsun Lobsang Tenzin died in office on 21 April 2017. Jangtse Choejey Kyabje Jetsun Lobsang Tenzin Palsangpo is the current Ganden Tripa.

Tibetan Buddhism is the form of Buddhist doctrine and institutions named after the lands of Tibet, but also found in the regions surrounding the Himalayas and much of Central Asia. It derives from the latest stages of Indian Buddhism and preserves "the Tantric status quo of eighth-century India." It has been spread outside of Tibet, especially due to the Mongol power of the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), founded by Kublai Khan, that also ruled China.

Biography

Thubten Künga was born in Shigatse. He gained his Geshe Lharampa degree during the 13th Dalai Lama's rule. He became an alternate Ganden Tripa in 1946, and the 96th Ganden Tripa in 1954. He was the president of the Tibetan branch of the Buddhist Association of China from 1956, and vice-president of the Buddhist Association of China from 1962.^[1]

Shigatse, officially known as Xigazê, is a prefecture-level city of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, with an area of 182,000 km² (70,271 sq mi). It is located within the historical Tsang province of Tibet.

13th Dalai Lama 19th and 20th-century Dalai Lama of Tibet

Thubten Gyatso was the 13th Dalai Lama of Tibet.

The Buddhist Association of China is a major organization of Chinese Buddhism, which serves as the official supervisory organ of Buddhism in the People's Republic of China. Its headquarters are located in Guangji Temple in Beijing.

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References

↑ Cao, Ziqiang; Mao, Xiang; Shera Nyima (1995). Monasteries and Monks of Tibet (in Chinese). Beijing: China Tibetology Press. p. 144.

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[1] Cao, Ziqiang; Mao, Xiang; Shera Nyima (1995). Monasteries and Monks of Tibet (in Chinese). Beijing: China Tibetology Press. p. 144.