The 'Jonang' () school of
Tibetan Buddhism became widely known at the end of the
13th century. Its origins in Tibet can be traced to early 12th century master Yumo Mikyo Dorje, but became much wider known with the help of
Dolpopa Sherab Gyeltsen, a monk originally trained in the
Sakya school. The Jonang school was widely thought to have become extinct in the late
17th century at the hands of the
Fifth Dalai Lama who forcibly annexed the Jonang monasteries to his
Gelug school. Recently, however, it was discovered that some remote Jonang monasteries escaped this fate and have continued practicing uninterrupted to this day. An estimated 5,000 monks and nuns of the Jonang tradition practice today in areas at the edge of historic
Gelug influence.
History of the Jonang school
In 1294, the monk Kunpang Tukje Tsondru established the Puntsok Choling monastery at 'Jomonang', about 160 km northwest of the
Tashilhunpo monastery in
Shigatse, and since then, the sprititual tradition became known as Jonang.
The Jonang tradition combines two specific teachings; the so-called
zhentong (or shentong) philosophy of emptiness, and the 'Dro-lineage' of the
Kalachakra tantra. The origin of this combination in Tibet can be found with the master Yumo Mikyo Dorje - an 11th/12th century pupil of the Kashmiri master Somanatha.
The Jonang school has generated a number of renowned
Buddhist scholars, like
Dolpopa Sherab Gyeltsen (1292-1361), but the most famous was Jetsun
Taranatha (
1575-
1634). Taranatha placed great emphasis on the
Kalachakra system of
tantra which became an important part of
Gelug teaching after the Gelugpa (i.e. followers of the Gelug) absorbed the Jonang monasteries. Taranatha's influence on Gelugpa thinking continues even to this day in the teaching of the present
14th Dalai Lama who actively promotes initiation into Kalachakra.
After several centuries of independence, however, in the late 17th century the Jonang order came under attack by the
Fifth Dalai Lama who forcibly converted their monasteries to the Gelug order.
Stated reason for Jonang suppression: the ''Shentong'' heresy
While the Gelugpa embraced the Jonang teaching on the Kalachakra, they ultimately opposed the Jonangpa (followers of the Jonang) over a difference in philosophical view. Yumo Mikio Dorje (11th/12th century),
Dolpopa Sherab Gyeltsen (1292-1361) and subsequent
lamas maintained a teaching known as
Shentong, which holds that only the clear-light, non-dual nature of the mind is 'real', and everything else is empty. The Gelug school held the distinct but related
Rangtong view where all phenomena are seen as empty (of inherent existence) and no thing or process (including Mind and its qualities) may be asserted as independent or inherently real (neither may phenomena be asserted as "unreal" - in short, all assertions are seen to be groundless). An additional motivation in criticizing the Jonang sect as Chan-followers was that it enabled the Gelugpa to lay claim to the high moral ground previously held only by the rival
Nyingma sect who were proud of their ancient transmission from the Indian saints.
Actual reasons: monastery financial reform and Tibetan geopolitics
Modern historians have identified two other reasons which more likely led the Gelugpa to suppress the Jonangpa:
First, the Jonang school taught that large gifts of property to monasteries did not help one achieve enlightenment. This undercut the financial practices of the Gelugpa who were growing rapidly through exactly those means at the time.
Second, and more significantly, the Jonangpa had political ties that were very vexing to the Gelugpa. The Jonangpa, along with the
Kagyupa, were historical allies with the powerful house of
Tsang which was vying with the Dalai Lama and his Gelug school for control of central Tibet. This was bad enough, but soon after the death of Taranatha an even more ominous event occurred: Taranatha's reincarnation was discovered to be a young boy named
Zanabazar the son of Prince
Tüsheet Khan, ruler of Central
Khalkha.
Tüsheet Khan and his son were of
Borjigin lineage, meaning they had the birth authority to become
Khan. When the young boy was declared the spiritual leader of all of
Mongolia, suddenly the Gelugpa were faced with the possibility of war with the former military
superpower of
Asia. While the
Mongol Empire was long past its zenith, this was nonetheless a frightening prospect and the Dalai Lama sought the first possible moment of Mongol distraction to take control of the Jonangpa monasteries.
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama confirmed this view in Glenn Mullin's ''The Fourteen Dalai Lamas'' (Clear Light Publishers, 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."
(Then Mullin goes on to offer historical evidence supporting His Holiness's statements.)
Rediscovery by the outside world and current status
In accordance with the observation that "victors write history" the Jonangpa were until recently thought to be an extinct heretical sect. Thus,
Tibetologists were astonished when fieldwork turned up several active Jonangpa monasteries, including the main monastery called
Tsangwa located in Tibet,
Dzamthang County,
Sichuan,
China. Almost 40 monasteries, comprising about 5,000 monks, have subsequently been found, including some in the
Amdo and
Gyarong districts of
Qinghai and the
Tibet Autonomous Region. Presumably these remnants survived because they were far from the Gelugpa capital at
Lhasa and closer to sympathetic powers in
Qing Dynasty China.
Interestingly, one of the primary supporters of the Jonang lineage in exile has been the
14th Dalai Lama of the Gelugpa. The Dalai Lama donated buildings in
Himachal Pradesh state in
Shimla,
India for use as a Jonang monastery (now known as Thakten Puntsok Ling) and has visited during one of His recent teaching tours. The
Karmapa of the
Karma Kagyu lineage has visited there as well.
The Jonang tradition has recently officially registered with the Tibetan Government in exile to be recognized as the fifth living Buddhist tradition of Tibet. The
14th Dalai Lama assigned
Khalkha Jetsun Dampa Rinpoche or the 'Bogd Gegeen' of
Mongolia (who is an incarnation of
Taranatha) as the leader of the Jonang tradition.
References
★ Mullin, G. ''The Fourteen Dalai Lamas: A Sacred Legacy of Reincarnation.'' ISBN 1-57416-039-7.
★ Gruschke, A. (2000). ''The Jonangpa Order - Causes for the downfall, conditions of the survival and current situation of a presumably extinct Tibetan-Buddhist School.'' Ninth Seminar of The International Association for Tibetan Studies
★ Stearns, Cyrus (1999). ''The Buddha from Dolpo: A Study of the Life and Thought of the Tibetan Master Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen''. State University of New York Press. ISBN 0-7914-4191-1 (hc); ISBN 0-7914-4192-X (pbk)
External links
★
Jonang Foundation
★
Tibetan Buddhist Rime Institute - ''Holder of Kalachakra Jonang''
★
History of the Jonang Tradition - ''International Kalachakra Network''
★
[1] Abstract for Gruschke, A. (2000). The Jonangpa Order - Causes for the downfall, conditions of the survival and current situation of a presumably extinct Tibetan-Buddhist School. Ninth Seminar of The International Association for Tibetan Studies
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