362 A TIBETAN EPISODE. 



would be ill the ascendant in the heavens of the whole 

 Buddhist world. ^ 



The scheme is one of attraction and is worthy of con- 

 sideration, though it is perhaps open to doubt whether 

 the present Tashe - Lama would prove favourable to 

 foreigners, and if so, whether he could be persuaded to 

 assume the temporal authority of the Dalai -Lama at 

 Lhassa. Spiritually he is the superior of the high 

 priest at the capital, as being the reincarnation of the 

 Dhyani Buddha Amitabha, while the latter is only 

 the reincarnation of the Bodhisat Avalokita ; but his 

 spiritual superiority is also due, no doubt, as suggested 

 by Waddell,^ to his being less contaminated with tem- 

 poral government and worldly politics. On the other 

 hand, the Tashe-Lama appears in the past to have seen 

 no objection to interesting himself in mundane affairs. 

 Mr Bogle, for instance, the capable envoy of Warren 



1 The so-called double-hierarchy of the Dalai- and Tashe-Lamas originated 

 with the Grand Lama Nag-wan Lo-zan, the sixth in descent from the 

 great reformer and originator of the system of perpetual reincarnation, 

 Geden-dub, who had founded the Tashe-llunpo Monastery in 1445. At his 

 instigation a Mongol prince conquered Tibet in 1640 and presented it to him, 

 together with the title of Dalai-Lama, thus raising him to the high position 

 of priest-king. In this position and title he was confirmed by the Emperor 

 of China on the occasion of a visit to Peking in 1650. It seems, however, 

 that the regency was usually held by a vice-regent called the Gesub Einpoche, 

 who occupied the position of a temporal sovereign. Early in the eighteenth 

 century the tyranny and oppression of the administration of the vice-regent, 

 Wang Cusho, who was in power at that time, and his intention of becoming 

 independent of China, were reported by the Dalai-Lama to Peking. As a 

 result of this report Wang Cusho was put to death, and the administration 

 placed by the Chinese Emperor in the hands of the Dalai-Lama himself, 

 who has retained an increased temporal power ever since. At the time of 

 Mr Bogle's mission he found the executive administration in the hands of a 

 regent — the then Dalai-Lama being under age — assisted by a council of four 

 other ministers styled hthlons. This appears to be the position at 

 Lhassa at the present time, though for the first time for many years the 

 position of regent is occupied by a Dalai-Lama who has been so fortunate 

 as to have lived to attain his majoi'ity. 



2 In his ' Buddhism of Tibet.' 



