80 Sarat Chandra Das— The Hierarchy of the Dalai Lama. [Ex. No. 
The Hierarchy of the Dalai Lama (1406-1745).—By Bai Sarat Chandra 
Das Bahadur , C.I.E. 
The reformed Buddhist Church called Shwa-ser 1 the school of 
yellow-cap Lamas, founded by Tsongkhapa acquired such a celebrity 
within a few years of its birth that in the year 1406 Yuuglo, the third Em - 
peror of the Ta Ming dynasty, sent an invitation to the great reformer to 
visit Peking. Finding his time fully necessary for scriptural as well a s 
monastic reformation, Tsongkhapa was unable to comply with Yunglo’s 
wish. He, however, sent his principal disciple to enlighten the devout 
monarch in the mysteries of Lamaism as developed in the reformed 
school, in the following year. 
On his arrival at Peking, pakya Ye£es 2 found the Emperor suffer- 
ing from a serious illness. He performed several religious ceremonies, 
which were believed to have effected a speedy recovery. Under his 
direction a huge image of Maitreya, the coming Buddha, called Cham, 
chen, 3 was constructed and placed in the monastery of Yung-ho-kung * 
founded by Yung-lo himself. Qakya Ye£es was appointed high priest 
of this monastery and given the title of Chamchen Choije. 4 He founded 
the great monastery of Hwang-sze or Yellow Temple in one of the im¬ 
perial gardens situated to the north of Peking.f On his return journey to 
Tibet he took the circuitous Mongolian route and paid a visit to his 
tutor and chief Tsongkhapa, making large presents to him. 
Shortly, after his return to Lhasa, in the year 1418, he founded the 
great monastery of Sera Theg cheling 6 with the wealth which he had 
amassed during his residence in the capital of China. Sera, in time, rose 
to great distinction and was resorted to by Lamas as a seat of learning. 
It now contains 5,500 monks and is second only to Dapung 6 in rank. 
* This monastery is now presided over by an incarnate Lama and contains about 
1,000 monks, mostly, Mongolians. I visited it several times during my residence in 
Peking, in 1885. 
f During my residence in Peking I was accommodated in this monastery as the 
guest of Kusho Kudub-pa, agent of the grand Lama of Lhasa. It contains the 
marble tomb of great artistic workmanship and beauty erected by Emperor 
Kuenlong in honour of the Tashi Lama Paldan Yeses, Warren Hasting’s friend, who 
died of smallpox in Peking. 
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