Dranga Palkye Yongten (, ? – ?), also known as Dranga Yongten or Yongten, was a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

monk of

Tibetan Empire The Tibetan Empire (, ; ) was an empire centered on the Tibetan Plateau, formed as a result of imperial expansion under the Yarlung dynasty heralded by its 33rd king, Songtsen Gampo, in the 7th century. The empire further expanded under the 38 ...

. He served as '' Banchenpo'' (, "Monk Minister") during

Ralpacan Tritsuk Detsen (), better known by his nickname Ralpachen () (c. 806 CE–838), according to traditional sources, was the 41st king of the Yarlung Dynasty of Tibet. He reigned after the death of his father, Sadnalegs, in c. 815, and grew the emp ...

's reign. He was friendly to

Tang China The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

, and signed a peace treaty between Tibet and China after a long-term war. A Chinese mission came to

Lhasa Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level city, prefecture-level Lhasa (prefecture-level city), Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Regio ...

in 821, to meet with Tibetan high officers, and swore an oath of friendship between the two states. They erected three stone monuments in

Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin Shi ...

, Lhasa and Sino-Tibetan border, with the full text of the treaty (both in Chinese and Tibetan) in it. The only remained pillar still stands outside the

Jokhang The Jokhang (, ), also known as the Qoikang Monastery, Jokang, Jokhang Temple, Jokhang Monastery and Zuglagkang ( or Tsuklakang), is a Buddhist temple in Barkhor Square in Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Tibetans, in ...

temple in Lhasa today. According to the text, he was the highest minister of Tibet at that time. Dranga came into conflict with the '' Lönchen'' Wagyel Toré because Toré had no actual power, and was hostile to Buddhism. Toré told Ralpacan that Yongten fornicated with the queen

Pelkyi Ngangchul Pelkyi Ngangchul (; died 836) was an empress consort of the Tibetan Empire, married to emperor Ralpacan (r. 815–836). She was a member of the Chogro () clan. The anti Buddhist opposition at court successfully accused the emperors advisor, the B ...

(see also

Karmamudrā Karmamudrā (Sanskrit; "action seal," Tibetan: ''las-kyi phyag-rgya''; commonly misspelled as: kāmamudrā or "desire seal") is a Vajrayana Buddhist technique which makes use of sexual union with a physical or visualized consort as well as the ...

), made Ralpacan very angry. Yongten was so frightened, and fled from the capital. Toré captured him and had him

flayed Flaying, also known colloquially as skinning, is a method of slow and painful execution in which skin is removed from the body. Generally, an attempt is made to keep the removed portion of skin intact. Scope A dead animal may be flayed when pre ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dranga Palkye Yongten 9th-century Tibetan people Buddhist monks from Tibet