(Thubten) Jamphel Yeshe Gyaltsen or Thupten Jampel Yishey Gyantsen, ( Dagpo, 1912 –

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 ...

, 1947) was a

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

tulku A ''tulku'' (, also ''tülku'', ''trulku'') is a reincarnate custodian of a specific lineage of teachings in Tibetan Buddhism who is given empowerments and trained from a young age by students of his or her predecessor. High-profile examples ...

and the fifth Reting Rinpoche.

Life

Gyantsen played a significant role in

Tibetan history While the Tibetan plateau has been inhabited since pre-historic times, most of Tibet's history went unrecorded until the introduction of Tibetan Buddhism around the 6th century. Tibetan texts refer to the kingdom of Zhangzhung (c. 500 BCE – 625 ...

as the one-time

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

of the present (14th) Dalai Lama. On 26 January 1940, Gyantsen requested the Central Government of China to exempt Lhamo Dhondup from lot-drawing process using Golden Urn to become the 14th Dalai Lama. The request was approved by the Central Government. He was forced out of office and was succeeded in the beginning of 1941 by Taktra Rinpoche. Subsequently, he was alleged to have organized an uprising against his replacement. He died in 1947 in the prisons of Lhasa's Potala, apparently the victim of poisoning.Barraux, Roland (1995) ''Die Geschichte der Dalai Lamas - Göttliches Mitleid und irdische Politik'', Komet/Patmos, Frechen/Düsseldorf, , p.p. 275-282 (German) His jailor also allegedly reported that his testicles were bound and beaten until he died of the pain. The episode exposed a number of the political dimensions of the religious hierarchy in Lhasa. Critics of the fifth Reting Rinpoche accused him of widespread corruption, and involvement with married women as a monk.Marcello, Patricia Cronin ''The Dalai Lama: A Biography.'' Greenwood Press: 2003 Defenders alleged that his imprisonment was partly the result of his attraction to the teachings of the

Nyingma Nyingma (literally 'old school') is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. It is also often referred to as ''Ngangyur'' (, ), "order of the ancient translations". The Nyingma school is founded on the first lineages and transl ...

lineage, a politically sensitive orientation, and that the case against him had been fabricated by the cabinet minister Kapshopa. His successor was

Tenzin Jigme Thutob Wangchuk Tenzin Jigme (Thutob Wangchuk) (Lhasa, 1948 – February 13, 1997) was a Tibetan tulku and the sixth Reting Rinpoche. His reincarnation is recognized by the Tibetan government. His recognition is being challenged by another sixth Reting Rinpoc ...

as the sixth Reting Rinpoche, although this was challenged by another claimant, who styles himself ''Reting Hutukthu.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gyaltsen, Jamphel Yeshe 1912 births 1947 deaths Reting Rinpoches Lamas Tibetan people Tulkus Rinpoches Gelug Lamas Regents in Tibet 20th-century Tibetan people