The Jamyang Zhepas () are a lineage of

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 ...

s of the

Gelug 240px, The 14th Dalai Lama (center), the most influential figure of the contemporary Gelug tradition, at the 2003 Bodhgaya (India). The Gelug (, also Geluk; "virtuous")Kay, David N. (2007). ''Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain: Transplantati ...

school of

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...

. They have traditionally been the most prestigious teachers at

Labrang Monastery Labrang Monastery (; Chinese: Lāboléng Sì, 拉卜楞寺) is one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. Its formal name is ''Genden Shédrup Dargyé Trashi Gyésu khyilwé Ling'' (). Labrang is located in Xiah ...

Amdo Amdo ( �am˥˥.to˥˥ ) is one of the three traditional Tibetan regions, the others being U-Tsang in the west and Kham in the east. Ngari (including former Guge kingdom) in the north-west was incorporated into Ü-Tsang. Amdo is also the ...

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, Taman ...

(modern Gansu, China).Grooming a ‘patriotic’ religious leader – Seventh Gungthang Rinpoche to be enthroned
from Tibet Info Net

1st Jamyang Zhepa

The first Jamyang Zhepa, Ngawang Tsöndrü (1648–1721), was a native of Amdo and, after studying at

Drepung Monastery Drepung Monastery (, "Rice Heap Monastery"), located at the foot of Mount Gephel, is one of the "great three" Gelug university gompas (monasteries) of Tibet. The other two are Ganden Monastery and Sera Monastery. Drepung is the largest of all ...

near

Lhasa Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Region in Southwest China. The inner urban area of Lhas ...

, was invited by the local Mongol king to return and teach Buddhism there. There, Ngawang Tsöndrü later founded Labrang, one of the two great monasteries of Amdo. As the first Jamyang Zhepa was educated at Drepung, the lineage has subsequently belonged the Gelug. Ngawang Tsöndrü was a great scholar. He wrote ''Roar of the Five-Faced

ion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conve ...

'' a series of verses on tenets'','' along with a massive commentary to the root text (around 530 folios), called ''Great Exposition on Tenets''. According to Daniel Cozort, Jamyang's works "are the most comprehensive of the tenets texts" (in Tibetan Buddhism).Blo-bzaṅ-dkon-mchog, Daniel Cozort, Craig Preston (2003). ''Buddhist Philosophy: Losang Gönchok's Short Commentary to Jamyang Shayba's Root Text on Tenets,'' pp. xi-xii. Snow Lion Publications. He also wrote various textbooks which are used today in numerous Gelug colleges.

2nd Jamyang Zhepa

Gönchok Jikmé Ongpo (1728–1791), is also known for his shorter tenets text called ''Precious Garland of Tenets'' as well as other works on the bodhisattva path, the ''Presentation of the Grounds and Paths, Beautiful Ornament of the Three Vehicles.''Powers, John (2007), ''Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism'', p. 476.

6th Jamyang Zhepa

The current Jamyang Zhepa is the 6th, Lobsang Jigme Thubten Chökyi Nyima (born 1948). During the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...

, he became a layman and married. Tibetan Buddhist teachers may be either laypersons or monks, but the Jamyang Zhepas used to be traditionally

monks A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

. He lives in Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu.

References

Tulkus {{Tibetan-Buddhism-stub