Tsepangsa Magyal Dongkar (, ? – ?) was an
Empress consort of Tibet. She was empress of
Trisong Detsen
Tri Songdetsen () was the son of Me Agtsom, the 38th emperor of Tibet. He ruled from AD 755 until 797 or 804. Tri Songdetsen was the second of the Three Dharma Kings of Tibet, playing a pivotal role in the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet and th ...
, the famous Dharma king. Unlike her husband, she was a follower of
Bon
''Bon'', also spelled Bön () and also known as Yungdrung Bon (, "eternal Bon"), is a Tibetan religious tradition with many similarities to Tibetan Buddhism and also many unique features.Samuel 2012, pp. 220-221. Bon initially developed in t ...
.
Life
She was born and raised in "Tsepang" clan. the "Tsepang" clan came from
Zhangzhung
Zhangzhung or Shangshung was an ancient culture and kingdom in western and northwestern Tibet, which pre-dates the culture of Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet. Zhangzhung culture is associated with the Bon religion, which has influenced the philosophies ...
, and was one of a most important supports of Bon.
Empress
Trisong Detsen was interested in
Buddhism
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 gra ...
, he sent
Vairotsana
Vairotsana () was a lotsawa or "translator" living during the reign of King Trisong Detsen, who ruled 755-97 CE. Vairotsana, one of the 25 main disciples of Padmasambhava, was recognized by the latter as a reincarnation of an Indian pandita. He ...
to India to study
Vajrayana
Vajrayāna ( sa, वज्रयान, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, are names referring t ...
together with another four monks. They were ordered to propagate Buddhism after they returned 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 ...
. Many Tibetan nobles combined against them in the lead of the empress. According to ''Padma-thang-yig'' (), the empress said as below in the public place, and was supported by a majority of ministers:
The empress demanded Trisong Detsen to put the five monks to death. The emperor had no choice but to throw them into prison. The emperor arrested five beggars and had them executed, and put their bodies into five copper pots. The pots were thrown into
Yarlung Tsangpo River
The Yarlung Tsangpo, also called Yarlung Zangbo () is the upper stream of the Brahmaputra River located in the Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It is the longest river of Tibet and the fifth longest in China. The upper section is also called Da ...
in the public eye. Then the emperor told his ministers that the five monks were executed, while still-living monks were released secretly and hidden in the palace translating ''
Tantras
Tantras ("''doctrine''" or "''framework''" or "''system''" ) refers to numerous and varied scriptures pertaining to any of several esoteric traditions rooted in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy. The religious culture of the Tantras is essentially ...
'' into Tibetan. The empress exposed this matter to ministers, Trisong Detsen had to exiled them to Rgyalrong (mordern
Ngawa Autonomous Prefecture in
Sichuan
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...
).
Later, Trisong Detsen invited
Śāntarakṣita
(Sanskrit; , 725–788),stanford.eduŚāntarakṣita (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)/ref> whose name translates into English as "protected by the One who is at peace" was an important and influential Indian Buddhist philosopher, particul ...
and
Vimalamitra
Vimalamitra () was an 8th-century Indian Buddhist monk. His teachers were Buddhaguhya, Jñānasūtra and Śrī Siṃha. He was supposed to have vowed to take rebirth every hundred years, with the most notable figures being Rigzin Jigme Lingpa, ...
came to Tibet to spread the latest understanding of the teaching, they were obstructed by the empress without any exception. Śāntarakṣita could do nothing but to invite another famous teacher
Padmasambhava
Padmasambhava ("Born from a Lotus"), also known as Guru Rinpoche (Precious Guru) and the Lotus from Oḍḍiyāna, was a tantric Buddhist Vajra master from India who may have taught Vajrayana in Tibet (circa 8th – 9th centuries)... According ...
come to Tibet for help. Trisong Detsen
received empowerment from Padmasambhava, in turn, he gave one of his spouses named
Yeshe Tsogyal
Yeshe Tsogyal (c. 757 or 777 – 817 CE) , also known as "Victorious Ocean of Knowledge", "Knowledge Lake Empress" (, ཡེ་ཤེས་མཚོ་རྒྱལ), or by her Sanskrit name ''Jñānasāgara'' "Knowledge Ocean", or by her clan na ...
to Padmasambhava as ''
dakini
A ḍākinī ( sa, डाकिनी; ; mn, хандарма; ; alternatively 荼枳尼, ; 荼吉尼, ; or 吒枳尼, ; Japanese: 荼枳尼 / 吒枳尼 / 荼吉尼, ''dakini'') is a type of female spirit, goddess, or demon in Hinduism and Bud ...
'' (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 ...
''). The emperor's decision was strongly opposed by many nobles, including the empress Magyal Dongkar, and the famous general
Nganlam Takdra Lukhong. They thought it was "absolutely ridiculous": Padmasambhava occupied the emperor's spouse, and he would occupied the emperor's throne next time. In response, the emperor hosted a famous debate between Buddhist and Bon supporters, and the winner would be recognised as the "
state religion
A state religion (also called religious state or official religion) is a religion or creed officially endorsed by a sovereign state. A state with an official religion (also known as confessional state), while not secular state, secular, is not n ...
" in Tibet. Bon was supported by the empress and Nganlam, but finally, Trisong Detsen announced that Buddhist was the winner. Bon was declared as illegal religion, their
scripture
Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual prac ...
s were buried into ground or thrown into water. Nganlam refused to carry out this order. He was
cane
Cane or caning may refer to:
*Walking stick or walking cane, a device used primarily to aid walking
*Assistive cane, a walking stick used as a mobility aid for better balance
*White cane, a mobility or safety device used by many people who are b ...
d in public then exiled to
Changtang
The Changtang (alternatively spelled Changthang or Qangtang) is a part of the high altitude Tibetan Plateau in western and northern Tibet extending into the southern edges of Xinjiang as well as southeastern Ladakh, India, with vast highlands and g ...
. The king of Zhangzhung was also dissatisfied with this decision. He led a rebellion against emperor, and was quickly put down.
Now Magyal Dongkar and her clan members had to convert to Buddhism. She built a temple named ''Kams-gsum-zangs-kang-gling'' () for Buddhist, but was still not trust by the emperor due to her relationship with
Zhangzhung
Zhangzhung or Shangshung was an ancient culture and kingdom in western and northwestern Tibet, which pre-dates the culture of Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet. Zhangzhung culture is associated with the Bon religion, which has influenced the philosophies ...
and
Bon
''Bon'', also spelled Bön () and also known as Yungdrung Bon (, "eternal Bon"), is a Tibetan religious tradition with many similarities to Tibetan Buddhism and also many unique features.Samuel 2012, pp. 220-221. Bon initially developed in t ...
before. "Tsepang" members were banned from political affairs, and came into conflict with the powerful ''
Lönchen'',
Nanam Shang Gyaltsen Lhanang
Nanam Shang Gyaltsen Lhanang (, ? – 796), also known as Shang Gyaltsen, was a famous general of the Tibetan Empire. In Chinese records, his name was given as Shàng Jiézàn ().
Shang Gyaltsen was born and raised in Nanam clan. The famous Dh ...
, whom was Trisong Detsen's uncle. On one occasion, the emperor sent ''dbu ring'', whom was Shang Gyaltsen's son, to guard the palace gate in order to prevent "Tsepang" members from entering.
Prince Murug, who was the empress' own son, was angered. He killed ''dbu ring'' and broke into the palace. Trisong Detsen was infuriated, and exiled Murug to Changtang.
Empress dowager
Shang Gyaltsen died in 796, and Trisong Detsen died next year. The empress' son
Muné Tsenpo
Muné Tsenpo () was the 39th Emperor of Tibet (r. 797?-799?). This period of Tibetan history, towards the end, and after the reign of Trisong Detsen is very murky and the sources give conflicting stories and dates.
Mune Tsenpo is a Zhangzhung na ...
was installed as the new emperor, "Tsepang" members came into power again and exiled
Yeshe Tsogyal
Yeshe Tsogyal (c. 757 or 777 – 817 CE) , also known as "Victorious Ocean of Knowledge", "Knowledge Lake Empress" (, ཡེ་ཤེས་མཚོ་རྒྱལ), or by her Sanskrit name ''Jñānasāgara'' "Knowledge Ocean", or by her clan na ...
. But, Muné Tsenpo was interested in Buddhism instead of Bon, and he buried his father in Buddhism rites. The young king also tried to protect his wife ''pho-yong-bza' rgyal-mo-btsun'', a devout Buddhist whom the former emperor wanted him to protect, which made Magyal Dongkar very angry. She found an excuse then had her killed. The relations between mother and son became strained after this event.
[Shakabpa, Tsepon W. D. Tibet: A Political History (1967), pp. 46-47. Yale University Press, New Haven and London.] Magyal Dongkar poisoned the young emperor, and ordered the exiled prince Murug come back to take the throne. Murug was assassinated by "Nanam" members on his way to Lhasa.
Sadnalegs
Tridé Songtsen (), better known by his nickname Sénalek Jingyön () or Sadnalegs () for short, was the youngest son of King Trisong Detsen of Tibet (reigned 800–815 CE – though various accounts give the beginning of his reign as 797 or 804 ...
was the only one survived prince of Trisong Detsen after this assassination, and he came to the throne with the help of a Buddhist monk,
Nyang Tingngezin Sangpo. After Sadnalegs' succession, "Tsepang" members were removed from their positions and banned from taking part in any political activities. Her name was not mentioned in the later history records.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magyal Dongkar
Tibetan empresses
8th-century Tibetan people
Year of birth unknown