The Biography of the First Khalkha Jetsundampa Zanabazar by Zaya Pandita Luvsanprinlei
The monograph presents the biography of the First Khalkha Jetsundampa Zanabazar
(1635-1723) as a literary work of the 17th century Mongolian Buddhist monk, the Khalkha
Zaya Pandita Losang Prinlei (Tib. Blo bzang 'phrin las, Mong. Luvsanprinlei, 1642-1715).1
It was composed in the Tibetan language, which soon became the language of the
intellectual religious elite of the Mongols. The aim of this study is to show how a
Buddhist disciple described the life of his master using new tools the Tibetan language
and namthar a Tibetan biographical genre which presents an exemplary life leading to the
Buddhist liberation.
The present work consists of two main parts: Part I: Studies; and Part II: Translation
and Transliteration, as well as an Appendix that includes a reproduction of the
Tibeto-Mongolian manuscript of the biography and a reproduction of the Tibetan xylograph
as well as photographs related to Zanabazar.
Introduction 9
Composition . 15
Acknowledgements 16
Special Signs and Abbreviations . 19
Part I Studies 21
1 The Author and the Text 23
1.1 Khalkha Zaya Pandita . 23
1.2 Genre of Biography . 37
1.3 Is the Tibetan Way the Mongolian Way? . 45
1.4 Later Biographies of Zanabazar 50
1.5 Notes about the Tibeto-Mongolian Manuscript . 58
2 The Historical Background and Its Literary Narratives 61
2.1 The Historical Background . 61
2.2 Zaya Pandita's Buddhist Argumentation . 70
3 The Political Role of Zanabazar 77
3.1 Shift from Khan to Gegen . 77
3.2 Models of the Mongolian-Tibetan Relations . 89
3.3 Tibetan, Mongolian or Buddhist Identity . 93
3.3.1 Emergence of the Hierocratic Rule in Mongolia . 96
Part II Translation and Transliteration 99
4 Annotated Translation 101
5 Transliteration 194
5.1 Tibeto-Mongolian Manuscript . 194
5.2 Concordance of the Xylograph Editions . 260
Bibliography 261
Index 283
Appendix 301
Facsimile of the Tibeto-Mongolian Manuscript 303
Facsimile of the Tibetan Xylograph 375
Photographs 411
416 pages, Hardcover