Zanabazar 1635-1723
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Zanabazar 1635-1723. First of eight Bogd Gegen, reincarnated Buddhist leaders, similar to the Dalai Lamas of Tibet. Photo of what may be the lacquered mumified body of Zanabazar in the Amarbayasgalant Khiid 慶寧寺, northern Mongolia. Zanabazar had two other names 一世哲布尊丹巴 Yīshìzhébùzūndānbā and 罗桑丹贝坚赞 Luósāngdānbèijiānzàn. "Zanabazar (1635-1723) was the son of the Tüsheet Khan, one of the rulers of seventeenth-century Mongolia, and a distant descendant of Chingis Khan, founder of the Mongol Empire. His spiritual propensities were apparent almost from birth and in 1639, while still a small boy, he was recognized as the head of the Sakya sect of Buddhism in Mongolia. He later traveled to Tibet where he was recognized as the 16th incarnation of Javsandamba and converted to the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism by the 5th Dalai Lama. As the head of the Gelug sect in Mongolia he introduced many new innovations, including the Maitreya Ceremony, and initiated the construction of numerous new temples and monasteries. A renowned polymath, Zanabazar composed new prayers, scriptures, and music, and invented the Soyombo alphabet, but he is probably best known for his incomparable sculptures, which rank among the greatest works of Buddhist art ever created. These include White Tara, the Twenty-One Taras, the five Transcendental Buddhas, Sitasamara, Vajradhara, and many more. The Guide to Locales Connected with the Life of Zanabazar contains detailed information on fourteen places in Mongolia associated with Zanabazar and on seven museums and temples where his artworks can now be viewed. GPS coordinates are provided for countryside locations." From The Guide to Locales Connected with the Life of Zanabazar by Don Croner |