The First Dalai Lama

Gendun Drub (1391-1474) was born in a manger to a nomadic shepherd family. At the age of seven, he was sent to Nartang monastery, where he became a disciple of Je Tsongkhapa, founder of the Gaden monastery near Lhasa and the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) order of Buddhism. Known as the Virtuous Ones, the Gelugpa adhered to austere discipline, strict celibacy, and abstinence from alcohol and gluttony. The Gelugpas trace their spiritual lineage and modeled their asceticism after Atisha, the great teacher of Indian Buddhism who made a pilgrimage to Tibet from 1042 to 1054. Gendun Drub was one of the three great disciples, and perhaps even the nephew of Tsong Khapa. Gendun Drub later became the abbot of Gaden, and founded the Tashi Lhumpo monastery near Shigatse, west of Lhasa, which grew to become the largest monastery in the world. He also fostered the tradition of reincarnated lamas to ensure a smooth transition of spiritual leaders from one Dalai Lama to the next.

By the time he reached middle age, Gendun Drub had become one of the most renowned scholars in Tibet. Among his many writings are Sunlight on the Path to Freedom, a commentary on the ancient Buddhist texts known as Abhidharma-kosha, Crushing the Forces of Evil, an epic poem on the life of Buddha, and Song of the Eastern Snow Mountain, a poem dedicated to his mentor Je Tsongkhapa.