The Third Dalai Lama

Sonam Gyatso (1543-1588), the Third Dalai Lama and first to bear the title, was born in Khangsar in the Tolung Valley west of Lhasa. He was identified by the high lamas of the Drepung Monastery for his ability to recognize people and the places familiar to his predecessor, the Second Dalai Lama, Gendun Gyatso. Once identified, Sonam Gyatso was placed in the care of many great scholars, and thus grew to become a scholar himself. He divided his time between Depung Monastery and the mystical setting of Lake Chhokhorgyal. However, he also spent much of his life traveling.

Gongma Phadupa Dakpa Jungne invited Lama Sonam Gyatso to Nedong, his capital, in the Yarlung Valley in 1559. Lama Sonam Gyatso also visited Tashi Lhunpo in 1569. He even received an invitation from Emperor Wan-Li to visit China, however, he declined, due to his already extensive travel itinerary. Sonam Gyatso founded the Champaling Monastery at Lithang in Kham, southeast of Chhamdo, as well as the Sandal Khang, the Sandalwood Temple, and the monastery Kumbum Champaling, one of the largest and most famous monasteries in Northern Tibet.

Perhaps the most significant event in the life of Sonam Gyatso was his visit to Lake Kokonor in eastern Mongolia to meet with the great Mongol chieftain Altan Khan in 1578. The two men exchanged titles: Altan Khan declared Sonam Gyatso Dalai bla ma Rdo rje chhang,Ocean of Wisdom, who in turn called Altan Khan Chhoskyi Gyalpo Dharma Raja, the Righteous King. This event marked the beginning of the spread of Buddhism among the Mongols, who built their first Buddhist monastery, Erdene Zuu, on the ruins of Karakorum in 1586. Sonam Gyatso is also known for discouraging such Mongolian customs as shamanistic animal slaughter and the sacrificing of wives with their deceased husbands. After his many travels, Sonam Gyatso died in Mongolia on his way back to Tibet on April 20, 1588. He was cremated at Kumbum, after which his ashes were returned Drepung Monastery.