What the Emperor Built: Architecture and Empire in the Early Ming by Aurelia Campbell

Author:Aurelia Campbell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of Washington Press
Published: 2020-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

Hongwu and Sanjé Tashi

Gautama Monastery was founded by a Tibetan Buddhist lama named Sanjé Tashi (T. Sangs rgyas bkra shis) (d. 1414). Sanjé Tashi was well known in Amdo for having persuaded the disbanded followers of a Yuan loyalist and Ming enemy in Gansu to submit to the Ming regime, thereby helping to stabilize the northwestern frontier, which, after the fall of the Yuan dynasty, had become inhabited by a number of different ethnic groups who were fighting with each other.14 He had also gained a sizable local religious following by practicing Buddhism for several years on an island in the middle of what is now Qinghai Lake (T. Tsongon po), earning him the nickname Lama of the Sea (Hai Lama).15 In order to escape Mongolian tribes that had invaded the lake region, Sanjé Tashi was eventually forced to lead his followers east and resettle in the mountainous area of Nianbo. According to local lore, as he was fleeing from the Mongol bandits, Sanjé Tashi happened upon a clear spring and stopped to drink from it, mysteriously losing his horse whip in the process. Taking this as a sign that he was meant to stay in the area, the lama established a small temple at the site of the spring, in what is now Ledu.16

Ming imperial involvement with Gautama Monastery began in 1393, during the Hongwu reign. In this year Sanjé Tashi traveled from Ledu to Nanjing, bearing horses as tribute, to request imperial protection for his newly established temple. Understanding the lama’s important position as a peacekeeper in the northwest, Hongwu pledged his support for his temple and granted it a new name, Gautama Monastery. This name was carved onto a signboard that still hangs from the monastery’s founding hall, Gautama Hall (Qutan Dian), completed in 1393, signifying the court’s recognition (fig. 4.1).17 At this time Hongwu also issued an edict in which he deeply praised Sanjé Tashi for his devotion to Buddhism:

Since the time of the Buddha, all those who have encountered him look upon him with reverence. Even the terrible and ignorant have respectful belief towards him. Turning the bad into good: such is the power of the Buddha’s vow! The Tibetan lama Sanjé Tashi lived in the Western Lands his whole life and closely followed the way of the Buddha. He had a large number of acquaintances and received contributions. He collected funds and with them established a Buddhist temple. Recently, he received an audience at the capital. I admired the honesty of his inclinations towards good deeds and his emulation of good actions. I therefore grant him an edict of imperial protection. I order that nobody should disturb or bother [the temple] and that they must adhere to [the lama’s] unrestrained teachings. Those that counter him will be held accountable. With this, I issue the imperial command.18

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