Jaisang Depa

[3][4] Jaisang Depa's father, Gopa Tashi (dgos pa bkra shis) of Drongme fought as a commander with Geluk forces against Tsang during the 1641-42 Tibetan Civil War.

[1][5] When Gopa Tashi died in Shigatse (gzhis ka rtse) in 1642 his teeth and hair were sent to Lobzang Gyatso who purified and burned them, out of respect for the deceased; he then used the ashes, which, wrote Lobzang Gyatso, were tinged with gold, to make ink to write the kinds of dharani that were said to liberate those who wore them, or to purify the lower realms; some was also used in making small votive clay images called 'tsha-tsha'.

[12] In 1632 he was appointed as Lobzang Gyatso's personal assistant, replacing Changngo Chodze (byang ngos chos mdzad) who had displeased the Chagdzo (phyag mdzod), or principal attendant, Sonam Rapten (bsod nams rab brtan).

Sonam Rapten wanted to replace him with Depa Norbu but Lobzang Gyatso prevented this and in the end one Lopa Chodze (lo pa chos mdzad) stood in for him.

For example, in 1640, Sonam Rapten decided to restore the practice of Jampal Zilnon, involving complex rites, recitations, costumes and ritual sacred dance, which had been a tradition at the time of the Third Dalai Lama but discontinued during the reign of the Fourth.

[22] In 1659 Nechung Chogyal (gnas chung chos rgyal) through its oracle advised Lobzang Gyatso to have an image of Dorje Drolo (rdo rje gro lod), a manifestation of Guru Rinpoche, made and installed in the Gonkhang (mgon khang) of his room for his own wellbeing and Jaisang Depa was tasked with organising this.

[23] Then in 1660 a retreat house was to be built at the gorge of Phagri (phag ri) and Jaisang Depa made it a compulsory service to transport the wood there from Yung Dargye Ling (g.yung dar rgyas gling).

[24] In 1652, Sonam Rapten made him Head of Delegation and Joint Treasurer of Lobzang Gyatso's historic visit to the Manchu Imperial Court in Beijing.

[31] In the fourth month of 1660 Nechung Chogyal urged Lobzang Gyatso to go into strict retreat as, following the death of Sonam Rapten, he was becoming unduly distracted by political duties.

[4] The Scottish scholar Hugh Richardson indicated that Jaisang Depa might not have been Lobzang Gyatso's first choice because he had relied on Dronnyer Drungpa (mgron gnyer drung pa) as his right-hand man since Sonam Rapten's death,[13] but there is little or no evidence to be found in the autobiography to support this contention.

[1] A new seal was created for him and its first imprints were offered to the Jowo Buddha at Lhasa's Jokhang temple and other important statues, and many other special rituals were carried out over the following month.

Referring to the time when the Mongol King Gushri Khan had eliminated all the enemies of the Geluk, he writes: "At that time, in the Water-horse year [1642], when all the people especially the subjects of the palace of Samdruptse (Bsam-'grub-rtse) and also the king's own lineage, were set under me by a religious offering of selfless generosity, since I was unable by myself to undertake the government in both the religious and the temporal sphere, after the Depa Sonam Rapten (sde-pa Bsod-nams rab-brtan) had carried out the task of regent for secular affairs [from 1642 to 1658] as all members of his family had died I appointed Depa Trinle Gyatsho (Sde-pa 'Phrin-las rgya mtsho) and others in succession to bear that responsibility.

[38] Early during his tenure as Regent the first Europeans entered Lhasa: the Jesuits Albert d'Orville and Johannes Grueber arrived there in 1661 and referred to Jaisang Depa as the "King" and "the brother of God the Father [Lobzang Gyatso]," who treated them kindly.

[45] In 1663, trouble broke out at Kongtsetun (kong rtse bstun) in Kham and there was a debate about sending a force to tackle it; the Depa was in doubt, so divinations were made and spirits were consulted, giving positive responses.

He therefore left Lhasa with a force and reached Zichenthang (gzi chen thang) but what resulted is not recorded by Lobzang Gyatso in his autobiography, except that they returned within a month.

Tucci comments that while Trinle Gyatso appeared to be concerned with the dedication of temples and as a patron of other pious works, his political interference was non-existent.

[47] This observation is in accord with Karmay's account that the "ever increasing diplomatic activities of the Fifth Dalai Lama, often dictated by the circumstances of the day, covered not only the whole of the Tibetan world, Mongolia, Ladakh and Bhutan but also extended a far as China."