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Deshin Shegpa, Fifth Karmapa

Type Figure Region Asia Time 1384–1415 Also known as Fifth Karmapa

The fifth Karmapa of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, born in Tibet in 1384;…

Timeline

  1. 1406–1408Nanjing · NanjingLeading a delegation east at the invitation of the Yongle Emperor, he arrived in Nanjing in the fifth year of Yongle, taught the Dharma at Linggu Temple and elsewhere, and was granted the title Great Treasure Dharma King. This audience was the first time the Ming court formally invested a Tibetan Buddhist leader in the capacity of a Han Chinese emperor, establishing the framework of Tibetan religious diplomacy for the Yongle reign.
  2. 1420–1430Tibet · TibetAfter Deshin Shegpa's passing, the Karma school continued its Dharma lineage through the reincarnation system, with the sixth Karmapa succeeding at a young age. The Yongle, Hongxi, and Xuande reigns maintained tribute-embassy exchanges with the Karma school following the precedent set by the Yongle Emperor; the Great Treasure Dharma King title and the Ming-Tibetan ritual order established by Deshin Shegpa continued to exert institutional influence in the 1420s.

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