the history of buddhism among the mongols 409
power might have been merely nominal.^141 The real power in Tibet was
in the hands of the regent Sangs-rgyas-rgya-mtsho (1653–1705), who
succeeded in gradually regaining independence for Tibet. For this aim
he not only had to take care of the interests of the Qo od, but he
also had to navigate between the two great powers that around 1700
struggled for leadership in Eastern Central Asia: the Jungar (Úungar)
empire and China. Sangs-rgyas-rgya-mtsho chose the side of the Bud-
dhist Jungar. lHa-bzang Khan wanted to reinforce the weakened posi-
tion of the Qo od in Tibet. For this purpose he sought the support of
China. In 1705 he killed the regent. The emperor sent a resident to
Lhasa, but the Qo od were the rulers over Tibet also thereafter. In 1717
a Jungar army under the command of Tshe-dbang-don-grub, a brother
of the Jungar leader Tshe-dbang-rab-brtan (r. 1697–1727), invaded
Tibet. The Jungar conquered Lhasa and killed lHa-bzang Khan. The
Jungar invasion invoked an immediate reaction of the second Qing
emperor Kangxi (r. 1662–1722), who did not accept an expansion
of Jungar power in Tibet. In 1720 Chinese troops conquered Lhasa
and expelled the Jungar. From then on, Tibet was once again under
the rulership of the Middle Kingdom.^142
8.1. Contacts between Ming China and TibetAfter the fall of the Yuan (1368) the Ming Dynasty also carefully
watched the religious developments in Mongolia, and especially in Tibet.
Oirat (Oyirad) envoys to the Chinese court headed by Lamas prove the
importance of Buddhist clergymen in diplomacy. The Ming emperors
continued their contacts with the Karma-pa hierarchs. Emperor Yongle
(1403–1424), for example, invited the fth Karma-pa De-bzhin-
gshegs-pa (1384–1415)^143 for a visit to Beijing, and, at the same time,
contacted Tsong-kha-pa Blo-bzang-grags-pa (1357–1419), the founder
of the dGe-lugs-pa school. The latter did not personally comply with the
emperor’s invitation, but sent his disciple Byams-chen-chos-rje Sh kya-
ye-shes (1354–1435) as his representative to the Chinese court.^144 The
activities and successes of the dGe-lugs-pa and, especially, of the third
(^141) Úiral 1996, pp. 193–195.
(^142) Zlatkin 1964, p. 358; Petech 1966, pp. 337–339; Shakabpa 1967, pp. 131–139;
Úiral 1996, pp. 193–195.The classic study of the events leading to the establishment
of rule in Tibet is Petech 1972. 143
Shakabpa 1967, pp. 83–84; Douglas & White 1976, pp. 61–65.
(^144) Shakabpa 1967, p. 84; Everding 1988, pp. 138–148.