BUDDHISM IN THE TIBETAN CULTURAL AREA 287Questions of internal politics, however, were relatively mild in comparison
to those of external politics. As we have noted, monks have participated in
Tibetan politics from the time of the First Propagation; their erudition made
them ideal diplomats, similar to the clerics of medieval Europe, and thus they
followed a precedent established by their forerunners in India and central Asia.
They also followed the Indian precedent-the priest/patron relationship-
whereby the patron would reward a monk's political work by granting him or
his monastery full rights over a gift of land, free from taxation, thereby estab-
lishing the monastery as the governing power in a small fiefdom. By the thir-
teenth century, some of these fiefdoms were no longer small. Because they
were the only institutions in the country transcending the clan level, they be-
came major players on the political scene.
Ultimately, one of the orders, the Sakya school, parlayed this position to
full government of Tibet by transposing the priest/patron relationship to the
international level. In 1247 the ruling clans of Tibet realized that the Mon-
gols, who by then had become the dominant power in central Asia, were plan-
ning to invade. In order to prevent this catastrophe, they sent Sakya Pal).c;lita
(see Section 11.3.1) to negotiate a truce with the Mongol ruler, Kodon Khan.
Sakya Pal).c;lita was famed not only for his scholarship but also for his practical
wisdom, which he used on this occasion to play both sides to his advantage.
By offering Tibet's submission to Mongol rule, he persuaded the Khan not to
invade Tibet. He then talked the Khan into placing him and his descendants
in the position of viceroys over the entire country.
Scholars have argued that the long intermingling of politics and religion in
Tibetan history from pre-Buddhist times has inclined the Tibetans to see noth-
ing wrong with the notion of a monk as ruler of their country, but Sakya Pal).-
c;lita's maneuvering on this occasion was extremely unpopular with his
countrymen. The Sakyans were able to use their power to their advantage in
the short run, waging war on and destroying any monasteries who opposed
them, but their rule was short lived, and they fell from power in 1354 as their
patrons, the Mongols, also fell. Nevertheless, they set a precedent that was to
prove decisive for Tibetan history. During their reign, other schools tried to
follow their example by establishing priest/ patron relationships of their own
with the Mongols. After their reign, the Kagyii school closely affiliated with
the clan who overthrew the Sakyas became thoroughly embroiled in the politi-
cal scene and benefited mightily in terms of wealth and prestige. However, the
Gelugs in the long run ultimately benefited most from the Sakyan precedent.
The story of how this occurred takes us into a new era ofTibetan history.
11.4 THE AGE OF THE DALAl LAMAS
The Gelug monasteries, in carrying on the traditions of the Indian universi-
ties, continued the tradition of producing missionaries as well. In 1578,
Tsongkhapa's third successor as head of the school, Sonam Gyatsho (bSod-
nams-rgya-ntsho; 1543-88), converted the Mongol ruler, Altan Khan, to