PREFACE

(^) The Potala 56
Buddhist clergy; the lay worshippers were even less educated.
They were weak and greedy and practiced religion only for self-
gain. All of them had contributed to the damage of Buddha’s
philosophy. Seeing this sullied situation, Tsongkhampa decided
to guide the monks and the laymen back to the right path. He
advised them to be chaste and to observe the religious rules. He
attacked bad traditions and the wrongful worship and rituals of
Deities. Tsongkhampa not only used deep logic to fight off
arguments and to wake people up, he also demonstrated
supernatural powers to win their faith. He rapidly attracted a
great number of followers and re-established peace and order in
the Buddhist temples. Tsongkhampa was well known throughout
Tibet.
Numerous famous monks had come from central Asia and
from neighboring countries to study with him. In 1409 AD, he
founded the Ganden monastery in Lhasa. It was a big temple.
His followers grew to such an extent that his disciples had to start
two other major monasteries, Drepong and Dera. When he died,
the number of disciples from the three monasteries was over
thirty thousand. The Tibetan and Mongolian people considered
him a Buddha coming to this world to institute religion for Tibet.
Tibetan people still say: “First Sakyamuni Buddha, last
Tsongkhampa”.
The religious reformation of Tsongkhampa had a lasting
result until later
generations. His sect
was called Madhyamika
or “Contemplation of
the Middle Way”. From
this originated the
Kahdampa sect whose
ruler is the Dalai Lama.