Benjamin J. Nourse

This project is a translation of the second volume of the three-volume autobiography of the Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobzang Gyatso, who lived from 1617 to 1682. The Fifth Dalai Lama’s autobiography is one of the most important sources for seventeenth-century Tibetan religious and political life. Volume two covers the height of the Dalai Lama’s influence from the year 1665 to 1676. During this period, the Fifth Dalai Lama authored several important works, sponsored the printing of over 50 texts, and established at least 10 monastic institutions. He oversaw elaborate and frequent ritual performances and the production of numerous religious artworks. Volume two of the autobiography is thus a rich source on Buddhist life, ritual, literature, and material culture in Tibet in the latter half of the seventeenth century, all of which were influential for later Tibetan Buddhist traditions.