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Tāranātha (1575–1634) was aLama of theJonang school ofTibetan Buddhism. He is widely considered its most remarkable scholar and exponent.
Taranatha was born inTibet, supposedly on the birthday ofPadmasambhava. His original name was Kun-dga'-snying-po, the Sanskrit equivalent of which is Anandagarbha. However, he adopted Taranatha, theSanskrit name by which he was generally known, as an indication of the value he placed on his Sanskrit scholarship in an era when mastery of the language had become much less common in Tibet than it had once been. He was also paying homage to his Indian teacher, Buddhaguptanatha.[1]
His exceptional qualities are said to have been recognized by others at a young age, as is often the case with great masters. He studied under such masters as Je Draktopa, Yeshe Wangpo, Kunga Tashi and Jampa Lhundrup, although his primary teacher was Buddhaguptanatha.
Taranatha was recognized by Khenchen Lungrik Gyatso as the rebirth ofKrishnacarya and the Khenchen's own teacher, Jetsun Kunga Drolchok.[2]
Taranatha was a prolific writer and a renowned scholar. His best known work is the 143-folioHistory of Buddhism in India (dpal dus kyi 'khor lo'i chos bskor gyi byung khungs nyer mkho) of 1608,[3][4][5] which has been published in English. This work is considered as hismagnum opus. It deals with thehistory of Buddhism in South Asia, beginning from the time ofAjatashatru upto therise of Delhi Sultanate. Although relying on legends & word-of-mouth, he is found, in many cases, to provide confirmatory materials in support of events known from other authentic sources. The part of his work discussing the state of Buddhism after the fall ofHarsha's empire untilBakhtiyar Khalji's invasion of Eastern India is considered extremely valuable. His information on thePala Empire &Chandra dynasty ofBengal, the last Indian polities to patronizeVajrayana in India is also worth mention.[6]
Other works areThe Golden Rosary, Origins of the Tantra of the Bodhisattva Tara of 1604 which has also been translated into English. He was an advocate of theShentong view of emptiness and wrote many texts and commentaries on this subject. English-language translation publications of his works on Shentong areThe Essence of Other-Emptiness[7] (which includes a translation of hisTwenty One Profound Meanings (Zab don gсer gcig pa)) and hisCommentary on the Heart Sutra.[8]In 1614 Taranatha founded the importantJonangpa monastery Takten Dhamchöling, in the Tsangpo Valley about 200 miles west ofLhasa.
Probably not long after 1614, Taranatha went toMongolia, where he reportedly founded several monasteries. He died probably inUrga. His rebirth became known asZanabazar, the 1st Bogd Gegeen andJebtsundamba Khutuktu of Mongolia. His most recent reincarnation was the9th Jebtsundamba Khutughtu, who died in 2012.
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