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Authorized Lives

Biography and the Early Formation of Geluk Identity

Published by Wisdom Publications
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

About The Book

Delve into the biographies of Tsongkhapa, Khedrup, and Jetsunpa. In Authorized Lives, Elijah Ary, former Geluk monk, recognized tulku, and Harvard-trained scholar, looks at various commonly accepted conceptions of Tsongkhapa's biography. He demonstrates how these conceptions evolved in the decades after his death.

Authorized Lives is the first work devoted to early Geluk history and to the role of biographies in shifting established lineages. As the dominant tradition of Tibetan Buddhism that provides the intellectual backdrop for the Dalai Lama's teachings, the Geluk lineage traces its origins to the figure of Tsongkhapa Losang Drakpa (1357-1419). Gelukpas today believe Tsongkhapa is a manifestation of the bodhisattva Manjushri and revere him with his two heart disciples, Gyaltsap and Khedrup. But as Elijah Ary, a former Geluk monk and Harvard-trained scholar, points out, both of these conceptions of Tsongkhapa arose many decades after his death. Delving into the early Geluk biographical tradition, Ary follows the tracks of this evolution in the biographies of Tsongkhapa, Khedrup, and the influential early Geluk writer and reformer Jetsun Chokyi Gyaltsen.

About The Author

Product Details

  • Publisher: Wisdom Publications (May 12, 2015)
  • Length: 240 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781614291800

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Raves and Reviews

“Ary's deeply researched yet concisely written book is a true landmark in Geluk studies, and a must-read for all serious students of Tibetan culture and religion.”

– Roger R. Jackson, Carleton College

“Ary’s Authorized Lives offers long overdue insight into the early history of the Geluk lineage and the heterogeneous nature of Tsongkhapa’s first group of disciples and their intellectual successors.”

– Paul G. Hackett, Columbia University

“An engrossing work.”

– Kevin A. Vose, College of William and Mary

“By shedding light on the early history of the Geluk tradition, Ary also illuminates the essential role of hagiographies in shaping sectarian identity.”

– Tsering Wangchuk, University of San Francisco

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More books in this series: Studies in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism