Prof. Dr. Jim Rheingans (University of Vienna)A Non-sectarian Scholar of Central and Southern Tibet: Dagpo Tashi Namgyal’s (1399–1458) Education and Impact

10 June 2026

16:00, 10 June 2026. ESA-Ost, Raum 120 & Zoom

Among Tibetan scholar-meditators of the long 15th century, Dagpo Tashi Namgyal (Dwags po bKra shis rnam rgyal) stands out as non-sectarian erudite, fond of both Sakya teachings and Tsongkhapa, while also having links to Kagyu masters and being portrayed as reincarnation of Longchenpa. Having studied with the eminent scholar Rongtön (1367–1449), he became his successor at the Sakya-seat of learning Nālendra, where he was renowned for his exposition of the Abhisamayālaṃkāra and served as lineage holder for several tantric instructions such as the path and fruit (lam 'bras). The “Spiritual Biography of the Omniscient bKra shis rnam rgyal” (Kun mkhyen bkra shis rnam rgyal gyi rnam par mthar (sic!) pa) is his extensive hagiography composed by his nephew Karma Thrinlepa (1456–1539). This paper seeks to continue my previous exploration of this and outer sources to outline Tashi Namgyal’s broad education, with a focus on his distinctive non-sectarian blend of scholarship and meditative training. The paper also attempts to place his portray withing the overarching concept of being a scholar in the tradition he primarily represented and asks how school demarcations in the sense of socio-political bodies gradually solidified during this period.

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Prof. Dr. Dorji Wangchuk (Director) & Dr. Orna Almogi (Co-director)
Khyentse Center for Tibetan Buddhist Textual Scholarship (KC-TBTS)
Abteilung für Kultur und Geschichte Indiens und Tibets
Asien-Afrika-Institut
Universität Hamburg
Alsterterrasse 1
D-20354 Hamburg