Dear friends around the world, This is a very interesting article on His Holiness the 5th Dalai Lama. He was the first Dalai Lama to take over complete secular rule of Tibet. There was much political intrigue, conflicts with other schools of Buddhism (Kagyu,etc) and murders of high lamas such as Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen by his regents to establish his rule. The Mongols played a huge role during this period. There is so much information here and good to read. I have placed this here for strictly educational purposes. Tsem Rinpoche   The Fifth Dalai Lama and his Reunification of Tibet by Samten G. Karmay At the time of the Fifth Dalai Lama’s birth, Tibet was in a state of religious, social and political turmoil. Political power was shared among various factions supported by different religious schools who not only wished to propagate their teachings, but also to establish their economic power and political influence. In Tibet, religious, political and economic power have always been closely entwined. Tibetan political theory is based on the coalition of politics and religion in the form of Lamaism, finding its expression in chöyön, a “preceptor-patron” relationship in which both parties are considered equal – [...]