Gili
The Gili were a wealthy family (chukpo) based in the Markok area (the middle part of the Mar Chu Valley) in Golok, who amassed large herds of sheep, yaks, and horses through a prosperous trading business exchanging yak wool and sheep skins for tea with Chinese merchants.
Numerous stories circulate about this prominent family. In 1857, Gili Wangli, one of its members, invited Düdjom Lingpa to accompany him and to settle in his family place of Dziteng, in the Mar Chu Valley.
Since the early 8th century, Tibetans and Himalayan people have treasured "Namtars" as written or spoken narratives that demonstrate the realization of the Buddhist path by exceptional practitioners. These namtars, or spiritual biographies, serve as inspirational guides on the path to enlightenment.
Today, Namtars Foundation aims to record, preserve, and freely offer the world a written and electronic treasury of the oral wisdom of Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhism.
