Trinlé Gyatso
The Twelfth Dalai Lama, Trinlé Gyatso (1856-1875) was recognized as a reincarnation in 1858 and enthroned in 1860. It was during a tumultuous period, when Central Tibet faced British imperial expansion from India and the decline of Qing dynasty influence following the Opium Wars and Taiping Rebellion. Fully enthroned in 1873, he died mysteriously in 1875 at age eighteen, before consolidating his spiritual and political authority.
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.
