Lama Dampa Sonam Gyaltsen

Lama Dampa Sonam Gyaltsen (16 May 1312 - 23 July 1375), in orthographic spelling bLa ma dam pa bsod nams rgyal mts'an, was a ruler of Sakya which had a precedence position in Tibet under the Yuan dynasty. He is considered the greatest Sakya scholar of the 14th century and served as ruler for a short term in 1344-1347.

Lama Dampa Sonam Gyaltsen, usually just known by his title Lama Dampa, was one of the 13 sons of the abbot-ruler (dansa chenpo) Zangpo Pal who governed the see from 1306 to 1323 and therefore had a key position in the politics of Tibet under the overlordship of the Mongol great khan. His mother was Machig Shonnu Bum. His original name was Nyima Dewai Lotro; he received the name Sonam Gyaltsen when he "renounced the world", i.e., was ordained as a monk in 1328. At 19 years of age, in 1331, he became a fully ordained bhiksu. By this time the power of the Sakya Monastery was in decline. Around the time of Zangpo Pal's demise in 1323, his numerous sons were divided into four branches residing in different palaces. Lama Dampa belonged to the Rinchengang branch which took power as upper rulers of Sakya after a clash in 1341. He succeeded his elder brother Jamyang Donyo Gyaltsen on his demise in 1344. Temporal administration of Tibet was handled by the dpon-chen (ponchen) Gyalwa Zangpo (1344-1347).

However, his tenure saw the eruption of civil war in Central Tibet. This was a period when the Yuan Dynasty was in rapid decline and had few resources to monitor Tibetan affairs efficiently. One of the 13 myriarchies (trikor) of Central Tibet, Phagmodru, was led by the able and ambitious Changchub Gyaltsen who clashed with the rival Yazang myriarchy. The Sakya administration was unable to cope with the trouble efficiently. In 1346 open warfare flared up as Phagmodru was attacked by troops of Nyal and E, directed by Yazang. The Phagmodrupa were victorious, but the ponchen Gyalwa Zangpo and the Sakya cleric Kunpangpa conspired to kill the troublemaker and seize Phagmodru. Changchub Gyaltsen was treacherously arrested but refused to yield his prerogatives in spite of severe torture. A visit by Lama Dampa somewhat mitigated his lot as a prisoner. In early 1347 Gyalwa Zangpo was unexpectedly replaced by a new administrator, Wangtson, on the orders of the imperial court. The dismayed Gyalwa Zangpo now made a deal with his prisoner and released Changchub Gyaltsen. In the meanwhile Lama Dampa stepped down from his position after having kept the position of abbot-ruler for three years. We do not know the exact reasons for this. He was succeeded by a nephew, Lotro Gyaltsen. During the Sakya-Phagmodru fighting of the 1340s and 1350s he had an important role as negotiator. In 1373 the Phagmodrupa ruler Jamyang Shakya Gyaltsen asked him to head a politico-religious meeting in Nêdong, confirming his status as a highly respected lama.

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