The Divinity of the Dalai Lama and its Scriptural Sources: A Study in Tibetan Political Theology

This article introduces new information about the relationship between the Dalai Lama and the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. It explores how that relationship was articulated and enacted in the late seventeenth century in reference to the fifth Dalai Lama, based on readings of texts authored by the Desi Sangyé Gyatso (1653-1705) and in conversation with multiple canonical and non-canonical sources. It considers the content and form of this discourse of divinity and reflects on its relevance for thinking about Tibetan political and intellectual history, as well as for the study of Buddhism and kingship more broadly.