3rd Taktra Rinpoche
# 3rd Taktra Rinpoche

Ngawang Sungrab Thutob (Standard Tibetan: སྟག་བྲག་ནག་དབང་གསུང་རབ།; Chinese: 达扎·阿旺松绕) (1874–1952) was the third Taktra Rinpoche, (Wylie transliteration: sTag-brag, also Takdrak, Tagdrag, etc.) and regent of Tibet. As regent, he was responsible for raising and educating the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. In 1941, he succeeded the fifth Reting Rinpoche, Jamphel Yeshe Gyaltsen. The Reting Rinpoche later rebelled, was captured, and died imprisoned in the Potala Palace under mysterious circumstances.

State-controlled media in China claims that Thutob was responsible for the death of the 5th Reting Rinpoche, the teacher of 14th Dalai Lama and previous regent. They praise Jamphel Yeshe Gyaltsen as a patriot and devout Buddhist while calling Ngawang Sungrab Thutob as a "pro-Britain, pro-slavery separatist." Reting Rinpoche, regardless of his political leanings, will be remembered for discovering and enthroning the current, 14th Dalai Lama.

## 4th Taktra

In 1955 (or 1954), the 4th Taktra or Dagzhag (dharma name: Tenzin Geleg; Standard Tibetan: བསྟན་འཛིན་དགེ་ལེགས་; Chinese: 达扎·单增格列, 丹增格列 or 丹增赤烈) was born. He was recognized by the Dalai Lama in 1958 (or 1957). His name was given by 14th Dalai Lama. One or two years later, Dalai Lama fled to India.

Even though mass media in China evaluate Ngawang Sungrab Thutob negatively, 4th Taktra studied under the Chinese curriculum. He became a member of the 6th council of the Buddhist Association of China and the Vice President of Tibetan Sub-Association of Buddhist Association of China. He was quoted by Chinese press to have pejoratively labeled the Dalai Lama's supporters as the "Dalai Group" and said of them:

   "A few temple monks, following the scriptures poorly, do not comply with religious teachings; undermine religious order; promote anarchy; and, echoing with the Dalai clique, encourage separatist activities, sabotage Tibet's stability, damage the normal order of Tibetan Buddhism, doing evil to the religious community and the majority of believers, as well as the fundamental interests of Buddhism. We will never agree with their views and will strongly oppose them."
   ("少数寺庙僧人不好好学经，不遵守教规，破坏宗教正常秩序，目无国法，与达赖集团遥相呼应，大搞分裂祖国活动，破坏西藏稳定，破坏藏传佛教正常秩序，损坏了宗教界和广大信教群众的根本利益，我们决不答应，坚决反对。")
