"At the End of an Era. The Forgotten Story of ’Jam dbyangs Mkhyen brtse Chos kyi dbang phyug. 1909-1960”

'Jam dbyangs Mkhyen brtse Chos kyi dbang phyug was born in Khams, during one the most critical periods of Tibetan history. His life-story reflects the controversial and dramatic times that troubled Tibetan history before the Chinese annexation. When he was three years old, he was recognized as one of the reincarnations of the great 'Jam dbyangs Mkhyen brtse'i dbang po (1820–1892) and received an intense Buddhist education from many important masters of the time. He mainly conduced his life secluded in retreats and rediscovered several gter ma, under the name of He ka gling pa. He never wanted to get involved in the internecine feuds and rivalries for the succession to the throne of Rdzong gsar monastery. In 1930 he settled in Sde dge dgon chen but spent frequent periods as a hermit. His fame nevertheless spread widely, he became one of the most renowned and venerated bla ma of the region. In 1959 he was arrested by the Chinese PLA and brought to Sde dge prison where he died in 1960, soon after the major part of the monasteries in the Khams province had been razed to the ground.
The thread of this story is unravelled against the background of the political situation of the Khams region in the first half of the nineteenth century, where other different lives intertwine with the figure of Mkhyen brtse Chos kyi dbang phyug, casting light on the wider social, ideological and political context of the historical time.