Jasag Lama

Jasag Lama

Jasag Lamas were Buddhist administrative officials of the Qing dynasty appointed to oversee religious communities within monasteries all over the Qing Mongolian world, including places such as Mount Wutai. The first six Jasag Lamas on Mount Wutai were appointed by the Manchu emperors to administer all Tibetan Buddhist and Chinese Buddhist affairs on the mountain. Starting in the early eighteenth century, Jasag Lamas on Mount Wutai were appointed by the Dalai Lamas, acting as ambassadors for Tibetan Buddhist affairs in China. In at least one case, the ruler of Shireet Khuree monastery in southeastern Inner Mongolia, the Jasag Lama secondarily also became the ruler of a secular community.

legally designated lama