Manchu-Tibetan Relations before 1644: A Reappraisal

Kam Taksing
Harvard University

35^th Meeting of the PIAC, Taipei 1992

A preliminary re-assessment of the Manchu-Tibetan relationship in the early seventeenth century, this paper challenges the current theory that the Manchus, who were thought to be non-believers of Tibetan Buddhism, patronized the faith in order to win the allegiance of the Mongols.

My findings show that the Manchus did not merely tolerate religions but espoused all faiths. Besides shamanism, other religions such as Taoism, Chinese Buddhism and later Tibetan Buddhism co-existed in the early Manchu state. By tracing the missionary activities of the dGe-lugs-pa against those of the Sa-Kya-pa and Kar-ma-pa in inner Asia, I argue that before 1643 the Manchus were more interested in maintaining a religious relationship than in forging an alliance with the Dalai Lama for mutual political benefits.