3rd Taktra Rinpoche

Ngawang Sungrab Thutob
སྟག་བྲག་ནག་དབང་གསུང་རབ
3rd Taktra Rinpoche
In office 1874–1952
Preceded by	Lobsang Khyenrab Wangchug
Succeeded by	Tenzin Geleg
Regent of Tibet
In office 1941–1950
Dalai Lama	Tenzin Gyatso
Preceded by	5th Reting Rinpoche
Succeeded by	title abolished
Personal details
Born	1874 (1874) Kyarpa, Tibet, China
Died	1952 (aged 77–78) Lhasa, Tibet, China

Seal of Taktra Rinpoche

Ngawang Sungrab Thutob (Standard Tibetan: སྟག་བྲག་ནག་དབང་གསུང་རབ།; Chinese: 达扎·阿おもね旺松绕) (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·单增格かく列れつ, 丹に增ぞう格かく列れつ or 丹に增ぞう赤あか烈れつ) 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."

("少数しょうすう寺てら庙僧人じん不ふ好こう好学こうがく经，不ふ遵守じゅんしゅ教きょう规，破やぶ坏宗教きょう正常せいじょう秩序ちつじょ，目もく无国法ほう，与あずか达赖集しゅう团遥相しょう呼よび应，大だい搞分裂ぶんれつ祖国そこく活かつ动，破やぶ坏西藏ぞう稳定，破やぶ坏藏传佛教ぶっきょう正常せいじょう秩序ちつじょ，损坏了りょう宗教しゅうきょう界かい和わ广大信教しんきょう群ぐん众的根本こんぽん利益りえき，我わが们决不ふ答こたえ应，坚决反はん对。")