clerical posts, filled by
incarnations, from administrative posts. He was summoned to Peking by
the Emperor, but declined to go and the somewhat imperative embassy
sent to invite him was roughly handled. His successor, the third Grand
Lama bSod-nams,[955] although less noticed by historians than the
fifth, perhaps did more solid work for the holy see of Lhasa than any
other of his line for he obtained, or at least received, the
allegiance of the Mongols who since the time of Khubilai had woefully
backslidden from the true faith.

As mentioned above, the conversion of the Mongols to Buddhism took
place when their capital was at Peking and chiefly affected those
resident in China. But when the Yuan dynasty had been dethroned and
the Mongols, driven back into their wilds, were frequently at war with
China, they soon relapsed into their original superstitions. About
1570 Altan[956] Khagan, the powerful chief of the Tumed, became
more nearly acquainted with Tibet, since some Lamas captured in a
border fray had been taken to his Court. After causing China much loss
and trouble he made an advantageous peace and probably formed the idea
(which the Manchus subsequently proved to be reasonable) that if the
Mongols were stronger they might repeat the conquests of Khubilai. The
Ming dynasty was clearly decadent and these mysterious priests of
Tibet appeared to be on the upward grade.[957] They might help him
both to become the undisputed chief of all the Mongol tribes and also
to reconquer Peking. So he sent an embassy to invite the Grand Lama's
presence, and when it was not successful he followed it with a second.

The Grand Lama then accepted and set out on his travels with great
pomp. According to the story he appeared to the astonished Mongols in
the guise of Avalokita with four arms (of which two remained folded on
his breast) and the imprint of his horse's hoofs showed the six mystic
syllables _om mani padme hum_. These wonders are so easily explicable
that they may be historical.

A great congregation was held near Lake Kokonor and Sanang Setsen
records an interesting speech made there by one of his ancestors
respecting the relations of Church and State, which he compared with
the sun and moon. The Lama bestowed on the Khagan high sounding titles
and received himself the epithet Dalai or Talai, the Mongol word for
sea, signifying metaphorically vast extent and profundity.[958] This
is the origin of the name Dalai Lama by