第一世達賴喇嘛──根敦珠，生於1391年在古美如巴（Gyurmey-Rupa），靠近薩迦在後藏區一個遊牧的家庭，父親為宮波多杰，母親為郡母南卡其。他的名字叫作悲瑪多杰。他的閱讀和藏文的書寫種種初等教育是跟噶桐查達巴啦學習；然後在十四歲的時候，於竹巴謝惹學者──納唐寺的院長跟前領受沙彌戒，法名為根敦珠巴。在1411年的後半期，他從院長那裡領取了比丘戒。

年輕的根敦珠了知宗喀巴大師的聲譽，格魯派的創辦人宗喀巴大師在1416年將他收為弟子。由於他對宗喀巴大師的忠誠和奉獻，令大師將根敦珠把他當成主要的弟子。當宗喀巴給了根敦珠一套全新的袈裟時，就是一個信號，表示他會在西藏到處傳播佛法。在1447年，根敦珠巴創立了日格則的札什倫布寺，這是西藏裡面格魯派的一個大規模修學的大學院。

第一世達賴喇嘛──根敦珠巴，是一個有廣大無邊學術成就的人，他是以學習跟實行而出名，他用他的佛法和哲學的見識寫作了八大卷數多的經書。在1474年享年八十四歲，尊者是在札什倫布寺那裡修行禪定的時候過世的。

◎The First Dalai Lama, Gedun Drupa

The First Dalai Lama, Gedun Drupa, was born in 1391 in Gyurmey Rupa, near Sakya in the Tsang region of central Tibet to Gonpo Dorjee and Jomo Namkha Kyi, a nomadic family. His given name was Pema Dorjee.
He did his primary studies of reading and writing Tibetan script with Gya-Ton Tsenda Pa-La, and then at the age of fourteen, he took his novice vows from Khenchen Drupa Sherab, abbot of Narthang monastery, who gave him the religious name of Gedun Drupa. Latter, in the year 1411, he took the Gelong vows (full ordination) from the abbot.

The young Gedun Drupa was aware of the fame of the Great Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelugpa School and he became his disciple in 1416. His loyalty and devotion to Tsongkhapa persuaded the great master to make Gedun Drupa his principal disciple. Tsongkhapa handed Gedun Drupa a brand new set of robes as a sign that he would spread the Buddhist teachings all over Tibet. In 1447, Gedun Drupa founded the Tashi Lhunpo monastery in Shigatse, one of the biggest monastic Universities of the Gelugpa School.

The First Dalai Lama, Gedun Drupa was a great person of immense scholarship, famous for combining study and practice, and wrote more than eight voluminous books on his insight into the Buddhas teachings and philosophy. In 1474, at the age of eighty-four, he died while in meditation at Tashi Lhunpo monastery.