章嘉呼圖克圖往往被認為是藏傳佛教四大活佛,位列達賴喇嘛、班禪額爾德尼、哲布尊丹巴呼圖克圖之後,更被尊為國師,這樣的說法持續至今。國民政府也形容出生於清末的七世章嘉羅桑般殿丹畢蓉梅為一位忠黨愛國的活佛喇嘛,襄助共和、反對分裂,更對蒙古民眾有強大的號召力。但事實上七世章嘉並非全然被動地接受國民政府的安排,在與中央政府達成互利共生的政教合作時,也時常利用宗教聲勢來謀取政治利益。而中央政府雖允許七世章嘉維持一定的地位,但當他意欲藉此擴張勢力,政教衝突也時有所聞。兩岸學界分別以專題式的方式研究及理解七世章嘉,但至今尚未出現通盤的討論。只有站在宗教人士的角度認識近代中國的各種政治變局,方能理解七世章嘉所下的每一步棋。本文透過國史館檔案、時人對七世章嘉的記載與各類史料,勾勒這位從滿清到民國、從邊疆到中央、從蒙古到漢地、從大陸到臺灣的末代國師其人其事。
Changkya Khutukhtu is regarded as one of the four great Tulkus of Tibetan Buddhism, ranked after the Dalai Lama, Panchen Lama, and Jebtsundamba Khutuktu, and has been honorably referred to as "the Preceptor." The National Government also described the 7th Changkya Khutukhtu, Lozang Penden Tenpé Drönmé (1891-1957), who was born in the late Qing period, as a patriotic Tulku Lama who not only helped the formation of the republic but also retained strong appeal to the Mongolian general public. In fact, the 7th Changkya Khutukhtu did not accept the authority of the central government fully and passively; he often used his influence in the religious world to attract political interest, and he established a mutually beneficial political-religious collaboration with the central government. Although the central government allowed the 7th Changkya Khutukhtu to hold certain powers, conflicts between politics and religion were not unheard of when the religious leader attempted to expand his influence. Academics both from Taiwan and China have attempted to understand this prominent figure through project-based research. However, none have presented a comprehensive discussion. In this study, the life and deeds of this last Preceptor-who lived from the Qing Dynasty to the Republican period, migrated from the borderland to the heartland of mainland China, and finally moved to Taiwan-are described, based on archives from the Academia Historica, contemporary documentation, and various other historical sources.