The Treasury of Lives

Nyamme Sherab Gyeltsen (myam med shes rab rgyal mtshan) was born in the region of Gyelrong (rgyal mo rong) a region in southeastern Amdo, in a Fire-Monkey year, 1356. His father, Lugyel (klu rgyal) of the Dra (s/bra) clan, was an expert in the four Causal Bon Teachings. His mother, Rinchen Men (rin chen sman), was said to have all the signs of a ḍākinī. At the time of his birth, on the fifteenth of the second spring month, it is said that the sky was filled with rainbows, gods danced amidst clouds, producing rains of flowers while on earth fruits ripened before their usual season and birds offered the melodious songs as gifts to his birth.

Sherab Gyeltsen was a child of exceptional intelligence. At the age of ten he took novice vows from Chala Yungdrung Gyeltsen (phya bla g.yung drung rgyal mtshan) who gave him the name Sherab Gyeltsen. He then studied with numerous renowned masters in Dokham (mdo khams) and Nyarong (nyag rong).

Later in his early adult life, Sherab Gyeltsen met Rinchen Lodro (rin chen blo gros, d.u.) on the way to Tibet and became his disciple. He practiced with such zeal the teachings of his master that, when back in Kham, he is said to have had the meditative realization known as "samsara and nirvana having a single flavor."

Sherab Gyeltsen later made a second trip to Tibet during which he met the great

Buddhist master Rongton Sheja Kunkhyen (rong ston shes bya kun mkhyen, 1367-1449), with whom he studied Madhyamaka, Prajñāpāramitā, Vinaya, Abhidharma and, in particular, Logic.

At the age of thirty-one, Sherab Gyeltsen went to the Bon monastery of Yeru Wensakha (g.yas ru dben sa kha) in Tsang, where he took monk vows from the abbot Tsultrim Yeshe (tshul khrims ye shes). At Wensakha, he studied the Welphur (dbal phur) cycles with Meton Kunzang Gyeltsen (me ston kun bzang rgyal mtshan). During is initiation he reported seeing clearly Meton as the deity Takla Mebar (stag la me 'bar), and the teacher's wife and children as gods and goddesses.

Sherab Gyeltsen studied with numerous masters and his knowledge became so famous that two members of the Dru clan offered him the abbot throne of two monastic colleges in Yeru Wensakha. There, he spread the teachings through exposition, debate and composition of works. During that time, he felt the need to return to his native place and meet his parents. On the way back to Kham, he received the terrible news that the Yeru Wensakha Monastery had been entirely destroyed by floods. Sherab Gyeltsen stayed some time in the East until, according to the later tradition, a prophecy uttered by Yeshe Welmo (ye shes dbal mo) to the effect that he would only obtain accomplishments in Tsang brought him back to Tibet.

In 1405, at the age of fifty, Sherab Gyeltsen founded the famed Tashi Menri Monastery (bkra shi sman ri) on the slope of Mt Shari Phowa (shar ri pho ba) in Tobgyel (thob rgyal). Upon reaching the site of the future monastery, Sherab Gyeltsen met two ascetics to whom he offered some tea. None of them had water to make tea, but tradition says that Sherab Gyeltsen struck the ground with his staff and caused a fountain of pure water to appear. Later, he asked his disciple Rinchen Gyeltsen (rin chen rgyal mtshan) to use small pebbles to delineate the basis of the monastery and the number of cells for the monks.

After the completion of the building, Sherab Gyeltsen had visions of the guardians of the teachings, such as Welchen Gekho (dbal chen ge khod), Tsochok Trowo (gtso mchog khro bo), and others. He also envisioned illustrious masters of the past, such as Tonggyung Tuchen (stong rgyung mthu can) and Drenpa Namkha (dran pa nam mkha'). He then taught at Kharna (khar sna), as well as in numerous hermitages, teaching primarily meditative practices.

Numerous miraculous stories are told of Sherab Gyeltsen's life. Perhaps the best known is that of his hat. It is reported that as a proof of their spiritual accomplishments both Sherab Gyeltsen and Mugyel Nyima (dmu rgyal nyi ma) could fly in the sky. However, Sherab Gyeltsen flew so high in the atmosphere that his hat was burnt by the rays of the sun. As a display of more ordinary miracles, he was also said to be able to write on stones with his fingers or leave his footprints on rocks.

Sherab Gyeltsen's compositions were collected in ten volumes. He wrote on logic; tantras; outer, inner and secret practices; monastic rules and discipline; philosophical commentaries, and other topics.

Among Sherab Gyeltsen's more famous disciples were Gyeltsab Rinchen Gyeltsen (rgyal tshab rin chen rgyal mtshan), from the Tsang region of Tibet; Sonam Gyeltsen (bsod nams rgyal mtshan), from the Ngari (mnga' ris) region, Dardo Tsultrim Wangden (dar do tshul khrims dbang ldan) and Sonam Ozer (bsod nams 'od zer), from Kham; Yeshe Tsultrim (ye shes tshul khrims) and Rinchen Tsultrim (rin chen tshul khrims), from Gyelrong.

At the age of sixty, Sherab Gyeltsen preached the teachings of the Oral Transmission of Zhangzhung (zhang zhung snyan rgyud) under a tent in Terchukha (gter chu kha). It is said that during the day, he taught his disciples and in the night he would teach the nagas and other local deities. Tradition has it that it was then, at dawn of the eighth day of the third summer month of the year 1415, that his mind dissolved into the absolute space (bon dbyings) and for three whole days his body remained floating above the ground, amidst rainbows and rays of light. Prayers were recited and his body descended on the ground for the cremation.

According to the tradition, his disciples found in the ashes several small statues of Kuntuzangpo (kun tu bzang po), Mawai Senge (smra ba'i seng ge), and other Bon deities, as well as seed-syllables (a, om and huM), and other relics. Among the latter, three had large dimensions: two, meant for the gods, flew into the sky amidst sounds and rays. The third one was given to his most important disciple, Rinchen Gyeltsen.