The Eighteenth Ganden Tripa, Gyeltsen Zangpo (dga' ldan khri pa 18 rgyal mtshan bzang po) was born at Takgi Drong in Jeri Taktse (bye ri stag rtse'i stag gi grong) in 1497, the fire-snake year of the eighth sexagenary cycle. He studied both sutra and tantra, and also grammar, poetry, composing and so forth. At the completion of his studies he served as lobpon at Gyume College then as lobpon at Jangtse College of Ganden Monastery (dga' ldan byang rtse grwa tshang).
At the age of fifty, in 1546, Gyeltsen Zangpo was enthroned to the seat of Eighteenth Ganden Tripa. He served the post by giving comprehensive teachings on the topics from both sutra and tantra, and led the important religious festivals and events including the annual Great Prayer Festival of Lhasa (lha sa smon lam chen mo). He also took the responsibility of restoring the famous golden roof of Ganden.
No record of names of Trichen Gyeltsen Zangpo's teachers and also disciples are found in his available biography and other related resources.
After serving on Golden throne of Ganden for three years, Trichen Gyeltsen Zangpo passed into nirvana at the age of fifty-two, in 1548, the earth-monkey year of the ninth sexagenary cycle. A silver reliquary was built in his memory and installed in the fifth position in the leftside main rows on the east side of the Lima Lhakang in Ganden.
Bibliography
Grags pa 'byung gnas and Rgyal ba blo bzang mkhas grub. 1992.Gangs can mkhas grub rim byon mingmdzod. Lanzhou: Kan su'u mi rigs dpe skrun khang, pp. 1127-1128.
Grong khyer lha sa srid gros lo rgyus rig gnas dpyad yig rgyu cha rtsom ’bri au yon lhan khang.Dga’ ldan dgon pa dang brag yer pa’i lo rgyus, grong khyer lha sa’i lo rgyus rig gnas deb 02,bod ljongs shin hwa par ’debs bzo grwa khang, 1964. p. 62.
Sde srid sangs rgyas rgya mtsho. 1989 (1698). Dga' ldan chos 'byung baiDU r+ya ser po. Beijing: Krung go bod kyi shes rig dpe skrun khang, p. 83.