The Treasury of Lives

The Ninety-fifth Ganden Tripa, Tashi Tongtun (dga' ldan khri pa 95 bkra shis stong thun) was born into the Lhunpotsang family (lhun po tshang) in the Minyak region of Kham (khams mi nyag) in 1881, the iron-snake year of the fifteenth sexagenary cycle, although this date is not definitive. The names of his parents are not known. His name Tongtun seems more common though Tongdu (stong 'dus) and Tongdul (stong 'dul) appear in the sources.

Tashi Tongtun matriculated in the Minyak House of Loseling College of the Drepung Monastic University ('bras spungs blo gsal gling gi mi nyag khang tshan) where he began the traditional course of studies with logic and epistemology and then Abhisamayālaṃkāra, Madhyamaka, Abhidharmakośa, Pramāṇavārttika, and Vinaya, the five major subjects of the Geshe Lharampa (dge bshes lha ram pa) course of the Geluk monastic curriculum. He stood for the traditional examination during the Lhasa Monlam Chenmo and attained Geshe Lharampa degree. By the time it was a standard regulation that only those Lharmapa Geshes who obtain rank in the first three positions will be allowed to follow the path to the Golden Throne; Tashi Tongtun obtained second in position.

He then enrolled in Gyuto College (rgyud stod grwa tshang) and studied tantric scriptures and trained in rites and rituals, earning title of Ngakrampa (sngags rams pa), Master of Tantra. He served the College as its disciplinarian (dge bskos) and then as the chant-leader/head of education (bla ma dbu mdzad), and finally abbot, after which he was elevated to the post of Shartse Choje (shar rtse chos rje) at Ganden Shartse College, putting him in line to the Golden Throne of Ganden.

In 1947, the fire-pig year of the sixteenth sexagenary cycle, Tashi Tongthun ascended to the Golden Throne as the Ninety-fifth Ganden Tripa. He served the customary seven years, until 1953, giving traditional teachings time to time and leading religious ceremonies and festivals including the Lhasa Monlam Chenmo held for twenty-one days in the first month of each Tibetan year.

In April 1947 Tashi Tondu participated in an attempt to mediate a settlement to the conflict around the Reting Affair, in an attempt to save Sera Je from being destroyed. The monks of the monastery had taken up arms in defense of the disgraced Fifth Reting Tulku, Tubten Jampel Yeshe Tenpai Gyeltsen (rwa sgreng sprul sku 05 thub bstan 'jam dpal ye shes bstan pa'i rgyal mtshan, 1912/1919-1947).

Details of his actions during the 1950 Communist invasion of Tibet are not known.

Tashi Tondu was the last Tripa to serve the full tenure in Lhasa. Following his retirement he settled at Tsechok Ling (tshe mchog gling), where he passed away. Tubten Kunga (dga' ldan khri pa 96 rje drung thub bstan kun dga', 1891-1964) succeeded him as the next Ganden Tripa.

In 1957, in the fire-bird year of the sixteenth sexagenary cycle, after four years of his retirement Trichen Tashi Tongtun passed into nirvana, at the age of about seventy-seven. His reliquary was installed in the General Assembly Hall of Drepung Monastery (gdung rten 'bras spungs tshogs chen du yod).