The Treasury of Lives

Yangchen Drupai Dorje (dbyangs can grub pai rdo rje) was born in the village of Zhe (bzhad) near Tashi Gepel Ling Monastery (bkra shis dge 'phel gling) in Tsang Yeru (gtsang gyas ru) in 1809, the earth-snake year of fourteenth sexagenary cycle. His clan was the Ngulchu (dngul chu). According to legend, his birth-town was originally called Je ('jad) but was changed to Zhe in the eighth century after a visit of Padmasamhava, who smiled (bzhad) three times when he saw religious features of that place. Drupai Dorje's father, named Tashi (bkra shis), was the younger brother of Ngulchu Dharmabhadra (dngul chu d+harma b+ha dra, 1772-1851). Yangchen Drupai Dorje's mother was called Tsering Sicho (tshe ring sri chod). His birth name was Jamyang Dorje ('jam dbyangs rdo rje).

Jamyang Dorje was taught reading and writing at the age of five by his famous uncle Dharmabhadra, and, at the age of ten, he learned poetry and astrology from Tobgyel Lama Ngawang Nyendak (thob rgyal bla ma ngag dbang snyan grags, d.u.). At the age of eleven, in response to a law mandating that each local family send a boy to become a monk, he was brought to Tashi Gepel Ling Monastery where his crown-hair was cut by Kachen Kunchok Chopel (dka' chen dkon mchog chos 'phel, d.u.) and he received the name Lobzang Chopel (blo bzang chos 'phel). The following year he was granted the lay and novice vows by the same lama. He is said to have had particular interest in the songs and life story of Milarepa (mi la ras pa 1052-1135).

At the age of nineteen Lobzang Chopel joined to his uncle Dharmabhadra and served him until the end of his life. While serving his uncle he furthered his study in grammar, poetry, literatures, astrology, and traditional subjects of Buddhist Philosophy and so forth. At the age of thirty-seven his uncle tested of his knowledge in poetry and Sanskrit phonology; his uncle was so pleased that he praised him, giving him the name Yangchen Drubpai Dorje, the name by which he is most commonly known. In the fourth month of the same year he was granted vows of full ordination. Subsequently, he studied Vinaya in detail from his uncle followed by series of teachings on both sutra and tantra.

Ngulchu Dharmabhadra passed away in 1851, when Yangchen Drupai Dorje was forty-three. He supervised the cremation, organizing a nirvana-prayer and building a silver reliquary in his memory. He also completed some of the works left unfinished by his uncle, and also built many statues and other objects of faith and installed in the Ngulchu Hermitage (dngul chu ri khrod). Yangchen Drupai Dorje's works are collected into three volumes containing a total of seventy-seven texts.

In 1869, Yangchen Drupai Dorje travelled to Lhasa for pilgrimage, visiting Sera (se ra), Ganden (dga' ldan), Drepung ('bras spungs), and then returning to Tsang to visit Tashilhunpo (bkra shsi lhun po), Sakya (sa skya), and other important places, giving teachings and making offerings. He returned to his monastery the following year and gave teachings regularly to a large number of disciples. Among these were Ngawang Tsultrim (ngag dbang tshul khrims, d.u.); Gendun Gyatso (dge 'dun rgya mtsho, d.u.); Lama Yeshe Chopel (bla ma ye shes chos 'phel, d.u.); Mindrol Nominhan (smin grol no mon han, d.u.); the Ninth Pakpa Lha, Ngawang Lobzang Jigme Tenpai Gyeltsen ('phags pa lha 09, ngag dbang blo bzang 'jigs med bstan pa'i rgyal mtshan 1849-1900); Lobzang Jigme (blo bzang 'jigs med, d.u.), and Chubzang Hutuktu (chu bzang hut hog thu).

Yangchen Drupai Dorje passed away in 1887, the fire-pig year of the fifteenth sexagenary cycle, at the age of seventy-nine.