Chennga Sonam Zangpo (spyan nga bsod nams bzang po) was born in 1380 at the Pakmodru (phag mo gru) estate of Gonsar (dgon sar). His father was the secretary (drung chen) Shakya Rinchen (shakya rin chen, 1347-1426) and his mother was named Zinaza Rinchen Dzompa (zi na za rin chen 'dzom pa). He had two elder brothers, Drakpa Gyeltsen (grags pa rgyal mtshan, 1374-1432), who served as regent (sde srid) at Tsetang (rtsed thang), and Jangchub Dorje (byang chub rdo rje, 1377-1428), who occupied the abbatial throne at Tsetang, the second capital and monastery of the Pagmodru family.

He received his upāsikā vows from Chennga Drakpa Jangchub (spyan nga grags pa byang chub, 1356-1386), also known as Drakjangwa (grags byang ba), and his novice vows with Drakdorwa (grags rdor ba, d.u.) and Tsulgyelwa (tshul rgyal ba, d.u.). He received teachings from Chennga Sonam Drakpa (spyan nga bsod nams grags pa, d.u.), and was initiated into the “four symbols” (brda bzhi) by Chogowa Tsultrim Zangpo (chos sgo ba tshul khrims bzang po, d.u.).

He also received teaching from Tsongkhapa Lobzang Drakpa (tsong kha pa lo bzang grags pa, 1357-1419) and an abbot named Sonam Zangpo (bsod nams bzangs po, d.u.) at a temple called Jampa Ling (byams pa gling) in On ('on) in 1405 and 1406. It was in response to the request of Sonam Zangpo that Tsongkhapa composed the Ngakrim Chenmo (sngags rim chen mo), and Sonam Zangpo later commissioned a set of Tsongkhapa's complete works.

At the age of twenty-nine, in 1408, Sonam Zangpo assumed the abbacy of Densatil Monastery (gdan sa mthil dgon), receiving an exposition on the Kagyu teachings from a Lachen Rinzhonpa (bla chen rin gzhon pa, d.u.). He also taught Hevajra at Tsetang (rtses thang).

In 1415 he received final ordination from Tsongkhapa at Tashi Dokha (bkra shis rdo kha), with Gyeltsen Zangpo (rgyal mtshan bzang po, 1383-1450) participating. Sources state that Kunga Gyeltsen (kun dga' rgyal mtshan, d.u.) also participating in the quorum, but the identity of this person is not clear; Tsongkhapa had a teacher named Kunga Gyeltsen, but he passed away in 1400.

Sonam Zangpo passed away at the age of thirty-seven.

Alexander Gardner is Director and Chief Editor of the Treasury of Lives. He completed his PhD in Buddhist Studies at the University of Michigan in 2007. He is the author of The Life of Jamgon Kongtrul The Great.

Published December 2009

Updated July 2015