The Treasury of Lives

The First Pawo, Chowang Lhundrub (chos dbang lhun grub), was born in Yarlung Nyelton (yar glungs gnyal ston) in U in 1455, the wood-pig year of the eighth sexagenary cycle. His father's name was Solpon Draggyel (gsol dpon grag rgyal) and his mother's name was Gyelmo Peldzom (rgyal mod pal 'dzoms). There is some disagreement in the sources regarding his date of birth, with an alternate year given as 1440.

Little is known of his life. He received novice vows (dge tshul) and transmissions of Mahāmudrā and the Six Dharmas of Nāropa (naro'i chos drug), and the name Chowang Lhundrub from a teacher who is unnamed in the biographies. He later became a disciple of the Seventh Karmapa, Chodrak Gyatso (karma pa 07 chos grags rgya mtsho, 1453-1506).

He is said to have publicly displayed magical abilities, such as an event at Zang Lake (zangs mtsho) where he walked on water and subjugated the local deity of the lake. It is said that the nearby villagers who witnessed this were so overawed that they gave him the name "hero" (dpa' bo), which came to serve as the title of his incarnation line.

At some point a disciple offered him the temple of Sekhar Gutok (sras mkhar dgu thog), the site of the famous tower built by Milarepa (mi la ras pa, 1040-1123) in Lhokha (lho kha). Chowang Lhundrub initially declined to accept, but eventually took control when the Seventh Karmapa instructed him to make it the base of his religious activities. He restored the temple and built a meditation retreat center (sgrub sde) on the mountain Orgyen Dechen (o rgyan bde chen).

Chowang Lhundrub was a strong renunciate and is said to have behaved in a manner consistent with the "crazy yogis" of the Kagyu tradition. He is said sometimes to have acted like a child or a madman, crawling on four legs while roaring like a lion.

He passed away in the water-pig year 1503 in Nyetang (snye thang) near Lhasa. His reincarnation was identified in the person of Tsuklak Trengwa (gtsug lag phreng ba, 1504-1566).