The Treasury of Lives

Dawa Gyeltsen was born in Ngari, western Tibet, and ordained at a young age. We do not know when or under whom he was tonsured or ordained, but we know that he was a monk because the Blue Annals tell us that Layakpa Jangchub Ngodrub (la yag pa byang chub dngos grub, 12th century) took full ordination from him.

At some point in his life—we do not know precisely when—Dawa Gyeltsen traveled to Nepal where he received empowerment and instructions from the siddha Peñapa (pe nya pa) on the eleven-headed form of Avalokiteśvara and on the famous fasting ritual nyung-ne (smyung gnas) that comes down to us from the famous Indian nun Bhikṣuṇī Śrī, or Gelongma Pelmo (dge slong ma dpal mo). One of Dawa Gyeltsen's biographers states that while staying in the "Cakrasaṃvara Temple" in Nepal, many ḍākinīs arrived from Puṇḍravardhana (li kha ra shing 'phel), a region of India, "to worship the actual living Avalokiteśvara"—that is, Dawa Gyeltsen.

On his way back to Tibet, Dawa Gyeltsen traveled to Kyirong (skyid grong), where he did many repetitions of the two-day fasting ritual in front of the famous Wati Zangpo (wa ti bzang po) statue of Avalokiteśvara. Wongpo Lotsāwa ('ong po lo tsA wa) later reported that, while sleeping in the temple at Kyidrong, he heard the Wati Zangpo statue say that Dawa Gyeltsen was, indeed, Avalokiteśvara himself.

Much of Dawa Gyeltsen's life story is filled with wondrous tales. For example, after seven days of intensively supplicating the Wati Zangpo, Dawa Gyeltsen is said to have had a vision of the deity. But instead of congratulating the saint or thanking him for his devotion, Avalokiteśvara said, "Finish what you haven't yet done. Don't be so proud. Give your eyes to a hundred blind people. Build a hundred temples. Provide support for a hundred monks. Repair a hundred mountain trails." "I can't possibly do all that," Dawa Gyeltsen replied. But the deity insisted, "Pray to me in my thousand-armed form and you will quickly obtain buddhahood." Dawa Gyeltsen then went into retreat with four other monks, living only on alms. Before too long these donations made him very wealthy. He then built or repaired over a hundred temples, supported 500 monks, and freed 200 convicts from the death sentence or from having their eyes gouged out as a punishment for their crimes.  

Some biographies recount how Dawa Gyeltsen healed people—even a serial killer—by teaching them bodhicitta and the fasting ritual as methods of purification. He was also known for his ability to discern where people had been reborn. And once, while he was giving bodhicitta teachings in northern Tsang, the protector deity Tsiu Marpo (tsi'u dmar po) is said to have appeared and asked Dawa Gyeltsen to show proof that he was truly accomplished. Dawa Gyeltsen showed everyone his hands, and they saw eyes on his palms staring at them. Others saw him in one or another of Avalokiteśvara's various forms, with eleven heads, or with four arms, etc. From that point on, Tsi'u Marpo is said to have become the protector deity of Dawa Gyeltsen's teachings.

As Drakar Tulku (brag dkar spul sku, 1866–1928), one of his biographers, states, "There are many anecdotes pointing to his being an actual emanation of Avalokiteśvara… and many stories of spirits doing his bidding." The famous Sakya scholar Rongton Sheja Kunrik (rong ston shes bya kun rig, 1367–1449), composed a praise of Dawa Gyeltsen, stating, "many scholars praised you as a bodhisattva who had attained the 'tolerance' (bzod pa) stage of the path of preparation," which suggests that not everyone considered him to be a fully enlightened deity. But whether a buddha or not, it is clear that Dawa Gyeltsen was a respected saint whose impact was so great that he was being eulogized by scholars hundreds of years after his death.

Jamgon Kongtrul ('jam mgon kong sprul, 1813–1899) includes two teachings by Dawa Gyeltsen: a sādhana and permission ritual (rjes gnang) of black Hayagrīva, found in the Treasury of revelations (rin chen gter mdzod), and a teaching on how to cultivate the "great middle way" (dbu ma chen po) in the Treasury of Instructions (gdams ngag mdzod). A sādhana of Mahākāruṇika Avalokiteśvara attributed to Dawa Gyeltsen is also preserved in the collected works of Rongton Sheja Kunrik.

Dawa Gyeltsen's students include Sachen Kunga Nyingpo (sa chen kun dga' snying po, 1092–1158), the third holder of the Sakya throne; Pakmodrupa Dorje Gyelpo (phag mo gru pa rdo rje rgyal po, 1110–1170), the founder of Densatil Monastery (gdan sa mthil dgon) and teacher to many early major Kagyu lamas; and Layakpa Jangchub Ngodrub. However, his main student was the saint Nyipukpa Choki Drakpa (nyi phug pa chos kyi grags pa, b. 1154), who was the recipient of all his various teachings.