The Treasury of Lives

Shuke Lotsāwa Drakpa Gyeltsen (shud ke lo tsA ba grags pa rgyal mtshan) was likely born in the Yarlung region, some time in the thirteenth century. After training in Tibet he went to Nepal and India to continue his education. He appears to have been a student of Vimālaśrībhadra, Kīrticandra, and Dharmadhara.

He is credited with well over a dozen translations in the Kangyur and Tengyur, including the Paṇcāśikāṭippaṇī (D2134) which appears to have been an oral teaching on Mahākaruṇika given by Vimalaśrībhadra at Sakya Monastery (sa skya dgon). It was requested by a physician named Galing (mi chen lha rje ma ga ling).1

His translations in the Kangyur include the Ārya-grahamātṛkā-nāma-dhāraṇī (D660) and the Śrī-padmajvala-mahātantre kula-lokanāthā-pañcadaśaka-nāma (D436) which was done in collaboration with Vimālaśrībhadra, and the Śrī-raktayamāri-tantrarāja-nāma (D0474), translated in Nepal with the paṇḍitas Candraśrī and Candrakīrti.

Other translations in the Tengyur include Nāropa's Paramārthasaṃgraha-nāma-sekoddeśaṭīkā (D1351), done in collaboration with with Dharmadhara and revised by Rinchen Gyeltsen (rin chen rgyal mtshan), and Subhūticandra's Amarakoṣaṭīkākāmadhenu-nāma (D4300), in collaboration with Kīrticandra. This was later revised by the ninth abbot of Zhalu Monastery (zhwa lu dgon), Chokyong Zangpo (zhwa lu mkhan chen 09 chos skyong bzang po, 1441-1524). He also translated Ratnakaraśānti's Chandoratnākara-nāma (D4304), in collaboration with Lochen Jangchub Tsemo (lo chen byang chub rtse mo) and Lochen Namkha Zangpo (lo chen nam kha' bzang po).


1 See colophon to TBRC W23703.

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 January 2020

Bibliography

Grags pa 'byung gnas and Blo bzang mkhas grub. 1992. Gangs can mkhas grub rim byon ming mdzod. Lanzhou: Kan su'u mi rigs dpe skrun khang, p. 1710. TBRC W19801.

Vimalaśrībhadra. 1982-1985. Lnga bcu pa'i bshad pa (Paṇcāśikāṭippaṇī) In Bstan 'gyur (sde dge), vol. 49, pp. 364-390. Delhi: Delhi Karmapae Choedhey Gyalwae Sungrab Partun Khang. TBRC W23703.

View this person’s associated Works & Texts on the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center’s Website.