The Treasury of Lives

Drayab Tubten Zangpo was born in Drayab around the year 1891, although he may have been born later, in 1894. He became a monk at Tsangsar Monastery (gtsang sar dgon) in Drayab. Tubten Zangpo was the name he received with his novice vows. He received the name Tubten Gyeltsen (thub bstan rgyal mtshan) at his full ordination but was known by his novice name.^[1]

He received teachings on Lamdre and the works of Sakya Paṇḍita (sa skya paN Di ta, 1182–1251) from Jamyang Loter Wangpo ('jam dbyang blo gter dbang po, 1847–1914), who recognized his intelligence and sent him to Dzogchen Monastery (rdzogs chen dgon) for further study under Khenpo Zhenga (mkhan po gzhan dga', 1871–1927). Among his classmates at the Śrīsiṃha College were Ngawang Lodro Zhenpen Nyingpo (ngag dbang blo gros gzhan phan snying po, 1876–1953), Dezhung Anjam (sde gzhung a 'jam, 1885–1952), and Gaton Jamyang Gyeltsen (sga ston 'jam dbyangs rgyal mtshan, 1870–1940).^[2]

After Tubten Zangpo had studied for five or six years at Dzogchen and possibly also at Pelpung (dpal spungs), between the years c. 1906 and 1912, Khenpo Zhenga sent him to Sakya Monastery (sa skya dgon) in central Tibet. He walked for several months from Kham to Sakya as he did not have the resources of a highly connected lama and was unable to afford to join a caravan or even ride a horse. Once there he initiated a scriptural college, teaching classes on the Indian Buddhist classics. There and at most of the other colleges where he would teach, he followed a lengthy four-session daily schedule. Among his students at Sakya was Sanggye Rinchen (sangs rgyas rin chen, 1897–1956), who would later teach the Fifth Dagchen Rinpoche, Jikdrel Ngawang Kunga Sonam (bdag chen rin po che 05 'jigs bral ngag dbang kun dga' bsod nams, 1929–2016).

Sanggye Rinchen described Tubten Zangpo to David Jackson as skillful and kind-hearted, never raising his voice at his students but rather expressing sadness when they gave a particularly poor exposition of a scriptural passage. He lived simply, stating, "I have no attachment to material things, except to my own bowl of tsampa."^[3]

He also reinstituted the summer retreat at Sakya and restored the Sakya tradition of the poṣada, the fortnightly confession ritual, which had been converted to the Geluk tradition of the poṣada in the seventeenth century.^[4]

Jackson describes how poorly Tubten Zangpo's activities were received. According to Katok Situ Chokyi Gyatso (kaH thog si tu chos kyi rgya mtsho, 1880–1925), who visited Sakya in 1919 during his famous tour of central Tibet, the monastic community at Sakya was lax in its observation of the Vinaya, and Tubten Zangpo's attempts at reform were rejected by the leadership of the monastery. Not long after Katok Situ was at the monastery the Thirty-ninth Sakya Trizin, Dzamling Chegu Wangdu (sa skya 'khri 'dzin 39 'dzam gling che rgu dbang sdud, 1855–1919) passed away, and the new Sakya Trizin, Dakshul Trinle Rinchen (drag shul phrin las rin chen, 1871–1936) closed the college. Tubten Zangpo left thereafter.^[5]

For the next year or so he moved from monastery to monastery, bringing with him some forty students who left Sakya with him. He went first to the Lhatse region where he received support from the nobleman Kargyel (kar rgyal). Then he went to Dar Drangmoche (dar grang mo che), where he taught Śāntideva's Bodhicaryāvatāra, after which he sent most of his students back to Sakya, and proceeded to Gyang Bummoche (rgyang 'bum mo che), and then on to Tanak Tubten Namgyel (rta nag thub bstan rnam rgyal). Starting at Gyang Bummoche a disciple named Sanggye Tenzin (sangs rgyas bstan 'dzin) accompanied him on all subsequent travels. This monk later told his teacher's life story to David Jackson, whose essay forms the basis for this biography. There, at the seat of the great Sakya scholar Gorampa (go rams pa, 1429–1489) he established a monastic college, possibly in collaboration with another of Zhenga's students, Gonjo Khupukhen Zhenpen Lekdrub (go 'jo khu phug mkhan gzhan phan legs grub).^[6]

Around the year 1920 his classmate at Dzogchen, Minyak Apel (mi nyag a dpal), whom Khenpo Zhenga had sent to Ngor (ngor) to teach, passed away at that monastery. Tubten Zangpo was thus invited to take his place at the monastic college. According to Jackson, by this time the great study center of Ngor had become more of a ritual center, a place where monks went to receive the Lamdre transmission, but where little scriptural studies occurred. He remained there for about a year, until yet another of Zhenga's students arrived to teach, Ga Lama Gendun Zangpo (sga bla ma dge 'dun bzang po, 1880–1939). Ga Lama's presence allowed Tubten Zangpo to leave for Dreyul Kyetsel ('bras yul skyed tshal), where he had been invited on the recommendation of Pakpa Lha Sogyel ('phags pa lha bsod rgyal), his elderly Sakya student, who was later a teacher to Khetsun Zangpo (mkhas btsun bzang po, 1920–2009). Although the various communities of Ngor asked him to stay, he received permission to leave from the sixty-third abbot of the monastery, Tartse Khenpo Jamyang Kunzang Tenpai Gyeltsen (thar rtse mkhan po 'jam dbyangs kun bzang bstan pa'i rgyal mtshan).^[7]

At Dreyul Kyetsel Tubten Zangpo finally found an audience for the full curriculum of scriptural study developed by his teacher, Khenpo Zhenga. Over the course of about four years he taught all thirteen scriptures for which Khenpo Zhenga had famously composed commentaries.^[8]

He next went to Samye (bsam yas) where he taught Sakya Paṇḍita's Discrimination of the Three Vows (sdom gsum rab dbye), sitting on the throne of the eight-century master Śāntarākṣita, and then to nearby Lowo Tontang (glo bo thon thang) where he taught the Madhyāntavibhāga (dbu mtha' rnam 'byed) and the Ratnagotravibhāga (rgyud bla ma), the main scripture for the doctrine of buddha nature. At Nalendra (na len dra) he received powa ('pho ba) instructions in the tradition of Rongton Sheja Kunrik (rong ston shes bya kun rig, 1367–1449) from the Seventeenth Chogye Trichen Rinchen Khyentse Wangpo (bco brgyad khri chen 17 rin chen mkhyen brtse'i dbang po, 1869–1927). He then returned to Dreyul Kyetsel and spent the winter in retreat, teaching a few disciples during the breaks between his meditation.^[9]

Around 1927 his Lhatse patrons invited him to return to Dar Drangmoche and although he stayed at the monastery for about a year, he declined to establish a monastic college there, concerned by the repercussions from the powerful Geluk monastery of Tashilhunpo (bkra shis lhun po) nearby. At Dar Drangmoche he composed a commentary to Sakya Paṇḍita's Treasury of Good Sayings (sa skya legs bshad), which unfortunately has not survived. Returning again to Dreyul Kyetsel, he was almost immediately invited back to Nalendra, where he went despite universal opposition of the community, which requested that he instead remain at Dreyul Kyetsel permanently.

Tubten Zangpo taught at Nalendra for about three years, under the patronage of Zimwok Jampa Ngawang Kunga (gzim 'og byams pa ngag dbang kun dga', 1884–c. 1965). His students numbered over two hundred, both from the monastery and elsewhere. A classmate of his from Dzogchen, Dezhung Tulku Anjam (sde gzhung sprul sku a 'jam, 1885–1952) had spent a year there teaching around the year 1920. Although they used some of Rongton's scholastic manuals, the curriculum under Tubten Zangpo followed Khenpo Zhenga's thirteen classics. At Nalendra he divided his teaching into three daily sessions, one each for the advanced, intermediate, and beginner students. He then attended the afternoon debate sessions at the dialectic school (mtshan nyid bshad grwa).

Around the year 1931, while teaching the Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra, he developed a terrible toothache, and despite the long-life and other ritual performances by his students, his health declined. A doctor who was called in declared that nothing could be done, as the illness was a result of a long-ago curse leveled on the monastery. In the midst of his illness, he was invited to Gyeling Tsokpa (rgyal gling tshogs pa) to the south of Lhasa in Lhoka (lho kha), and agreed to stay at Nalendra only after the monks agreed to stop allowing nomad donors to slaughter sheep near the monastery.^[10]

He stopped teaching at the lunar new year, announcing that, having finished the "fruit" ('bras bu) section, the students had received enough. Jackson relates how, on the ninth day of the new year he asked an attendant whether it had snowed. When the attendant replied that it had not, Tubten Zangpo asked if it was in fact the tenth day. The following day, during which a great snowfall occurred, he passed away.^[11]

His five main students performed the forty-nine-day funeral services. These were Ngaklo Rinpoche (ngag blo rin po che), Jampel Zangpo ('jams dpal bzang po, 1901–1960), Rinchen Zangpo (rin chen bzang po), Tanak Drakpa Dorje (rta nag grags pa rdo rje), and Sanggye Tenzin.^[12]

 

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