The Treasury of Lives

Jamyang Choje Tashi Pelden ('jam dbyangs chos rje bkra shis ldan) was born in 1379, the earth-sheep year in the sixth sexagenary cycle, at Samye (bsam yas). His father is known simply as Genyen (dge bsnyen) and his mother's name is unknown. He was ordained as a monk at Tsetang Monastery (rtse thang), which at that time was still a Kagyu monastery, but appears to have already been in the process of converting to the Geluk tradition, since while he was there, Tashi Pelden is said to have memorized Tsongkhapa Lobzang Drakpa's (tsong kha pa blo bzang grags pa, 1357-1419) the Golden Garland of Eloquence (legs bshad gser phreng).

At Sangpu Monastery (gsang phu) he received teachings on Prajñāpāramitā and logical reasoning from Nyelgo Rinchen Samdrub (gnyal rgod rin chen bsam 'grub, 14th century) and Denma Konchok Sengge (ldan ma dkon mchog seng ge, 14th century). At Kyormolung (skyor mo lung) he received teachings on Vinaya and Abhidharma. At Ganden Monastery (dga' ldan dgon) Tsongkhapa taught him his Great Exposition of the Stages of the Path (lam rim chen mo) and Great Exposition of the Stages of Secret Mantra (sngags rim chen mo), as well as other compositions. He also received full ordination from Tsongkhapa.

Tsongkhapa gave Jamyang Choje a conch shell he had revealed as treasure from near Ganden, and asked him to establish a monastery. In 1416, with the patronage of the Pakmodru (phag mo gru) ruler of Tibet, the Lord of Neu (sne'u dpon), Namkha Zangpo, he founded Drepung Monastery ('bras spungs dgon). Tsongkhapa consecrated the main prayer hall and tantric temple. The monastery quickly expanded into seven colleges: Gomang (sgo mang); Losel Ling (blo gsal gling); Deyang (bde dbyangs); Shakkor Gyelwa (shag skor rgyal ba), also known as Tosam Ling (thos bsam gling); Dulwa ('dul ba); and Ngakpa (sngags pa). Jamyang Choje, who is counted as the first abbot of the monastery, appointed the teachers to each college.

He is said to have mastered eight volumes of works that he taught regularly, and to have given oral commentary on one hundred and thirty volumes of texts. He is also said to have recited the mantras of Avalokiteśvara and Mañjuśrī thousands of times each day, and to have given away his possessions to monks. His only extant works are The Secret Biography of Tsongkhapa (tsong kha pa'i gsang ba'i rnam thar) and notes from a teaching Tsongkhapa gave at Reting Monastery (rwa sgreng) on Śāntideva's Compendium of Teachings (śikṣāsamuccaya).

Among his closest disciples were Nyenpo Shākya Gyeltsen (nyan po shAkya rgyal mtshan, 14th century), Lobpon Galeb (slob dpon sga leb, 14th century), and Nyakre Dorje Gyeltsen (nyag re rdo rje rgyal mtshan), and he served as teacher to numerous early abbots of Geluk monasteries in Lhasa.

He remained at Drepung Monastery until 1449, when he passed away in meditation at the age of seventy-one.