The Treasury of Lives

The Third Amchok, Jamyang Khyenrab Gyatso (a mchog 03 'jam dbyangs mkhyen rab rgya mtsho) was born in 1847, the earth-bird year of the fourteenth sexagenary cycle in Choktse (cog rtse), Gyelrong. His father was Sonam Norbu (bsod nams nor bu) and his mother was Puntsok Kyi (phun tshogs skyid).

At around the age of three he was recognized by the Third Jamyang Zhepa, Tubten Jigme Gyatso ('jam dbyangs bzhad pa 03 thub bstan 'jigs med rgya mtsho), as the reincarnation of the Second Amchok, Konchok Tenpai Gyeltsen (a mchog 02 dkon mchog bstan pa'i rgyal mtshan, 1783-1848); the line was started with Sonam Chophel (bsod nams chos phel, d.u.), who earned his title, Amchok Lama, from the palace of the King of Amchok, into which he was born. (Amchok was a kingdom covering much of southeast Amdo.)

He learned to write and read under the instruction of Neten Chodrak (gnas brtan chos grags, d.u.). At the age of seven, he was invited to the monastery of Ngayul Gomang Mawai Sengge Ling (rnga yul sgo mang smra ba'i seng ge'i gling) where he received lay vows from Shartse Khenpo Lobzang Jungne (shar rtse'i mkhan po blo bzang 'byung gnas, 19th century), who gave him the name Lobzang Khyenrab Gyatso. He studied various texts under two tutors named Yarphel (yar 'phel) and Duldzin Drakpa Gyeltsen ('dul 'dzin grags pa rgyal mtshan). At the age of thirteen he received novice vows from Jetsun Ngawang Chophel (rje btsun ngag dbang chos 'phel) and was taught Ganden Lhagyema (dga ldan lha brgya ma) and Lamrim. For three years, from the winter of that year on, he matriculated at the monastic college and studied Buddhist philosophy and epistemology.

At the age of seventeen he enrolled in Shartse College at Ganden Monastic University (dga' ldan shar rtse'i grwa tshang) monastery in Lhasa and there committed himself for Buddhist philosophy and epistemology. He visited the Twelfth Dalai Lama, Trinle Gyatso ('phrin las rgya mtsho, 1856-1875) at the Potala Palace and offered a horse and various precious substances to him. He visited Sera, Drepung, and Tashilhunpo monasteries, where he met the Eighth Paṇchen Lama, Lobzang Tenpai Wangchuk Pelden Chokyi Drakpa (paN chen bla ma 05 blo bzang bstan pa'i dbang phyug dpal ldan chos kyi grags pa, 1855-1882) and received teachings from him. He participated in the Lhasa Monlam Chenmo, meeting the Dalai Lama again, and returned to Ganden to continue his studied. However, he was encouraged to return to Amdo, which he did, leaving U-Tsang after only one year.

Back in Amdo, at Ngayul Gomang he studied Prajñāpāramitā and the five sciences with Geshe Lobzang Bargye (dge bshes blo bzang bar rgyas) and Lobzang Tsultrim (blo bzang tshul khrim). Under Geshe Konchok Sengge (dge bshes dkon mchog seng ge) he trained in maṇḍala, and other tantric traditions such as Lamrim with Ngawang Chophel (ngag dbang chos 'phel), his root guru.

Under Saga Konchok Lodro (sa sga dkon mchog blo gros) he studied grammar, poetry, and rhetoric, and earned the name Yangchen Zhepai Dorje (dbyangs can bzhad pa'i rdo rje). Geshe Samten Gyatso (dge bshes bsam gtan rgya mtsho) taught him the four medical tantras (rgyud bzhi).

At the age of twenty two, in 1870, the iron-horse year of the fourteenth sexagenary, the Fourth Jamyang Zhepa, Tubten Jigme Gyatso ('jam dbyangs bzhad pa 04 thub bstan 'jigs med rgya mtsho, 1856-1916) visited and enthroned him as the abbot and local ruler of Ngayul Gomang. He took complete ordination from Sherab Gyatso (shes rab rgya mtsho) at Labrang Tashikhyil (bla brang bkra shis 'khyi), who gave him the name Jamyang Khyenrab Gyatso. Returning to Ngayul Gomang, he took teachings from a Nyung-nepa (smyung gnas pa).

At the age of twenty nine Amchok Jamyang Khyenrab Gyatso entered solitary retreat on Vajrabhairava. During the retreat he received teachings from the Second Trijang Rinpoche, the Eighty-fifth Ganden Tripa, Trichen Lobzang Tsultrim Pelden (dga' ldan khri pa 85 khri chen blo bzang tshul khrims dpal ldan), who was the reincarnation of the Sixty-ninth Ganden Tripa, Trichen Jangchub Chopel  (dga' lhan khri pa 69 khri chen byang chub chos 'phel, 1756-1838).

In 1898 he invited Bo Khyenrab Gungtang Jamyang Tubten Nyima (bo mkhyen rab gung thang 'jam dbyangs thub bstan nyi ma) to consecrate the Bhairava temple and the assembly hall at the monastery, which he named Khedrub Norbu Ling (mkhas grub nor bu gling).

In 1911 he established the Bhairava monastic community ('jigs byed khams tshan) and instituted the ritual performance of the Thirteen Bairava ('jigs byed bcu gsum ma'i sgrub mchod).

In 1904, with the passing of the Fourth Jamyang Zhepa, Amchok Jamyang Khyenrab made a number of offerings for the construction of the reliquary. When the Fifth Jamyang Zhepa, Lobzang Jamyang Yeshe Tenpai Gyeltsen ('jam dbyangs bzhad pa 05 blo bzang 'jam dbyangs ye shes bstan pa'i rgyal mtshan, 1916-1947) turned six, Jamyang Khyenrab Gyatso gave him his novice vows, and became one of his closest teachers. The Fifth Jamyang Zhepa visited Ngayul Gomang in 1925 to give teachings, and in 1934 he went to Ngulra (dngul rwa) in eastern Amdo to welcome the Jamyang Zhepa back from Lhasa.

Amchok Jamyang Khyenrab Gyatso passed away in 1944, the wood-monkey year of sixteen sexagenary cycle. His work was collected into two volumes.