The Treasury of Lives

Jamyang Namkha Gyeltsen ('jam dbyangs nam mkha' rgyal mtshan) was born in the earth-tiger year of 1398. His father was Kunga Gyeltsen (kun dga' rgyal mtshan) and his mother was Machik Namkha Gyelmo (ma gcig nam mkha' rgyal mo). He had a younger brother named Sonam Gyeltsen (bsod nams rgyal mtshan, 1408-1550).

He is said to have been a prodigy; for example, he memorized a 200-page text, the Two Analysis (brtag gnyis), within two days, and went on to memorize a great number of texts, including the maṇḍala guidebook for Cakrasaṃvara, earning himself the title of Jamyang Chenpo ('jams dbyangs chen po), or Great Mañjuśrī. He was also said to be an emanation of Padmasambhava.

Among his teachers were Kunga Tashi (kun dga’ bkra shis, 1349-1425), a Khenchen Sonam Gyeltsen (mkhan chen bsod nams rgyal mchog) and a "secret yogi" (sbas pa'i rnal 'byor pa) named  Dorje Gyeltsen (rdo rje rgyal mtshan).

He was elevated to the throne of Sakya in 1421, and served to the iron bird year of 1441. He had a wife named Machik Peljung Gyelmo (ma gcig dpal 'byung rgyal mo) and two sons, Sherab Gyeltsen, who served as the Twentieth Sakya Tridzin (sa skya khri 'dzin 20 shes rab rgyal mtshan, 1436-1494), and Lodro Gyeltsen, the Twenty-first Sakya Tridzin (sa skya khri 'dzin 21 blo gros rgyal mtshan, 1444-1495).

He passed away at the age of seventy-five, in 1472.