Jamyang Yeshe Rinchen ('jam dbyangs ye shes rin chen) was the son of Lodro Sengge ('jam dbyangs blo gros seng ge, 1345-1390), the eighth abbot of Ralung Monastery (rwa lung dgon). His elder brother, Sherab Sengge (shes rab seng ge, 1371-1392), was the ninth abbot of Ralung. His father and brother are counted as the eighth and ninth of the “Nine Incomparable Lions,” a group of early patriarchs of the Drukpa Kagyu tradition. In addition to his father, he studied with Khyentse Tokden (mkhyen brtse rtogs ldan, d.u.).
Yeshe Rinchen practiced asceticism at a hermitage named Takri Monkhar Latse (stag ri mon mkhar lha rtse).
At the age of twenty-nine Yeshe Rinchen became the tenth abbot of Ralung. He received an offering from the Emperor of China through the ruler of Nedong (sne gdong).
His son Namkha Pelzang (nam mkha' dpal bzang, 1400-1438), was the eleventh abbot of Ralung. He had two other sons as well: Sherab Zangpo (shes rab bzang po, d.u.), and Dorje Gyelpo (rdo rje rgyal po).
Images
Drukpa Kagyu and Kagyu Lineages
Eighteenth century thangka of Drukpa Kagyu and Kagyu lineage masters.
Drukpa Kagyu Lineage of Bhutan
Nineteenth century painting of the Drukpa Kagyu lineage of Bhutan.
Gampopa together with early Drukpa Kagyu masters
A magnificent eighteenth century painting depicting Gampopa with a number of early Drukpa Kagyu masters, including early abbots of Ralung Monastery and several of the "Nine Incomparable Lions."
Bibliography
Grags pa 'byung gnas. 1992. Gangs can mkhas grub rim byon ming mdzod. Lanzhou: Kan su'u mi rigs dpe skrun khang, p. 1564.
Shes rab bzang po. 1975 (1771).'Jam dbyangs ye shes rin chen gyi rnam thar. In Rwa lung dkar brgyud gser 'phreng. Pelampur: SNGP, vol 3, pp. 69-98.
Sgrub sprul phrin las rgya mtsho. 2009. Gdams ngag bka' rgya can lnga yi bla ma brgyud pa'i rnam thar dad gsum chu gter 'phel byed ngo mtshar lza ba'i me long. Swayambhu: Shree Gautam Buddha Vihara, p. 159
Roerich, George, trans. 1996. The Blue Annals. 2nd ed. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidas, p. 672.