The Treasury of Lives

Chennga Jangchub Lingpa was born in the village of Markya (mkhar skya) in Kham. His father was Dra Adrotsa Tonpa Asang (sgra a gro tsha ston pa a sang) – a name given as Na Adrocha Tonpa Asa (sna a gro cha ston pa a sa) elsewhere. His mother was Nyakdre Zagema Tarmo (nyag bre gza' dge ma thar mo), or Nyakdro Zagema Tenmo (nyag bro za dge ma than mo). The family, members of the Kyura (skyu ra) clan, were relatives of Jikten Gonpo Rinchen Pel (jig rten mgon po rin chen dpal, 1143-1217), the founder of Drigung Til Monastery ('bri gung mthil dgon pa). According to legend, before he was born, people heard the Avalokiteśvara mantra coming from his mother's womb, and it is said that three days after he was born he began to exhort anyone who would listen to be mindful of impermanence and death and to recite the mantra.

When he was seven, he took ordination from Khenpo Tenkhe Nyiden Sengge Jangchub Lodro (mkhan po brtan mkhas gnyis ldan seng ge byang chub blo gros) and received the name Jangchub Dorje (byang chub rdo rje). He received teachings on Hayagrīva from his father after that.

At the age of fourteen he accompanied the yogi Tashi Rinchen (bkra shis rin chen) and his entourage to central Tibet. Upon arriving at Drigung, he met Jikten Gonpo, who gave him teachings and instructions.

After Jikten Gonpo passed away, in 1217, Jangchub Lingpa went to Mt. Kailash to meditate. While there, the king of Nepal invited him to Nepal and offered him a tooth of the Buddha and robes brought from Bodhgaya, among other presents. He then visited all of Nepal's pilgrimage sites.

Returning to Tibet, he built a monastery in the region of Trutsuk ('phru gtsug) in the Jang (byang) region. It is said that many people from Amdo visited him there, so much that that he became concerned about overshadowing the main monastery in Drigung; this reason is given for his departure for Kham.

Jangchub Lingpa established a number of Drigung Kagyu monasteries in Kham. These included Pelden Jangchub Ling (dpal ldan byang chub gling) on the side of a ridge named Uche Drakar (dbu che brag dgar). This monastery, said to have been built on the foundations of a Bon institution, would later be converted to the Karma Kagyu tradition by the Eight Tai Situ, Chokyi Jungne (ta'i si tu 08 chos kyi 'byung gnas, 1699/1700-1774) and renamed Pelpung Chokhorling (dpal spungs chos 'khor gling). Jangchub Lingpa established a number of branches of Pelden Jangchub Ling, including Draknak Monastery (brag nag dgon), Uche Monastery (dbu che dgon) and Pewar Monastery (dpe war dgon), which is currently a Sakya monastery. A plain nearby where he set up a seat and taught to many disciples continues to bear the name Throne Plain (chos khri thang).

Later he also built Drigung monasteries in Rabgang (rab sgang), Litang (li thang), Aden (a ldan), Gartar, ('gar thar) Goro (mgo rod), Batang ('ba' thang), Golung (rgod lung), Rabopa (ra 'bos pa), Rokmowa (rog mo ba), and Pelnyewa ('phel mnyes ba)

By the time Changchup Lingpa was forty-seven he had gathered many disciples, including Oser Pel ('od ser dpal) and Gyeltsen Pel, (rgyal mtshan dpal) Zhonnu Pel (gzhon nu dpal) and Tsenden Pel (tsan dan dpal). Gyeltsen Pel held his lay lineage (dbon brgyud) and Tsenden Pel held his monastic lineage (gra brgyud).