The Treasury of Lives

Sonam Gyeltsen (bsod nams rgyal mtshan) was born in 1466 in Nyarong (nyag rong), Kham. His father was Ponchen Akar (dpon chen a dkar, d.u.) and his mother was Khyimomen (khyi mo sman, d.u.). He took his religious vows at Katok Monastery (kah thog dgon) under Nyarong Zhakla Yeshe Bum (nyag rong bzhag bla ye shes 'bum, d.u.), and studied with him and other lamas, including Chenyenpa Drodokpa Namkha Pel ('chad nyan pa sgro mdog pa nam mkha' dpal ba).

While still a young man he traveled to U where he exchanged teachings with Ngari Paṇchen Pema Wanggyel (mnga' ris pan chen pad+ma dbang rgyal, 1487-1542), who gave him the teachings of the Gyutul Zhitro ('gyu sprul zhi khro).

At the age of eighteen, in Rongyul, Tsang, Sonam Gyeltsen met Rongton Chenpo Namkha Dorje (rong ston chen po nam mkha' rdo rje, d.u.) who gave him empowerment, transmission, and instruction in Karma Lingpa's (kar+ma gling pa) Liberation Upon Hearing.

In 1493 Sonam Gyeltsen then went south to Sikkim, where his teacher Yeshe Bum was residing at Jangpo Tekchen Choding (byang po theg chen chos sding). In 1494 the two opened a hidden valley (sbas yul) there, where they remained for five years, until Yeshe Bum passed away.

After overseeing the funeral rites for his teacher, Sonam Gyeltsen responded to an invitation from a monk at Paro Taktsang (spa gro stag tshang) named Ngang Gyu Gyelpo (ngang rgyud rgyal po, d.u.) to visit Bhutan. Several prophesies are said to have fortold of his arrival in Bhutan. According to the treasure text of Ratna Lingpa (rat+na gling pa, 1403-1479), Purpa Yangsang Lame Lungjang (phur pa yang gsang bla med lung byang), "a person by the name of Sonam will be born in a year of Horse, Snake or Dog. Being of precious lineage, he shall come from the direction of Kham." Ngang Gyu Gyelpo also said that in a trance he came to know that he was destined to be a disciple of Sonam Gyeltsen, causing him to issue the invitation for the lama to go to Bhutan.

Once in Bhutan, Lama Sonam Gyeltsen travelled in the valleys of Paro, Punakha, Thimphu, and Shar, where he accomplished a number of meritorious deeds.  Eventually, he arrived at the sacred site of Taktsang, where the chief disciple, monks and other devotees made this specific request:

In U-Tsang, Dokham and particularly Katok, being the pure land, the dharma can shine at any time.  Here in Mon Yul, being a barbarous land, the dharma has not spread properly as yet, and the people here are ignorant like the four-legged beings. Please look at these beings with deep compassion. In particular, at Taktsang Sengge Samdrub (stag tshang seng ge bsam grub), the sacred place of Padmasambhava, please establish a retreat center.

Sonam Gyeltsen responded to the request by performing sanctification sites at Taktsang and, in 1508, the male earth-dragon year, at the age of forty-two, he laid the foundation of Orgyen Tsemo (o rgyan rtse mo) retreat center at Paro Taktsang.

As part of the establishment of the new retreat center, Sonam Gyeltsen gave the initiation for the Collected Nyingma Tantras (rnying ma'i brgyud 'bum) to a gathering of five hundred monks and lamas such as Namkha Wozer, Wangchuk Gyelpo, and Lama Ngang Gyu Gyelpo. He then received a request from Lama Gyeltsen Yeshe (bla ma rgyal mtshan ye shes, d.u.) at Kunzang Ling (kun bzang gling) in Shar to teach the Lama Gongdu (bla ma dgongs 'dus), which he did to about eight hundred monks and lay people. He subsequently visited Shar Ngenlung (sngon lung) and Khodang (kho dang).

Sonam Gyeltsen also traveled to Bumthang (bum thang) in central Bhutan during that period, at the invitation of one Lama Tsewang Gyelpo (tshe dbang rgyal po). There he gave extensive teachings on the Zhitro Phursum, (zhi khro phur gsum). In Bumthang he went to Tangsibi (stangs si sbis) in the eastern part, giving further teaching on the Zhitro and Kīla.

His visit took place after the death of Pema Lingpa (pad+ma gling pa, 1450-1521) and so while he was unable to meet that master, he did meet Pema Lingpa's son, Drakpa Gyeltsen (grags pa rgyal mtshan).

After his return to Taktsang, Sonam Gyeltsen gave teaching on multiple traditions, including the Kagye Sangwa Yongdzog (bka' brgyad gsang ba yong rdzogs) revelation of Chokyi Wangchuk (chos kyi dbang phyug, 1212-1270), the Lama Gongdu, the Jangter (byang gter) treasures of Rigdzin Godenchen (rig 'dzin rgod ldem can, 1337-1409), and many others. He again gave the initiation for the Collected Nyingma Tantras to an assembly of about eight hundred monks and laymen. It is said Sonam Gyeltsen possessed the only complete set of Collected Nyingma Tantras, in thirty-five volumes.

Sonam Gyeltsen was offered a monastic establishment at Langma Lung (glang ma lung) in the lower Thimphu valley, where he built a retreat center.  During one journey across the Wang Chu (wang chu), the main river in Thimphu, the bridge collapsed, sending Sonam Gyeltsen and his escort into the river. Though it was during summer, when the river is at its highest and strongest, it is said that they managed to emerge from the water without wetting their clothes.  On his arrival at the village of Shakpa (shag pa), his disciples presented him the monastic establishment at Dotra (rdo mkhra). Sonam Gyeltsen stayed there for months, sometimes years at a time at this monastery, giving numerous teachings whenever he visited.

According to legend, at one point enemies plotted to murder Sonam Gyeltsen, but before they could strike he was seen walking into a raging fire and reappearing unharmed. The would-be assassins immediately retreated, and later become disciples.

Sonam Gyeltsen's activities in his final years are not known, nor the location of his death. It is possible he returned to Tibet. His autobiography was completed by his disciple Namdrol Yeshe Zangpo (rnam grol ye shes bzang po).