The Treasury of Lives

The Kirti incarnation line was established in the early sixteenth century when Tenpa Rinchen declared himself to be the reincarnation of Tsongkhapa's disciple Gendun Gyeltsen, posthumously given the title of First Kirti. The line has its seats at Kirti Monastery, Taktsang Lhamo Kirti, and Kalari Kirti Monastery, all in Amdo.

Kīrti Monastery also known as Kālari Kīrti, was established by Gendun Gyeltsen, who later became known as the First Kīrti, in 1412 in Ngawa, Amdo. It was the seat of the Kirti incarnations until the Fifth Kīrti moved the seat to Kīrti Namgyel Dechen Ling.

Kīrti Namgyel Dechen Ling, or Kālari Kīrti, and locally known as Gerda, is an important Geluk monastery in the Ngawa region of Amdo. It was founded in the eighteenth century by the Fifth Kīrti, Lobzang Tenpai Gyeltsen, after which it served as the seat of the Kīrti incarnation line. The site was associated with Padmasambhava and was a hermitage before the site was established as a monastery.

Takstang Lhamo Kīrti is one of two Geluk monasteries in Taktsang Lhamo, a town straddling the border between Gansu and Sichuan provinces. The location is considered sacred, as a deity is believed to reside in the nearby mountain and Padmasambhava is said to have eliminated demons from the space. Tāla Ngawang Pelzang built a hermitage at Taktsang Lhamo in 1713 that he later gave to the Fifth Kīrti. After this, it developed into a large monastery and one of the seats of the Kīrti incarnations.