The Treasury of Lives

Kelzang Konchok Gyatso (skal bzang dkon mchog rgya mtsho) was born in 1896 in Ngulra (dngul rwa) village in the Machu (rma chu) nomadic area. His father, a member of the Welshul (dbal shul) clan, was named Choshul Gyatso (chos shul rgya mtsho), and his mother was named Machik Kyi (ma cig skyid).

When the boy was five years old, the Fourth Jamyang Zhepa, Kelzang Tubten Wangchuk ('jam dbyangs bzhad pa 04 skal bzang thub bstan dbang phyug, 1856-1916) recognized him as the second reincarnation of Jamyang Kelden Gyatso ('jam dbyangs skal ldan rgya mtsho, 1769-1831), the thirty-fourth throne holder of Labrang. In the summer of that year the Fourth Jamyang Zhepa gave him upāsaka vows and enthroned him at Labrang. Later that year he gave him the renunciate and śrāmaṇera, or novice, vows, with the name Kelzang Konchok Gyatso.

At the age of eleven, he was enrolled in Mejung Tosam Ling (rmad byung thos bsam gling) College of Labrang Monastery and started his studies of tantra and sutra under the instructions of Drakpa Taye (grags pa mtha' yas, d.u).

When he was nineteen, on the instruction of the Fourth Jamyang Zhepa, he went to Menlung (sman lung) where he studied the traditional sciences such as Sanskrit grammar and poetics under Gendun Gyatso (dge 'dun rgya mtsho, d.u). He also learned Chinese and Indian astrology under instructions of the Second Zhelshul, Ngawang Tenpai Gyatso (zhal shul 02 ngag dbang bstan pa'i rgya mtsho, d.u).

At the age of twenty he was fully ordained by the Fourth Jamyang Zhepa, who appointed him master of Serde (ser sde) Monastery in Ngulra in the following year. The Fourth Jamyang Zhepa passed away in the beginning of that year; at the end of the year the Fifth Jamyang Zhepa passed away; at the end of the same year the Fifth Jamyang Zhepa, Lobzang Jamyang Yeshe Tenpai Gyeltsen ('jam dbyangs bzhad pa 05 'blo bzang 'jam dbyangs ye shes bstan pa'i rgyal mtshan, 1916-1947) was identified. Konchok Gyatso was able to offer him a set of robes.

At the age of twenty nine he to Mongolia in order to assist in the construction of monastic establishments, and remained for five years, supervising the installation of statues and other temple objects. It is not clear where he was working.

He was elected as the abbot of Sede monastery at the age of thirty-four after his return from Mongolia, and applied the teaching text of Labrang monastery and also invited masters from Ewam Chokhor Ling (e wam cho 'khor gling), the Kālacakra college of Labrang.

At the age of thirty-six, he gave the empowerment of Kālacakra for the first time at Ganden Damcho Kungye Ling (dga ldan dam chos kun rgyas gling). The next year he met the Ninth Paṇchen Lama, Lobzang Tubten Chokyi Nyima Gelek Namgyel (blo bzang thub bstan chos kyi nyi ma dge legs rnam rgyal, 1883-1937), and received Kālacakra and other tantric empowerments from him, as well as the title of Nominhan.

At the age of forty-two, he made a pilgrimage to Lhasa, where he visited the major monasteries and met with the leading Geluk lamas of the day, including the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tendzin Gyatso (ta la'i bla ma 14 bstan 'dzin rgya mtsho, b. 1935) and the Tenth Paṇchen Lama, Chokyi Gyeltsen Trinle Lhudrub (chos kyi rgyal mtshan phrin las lhun grub, 1938-1989). He returned to Labrang after four years in U and Tsang.

He gave his second teaching of Kālacakra at age of fifty-one at Ewam Chokhor Ling, and the third time at Jamme Tangkor (byams me thang skor); he gave it for the fourth time at Ngulra, when he was fifty-four.

At the age of fifty-five he again went to Labrang and remained there for a full year, possibly serving as abbot. While there he gave the Kālacakra initiation for the fifth time.

He went a second time to U-Tsang at the age of sixty-three, visiting monasteries such as Jonang and Sakya. He was put in prison by the Communists, and died in prison in 1960 at the age of sixty-five; it is unclear whether this was in Lhasa or back in Amdo.

In addition to the Fourth Jamyang Zhepa, Konchok Gyatso also studied with the Fifth Gungtang, Jamyang Tenpai Nyima, who was the twenty-eighth abbot of Shitsang (shis tshang gdan rabs 28 'jam dbyangs bstan pa'i nyi ma, 1860-1925); Lobzang Tsultrim Gyatso, who was the eighteenth abbot of Ngayul Gomang (rnga yul sgo mang khri rabs 18 blo bzang tshul khrims rgya mtsho, 1841-1907); Gungtang Lodro Gyatso (gung thang blo gros rgya mtsho, 1851-1928/1930), and other famous Buddhist masters.

His writings were collected into one volume.