The Treasury of Lives

Lodro Rinchen Sengge (blo gros rin chen seng+ge) was born into a Nyingma family in Lato Jangyul (la stod byang yul) in the late fourteenth or early fifteenth century -- the early seventh sexagenary cycle of the Tibetan calendar. His father, Yonten Gonpo (yon tan mgon po) was an influential Nyingma yogi. One of several siblings, he was likely the eldest.

At a young age he received from his father numerous commentarial teachings, empowerments, transmissions, and esoteric instructions on various systems of tantric practices of the Nyingma tradition. These included detailed teaching and associated empowerments on the important Hayagrīva cycle Nine Deities of Tamdin Yangsang (rta mgrin yang gsang lha dgu'i chos skor), which later became the protector deity of Sera Je College.

The young man traveled to central Tibet in search of additional teachers and encountered Tsongkhapa Lobzang Drakpa (tsong kha pa blo bzang grags pa, 1357-1419), the founder of the Geluk tradition and the most influential lama of his era. At their meeting Tsongkhapa is said to have placed his hand on Lodro Rinchen Sengge's head in blessing and to have left an impression that was visible ever after.

Lodro Rinchen Sengge then met Jamyang Choje Tashi Pelden ('jam dbyangs chos rje bkra shis dpal ldan, 1379-1449), the founder and first abbot of Drepung Monastery (bras spungs dgon), who became his primary teacher, and he enrolled at Drepung Gomang College (bras spungs sgo mang grwa tshang) to further his training. He also studied with Gendun Drub, who was posthumously known as the First Dalai Lama (tA la'i bla ma 01 dge 'dun grub pa, 1391-1474); Khedrubje Gelek Pelzang (mkhas grub rje dge legs dpal bzang, 1385-1438); Bodong Paṇchen Chokle Namgyel (bo dong paN chen phyogs las rnam rgyal, 1376-1451); Namkha Neljor (mnyam med nam mkha rnal 'byor, d.u.); and Pelden Sengge (dpal ldan seng+ge, d.u.).

He was known to have trained in the era's major texts and subjects of study, including the Abhisamayālaṅkāra, Madhyamaka, Abhidharmakośa, Pramāṇavārttika, and Vinaya, as well as topics such as grammar, poetry, and composition. Later, he also studied the four sections of tantra (rgyud sde bzhi) according to the new translation traditions.

While he was residing at the Peljor Lhunpo Estate (dpal 'byor lhun po), his father sent servants to bring him home. He declined to accompany them. Displeased, his father warned him with the following words, which suggest a suspicion of the practices of the newly established Geluk tradition:

Although you do not return home, you must preserve your devotion and pray to our hereditary deities and dharma protectors, without which surely you will not have a long life nor success in your life. Be sure that you always keep them close.

His father later sent him a parcel with his seal containing the texts of a Hayagrīva cycle, the Pema Yangsang cycle (pad+ma yang gsang gi chos skor); a Vajrakumāra kīla; and a statue of Pelden Darchar (dpal ldan 'dar phyar) together with a message that read, “These are sent to you because you are my eldest son.” Lodro Rinchen Sengge openly kept the kīla and continued his devotional practices to Hayagrīva.

Following his studies, he stayed on at Drepung Gomang and served as a tutor to junior monks under the supervision of the first abbot of the college, Drungdrakpa Rinchen (drung grags pa rin chen, d.u.). He also taught at Drepung Zurkhang ('bras spungs zur khang) and attracted a large number of students. His successes apparently engendered considerable envy among the disciples of the abbot, and they began to disparage his continuing devotion to the Nyingma tradition of Hayagrīva. He was also accused of maintaining a difference in the understanding of emptiness.

Finding Gomang too hostile an environment to continue his teaching, Lodro Rinchen Sengge left the college and went to Sera. According to legend, he had previously visited the monastery and had been welcomed by a statue of the Arhat Pindolabharadvāja at the tantric college (se ra sngags pa grwa tshang).

It is said that while walking from Drepung to Sera he stopped along the road to reflect on the kindness of his teacher, the Drepung abbot Jamyang Choje Tashi Pelden. He comprised a devotional verse titled The Cycle of Merits (yon tan 'khyil 'khor ma).

Soon after he and his disciples arrived at Sera they established the monastic college of Sera Je (se ra byes grwa tshang). As they had initially been invited to occupy the right-hand front row in the Assembly Hall, it became a tradition that Sera Je students would henceforth sit in that honored location. Lodro Rinchen Sengge received patronage for the new college from the ruler of Zhikaneu (gzhis ka sne'u) named Peljor Gyelpo (dpal 'byor rgyal po, d.u.) and his wife Buti Pelzom (dpon sa bu khrid dpal 'dzoms, d.u.). The college was initially called Je Khemang Dratsang (byes mkhas mang drwa tshang), meaning roughly “College of the Scholars from Afar”, eventually shortened to “Sera Je Dratsang” or “Serje Dratsang”.

As part of the establishment of the college, he initiated a torma festival and installed a statue of Hayagrīva in the chapel of the college temple. According to tradition, Lodro Rinchen crafted the statue with his own hands.

As the first abbot of Sera Je, he taught a large number disciples, focusing on Madhyamaka, Prajñāpāramitā, and Pramāṇa. Following a vision he had of Hayagrīva at Muse Monastery (mus srad dgon pa), he was known as Musepa (mus srad pa) and Kunkhyen Musepa (kun mkhyen mus srad pa). He composed numerous texts that included a commentary on Madhyamaka that brought him further renown. He is counted in the lineage of the Abhidharmakośa that was passed from Tsongkhapa to the Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobzang Gyatso (tA la'i bla ma 05 ngag dbang blo bzang rgya mtsho, 1617-1682), and also in the transmission lineage of the Ngok system (rngog lugs) of the Prajñāpāramitā.

His most prominent disciple was Peljor Lhundrub (dpal 'byor lhun grub, 1427-1514), who assisted him in establishing the college and who succeeded him as abbot in 1467. Other disciples included Lobzang Nyima (blo bzang nyi ma, 1439-1492), who served as the Ninth Ganden Tripa (dga' ldan khri pa 09), and Pelden Lodro (dpal ldan blo gros, d.1514), the third abbot of Sera Je.

Lodro Rinchen Sengge passed away some time in the last quarter of the fifteenth century. A reliquary in the shape of a nirvana stupa was built in his memory. His skull, with the hand-impression of Tsongkhapa, and some of his robes were put in the stupa as its main sacred objects. The golden reliquary was installed in the Temple of the Great Tantra Hall (sngags khang chen mo) of Sera Monastery.