The Treasury of Lives

The Sakya master known as Muchen Sempa Chenpo Konchok Gyeltsen (mus chen sems dpa' chen po dkon mchog rgyal mtshan) was born in the Mu (mus) valley of Tibet in 1388. His father was Konchok Zangpo (dkon mchog bzang po, d.u.) and his mother was Namkha Kyong (nam mkha' skyong, d.u.).

When he was nine, Konchok Gyeltsen took monastic ordination with Wang Opa (dbang 'od pa, d.u.). At age fifteen he began to study the Prajñāpāramitā and Bodhicaryāvatāra with the teachers Lelung Khenpo Kunmon (gle lung mkhan po kun smon, d.u.) and Zur Chopa Changchub Sengge (zur chos pa byang chub seng+ge, d.u.).

At age twenty he requested initiation into Chod (gcod) practice from Muchen Namkha Neljor (mus chen nam mkha' rnal 'byor, d.u.). Soon afterwards, he joined Sakya Monastery (sa skya dgon) to train briefly under Yaktuk Sanggye Pel (gyag phrug sangs rgyas dpal, 1350-1414) before the master passed away. At twenty-eight, Konchok Gyeltsen went to the Mugulung Hermitage (mu gu lung), a famous site for Lamdre (lam 'dre) transmission, where he studied the Uyuk tradition of logic ('u yug pa'i tshad ma) with Zhonnu Gyelchok (zhon nu rgyal mchog, 1382-1439). At thirty-four, Konchok Gyeltsen underwent a course of study with Sheja Kunrik (shes bya kun rig, 1367-1449) in Ngamring (ngam ring) to clarify doubts that remained from his previous studies. The next year, he circumambulated Lhasa one hundred thousand times.

In addition to the masters mentioned above, Konchok Gyeltsen's teachers also included Peljor Sherab (dpal 'byor shes rab, d.u.), Kunga Pel (kun dga' dpal, d.u.), Yakton Sanggye Pel (g.yag ston sangs rgyas dpal, 1348-1414), Rongton Sheja Kunrig (rong ston shes bya kun rig, 1367-1449) and most importantly, Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo (ngor chen kun dga' bzang po, 1382-1456), with whom he studied the Cakrasaṃvara and Hevajra Tantras, as well as the Six Unions of the Kālacakra Tantra.

Konchok Gyeltsen helped Kunga Zangpo establish Ngor Monastery (ngor dgon) in 1430. He taught there from the age of fifty-nine and took the throne as the second abbot in 1456, at the age of sixty-eight. It was during Konchok Gyeltsen's tenure at Ngor that the Lamdre teachings were divided into two: Lobshe (slob bshad) and Tsokshe (tshog bshad). He lived and taught at Ngor until 1462, when he retired Mu Tendzin Puk (mus bstan 'dzin phug) where he resided and practiced until passing away in 1469.

Konchok Gyeltsen also founded Linga Dewachen Monastery (gling dga' bde ba chen) in 1437 and Musu Yama Monastery (mus su ya ma dgon) in 1459.

Some of Konchok Gyeltsen's close disciples were the Twenty-first Sakya Tridzin, Lodro Gyeltsen (sa skya khri 'dzin 21blo gros rgyal mtshan, 1444-1495), who wrote his biography; Lowo Khenchen Sonam Lhundrub (glo bo mkhan chen bsod nams lhun grub, 1456-1532); Muchen Sanggye Rinchen (mus chen sangs rgyas rin chen, 1450-1524); Kunga Wangchuk (kun dga' dbang phyug, 1424-1478) and Gorampa Sonam Sengge (go rams pa bsod nams seng ge, 1429-1489).

Konchok Gyeltsen's written works include the biography of Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo, and a biography of the Sakya master Pelden Tsultrim (dpal ldan tshul khrims, 1333-1399), as well as works he compiled and edited on mind training or Lojong (blo sbyong).