The Treasury of Lives

The Sixth Chakra Tulku, Ngawang Trinle Pelzang (lcags ra sprul sku 06 ngag dbang 'phrin las dpal bzang) was born in 1730, the iron-dog year of the twelfth sexagenary cycle in Olkha Zongche Drong ('ol kha rdzong phyi'i grong). Gopa Tsering (dgos pa tshe ring) was his father and Migyag (mig yag) was his mother. The child is said to have spoken at length about Chakra Monastery (lcags ra dgon) and the animals – horses and dogs – that were at the residence during the time of the Fifth Chakra Tulku, Ngawang Tendzin Lhundrub (ngag dbang  bstan 'dzin lhub grub, 1671-1727). It was also said that when the personal manager and other servants of the Fifth Chakra came to his house to investigate, he knew them immediately.

At the age of six, Ngawang Trinle Pelzang was brought to Sera Monastery (se ra dgon) where his identification was confirmed by the Sixth Paṇchen Lama Lobzang Pelden Yeshe (paN chen bla ma 06 blo bzang dpal ldan ye shes 1738-1780) and returned to Olkha for a short return at home. In the following summer he was again escorted to U-Tsang and arranged his stay in Mondrong in Lhasa (lha sa smon grong). He was given the name Ngawang Trinle Rabgye (ngag dbang 'phrin las rab rgyas) by the Sixth Pakpa Lha, Pakpa Jigme Tenpai Gyatso ('phags pa lha 06 'phags pa 'jigs med bstan pa'i rgya mtsho1714-1754); the Seventh Dalai Lama Gyelwa Kelzang Gyatso, (ta la'i bla ma 07 rgyal ba skal bzang rgya mtsho 1708-1757) cut his crown-hair and granted him lay vows, and named him Ngawang Trinle Pelzang. The Third Changkya, Rolpai Dorje (lcang skya rol pa'i rdo rje, 1717-1786) granted him a comprehensive empowerment on Yamāntaka and recitation-transmission of some important texts including the Kadampa Lekbam (bka gdams glegs bam). He also received teachings from the First Purchok, Ngawang Jampa (phur bu lcog ngag dbang byams pa, 1682-1762), a great scholar of Geluk tradition in the eighteenth century.

The Sixth Pakpa Lha arranged for Ngawang Trinle Pelzang's return to Kham and enthronement as the abbot of Chakra Monastery the following winter, a ceremony attended by most incarnate lamas and abbots of regional monasteries. Soon thereafter, he travelled to Chamdo Jampa Ling (chab mdo byams pa gling) and commenced his study there. Rabjampa Pelkyong (rab 'byams pa dpal skyong) taught him reading and writing, and memorization of a daily prayer texts and also root-verses of important philosophical texts. In 1739 he spent some time in Lhundrub Tse (lhun grub tse), a remote hermitage, in order to take a break with his intensive studies. He then returned to Jampa Ling and resumed his study and memorization of texts.

In 1743 Ngawang Trinle Pelzang travelled to U Tsang. After the audience of the Seventh Dalai Lama in Lhasa, he enrolled in the Khenyen House of Serje College of the Sera Monastic University (ser byes mkhas snyan grwa tshang) for further studies in traditional subjects. In the meantime he received bodhisattva vows, a number of initiations and empowerments on various important deities including Mañjuśrī, Vajrapāṇi, and Kālacakra from the Seventh Dalai Lama. He also received teachings and commentaries on a number of texts including the Lama Chopa (bla ma mchod pa).

After studying a number of years under the most distinguished tutors such as the Fifty-fourth Ganden Tripa Ngawang Chokden (dga' ldan khri pa 54 ngag dbang mchog ldan), who was posthumously known as the First Reting Rinpoche (rwa sgreng 01); Purchok Ngawang Jampa; and Jamyang Dewai Dorje ('jam dbyangs bde ba'i rjo rje), the Dalai Lama appointed him as the abbot of Den Chokhor Monastery. His scholarship was so great that the Dalai Lama gave him the title of "Erdinai Paṇḍita Hutuktu," a seal, and traditional robes of abbot, among other honors, before his departure. He was also offered the title of "Chakra Hutuktu," and a seal by the Chinese Emperor. Because of his extraordinary scholarship, his popularity spread across Kham and he became known as "Chakra Paṇḍita."

The Sixth Chakra Tulku offered Chakra Monastery to the Sixth Pakpa Lha, and since then the incarnated lamas of Chakra lineage have lived at the lama residence of Chamdo Jampa Ling, from where Chakra Monastery as been administered.

Ngawang Trinle Pelzang passed away in 1794, wood-tiger year in the thirteenth sexagenary cycle, at the age of sixty-five.