The Treasury of Lives

The First Moktsa Tulku, Rigdzin Namkha Chowang (rmog rtsa 01 rig 'dzin nam mkha' chos dbang) was born in Moktsa (rmog rtsa), into a family named Sheputsang (she po tshang), probably around the first quarter of eighteenth century. One source has the year 1670, but this is unlikely, given the dates of his teachers and disciples.

The origin of Moktsa incarnation line was a lama of Katok, Trulzhik Chenpo Wangdrak Gyatso ('khrul zhig chen po dbang drag rgya mtsho, d. c.1640), who himself was said to be the reincarnation of both the eighth-century translators Vairocana and Shupu Pelseng (shu pu dpal seng, d.u.). Later tradition inserted the treasure revealer Namcho Mingyur Dorje (gnam chos mi 'gyur rdo rje, 1645-1667) into the incarnation line as the preincarnation of Namkha Chowang. Thus, one of the important sources has it that Mingyur Dorje was the first in the line of Moktsa incarnation where others have Namkha Chowang, the rebirth of Wangdrak Gyatso. There remains a several-decade gap between the death of Mingyur Dorje and the reasonable birth year of Namkha Chowang.

When Namkha Chowang was young, he faced some sort of factionalism in his community, possibly problems within his family that caused him to leave his hometown for Katok (kaH thog). On his way to the monastery, it is said that he traversed the treacherous Drichu River ('bri chu; the upper Yangtze) by cutting his way through the water as if something was cut by sword.

At Katok he studied under the masters such as Jewon Tashi Puntsok (rje dbon bkra shis phun tshogs, d.u.), Drakowa Tsondru Gyatso (sbra mgo ba brtsun 'grus rgya mtsho, d.u.), and the First Drime Zhingkyong, Drime Zhingkyong Gonpo (dri med zhing skyong 01 dri med zhing skyong mgon po, b. 1724). He studied the standard Katok curriculum of the day, focusing on the treasure teachings of Rigdzin Dudul Dorje (rig 'dzin bdud 'dul rdo rje, 1615-1672) and Rigdzin Longsel Nyingpo (klong gsal snying po, 1625-1692) revelations.

He was said to have revealed treasures including the ritual cycle titled Khandro Kagye (mkha' 'gro bka' brgyad) and objects such as statues. One of his best known revelations was a vase full of gold discovered in a place called Ado (a dos) in Dzagyu (rdza rgyud). The gold was used for gilding the reliquaries of the monastery's founder and two main disciples, as well as those of the three "Bumpa" lamas: Sonam Bumpa (ba bsod nams 'bum pa, 1222 - d.1282); Yeshe Bumpa (ye shes ’bum pa, 1242-1328); and Jangchub Bumpa (byang chub 'bum pa, 1284-1347), all three early masters of the monastery.

Later in the life he founded a monastery in Nyarong (nyag rong), but the name is not given in the sources.

Katok Getse Paṇchen Gyurme Chokdrub (kaH thog dge rtse paN chen 'gyur med mchog grub, 1761-1829) was the chief among his disciples.

He passed into nirvana in early 1784, the late water-hare year of the thirteenth sexagenary cycle according to some sources; according to a biography of his predecessor, Namcho Mingyur Dorje, he was born around 1670, making this death year implausable. His reincarnation was identified in Choying Dorje, the Second Moktsa Tulku (rmog rtsa 02 chos dbyings rdo rje); his date of birth is not known.