The Treasury of Lives

Samlo Lama Sanggye Tashi (bsam blo bla ma sangs rgyas bkra shis) was born in Drowo Lung (gro bo lung) in Lodrak (lho brag), in the thirteenth century. His given name was Samten Lodro (bsam gtan blo gros); Sanggye Tashi was his ordination name. Information about his parents is unavailable, other than that there was a familial connection to Marpa Lotsāwa, the founder of the Kagyu tradition.

Under the encouragement of his teachers Sanggye Tashi went to the Kokonor area to teach. There he went on a retreat on the small island in the center of Kokonor Lake and because of that he was sometimes known as Tsonyingwa Lama, meaning the lama from the lake. Later he arrived in the Drotsang (gro tshang) area of Tsongkha (tsong kha) and continued his teaching there.

When Ming Emperor Hongwu (1328-1398, r.1368-1398) sent General Yulan to destroy the remains of the Yuan forces in the northwestern region, Sanggye Tashi was asked to persuade the Mongol tribes around Kokonor to surrender to the Ming, which he succeeded in doing.

Sanggye Tashi was later invited to the new Ming Dynasty court in 1389, where he was granted the title of Imperial Preceptor (Ch: dishi 帝师) by the Emperor. According to legend he traveled to Nanjing on a flying white elephant, earning the name Langkarpa Sanggye Tashi (glang dkar pa sangs rgyas bkra shis), or The White Elephant [-riding] Sanggye Tashi."

Upon his return to Drotsang, in 1392, Sanggye Tashi established a monastery, Drotsang Lhakhang Gautamde (gro tshang lha khang go tam sde), designated by the Hongwu Emperor as Qutan Si (瞿昙寺), or Gautama Monastery, so written on a red board in golden letters that continues to hang above the entrance of the front hall.

In 1393 Sanggye Tashi was appointed as head, or dugang (都纲) of the Xining religious affairs (xining seng gang si, 西宁僧纲司). In addition, the seven valleys around the monastery were given to him as the monastery’s parish, or lhade (lha sde), responsible for the support of Drotsang monastery; the area thus came to be known Drotsang Lungdun (gro tshang lung bdun).

Sanggye Tashi  received teachings from Tsongkhapa Lobzang Drakpa (tsong kha pa blo bzang grags pa, 1357-1419), and according to some scholars he was supportive of the conversion of Drotsang to the new Geluk tradition, although at such an early date it is difficult to confirm.

Sanggye Tashi died in 1414.