Samten Gyatso (bsam gtan rgya mtsho) was born around the middle of the nineteenth century in Nangchen, Kham. His father, Orgyen Chopel (o rgyan chos 'phel) was from the Tsangsar family (gtsang sar), a noble house of Nangchen. His mother was Konchok Peldron (dkon mchog dpal sgron, died 1930s), the daughter of the great nineteenth-century treasure revealer Chokgyur Lingpa (mchog 'gyur gling pa, 1829–1870). Like himself, his three brothers all became prominent lamas and lineage holders of Chokgyur Lingpa's revelations: Lama Sangngak (bla ma sangs sngags, d. 1949), Tersey Tulku (gter sras sprul sku, d. 1956), and Chime Dorje ('chi med rdo rje, d. 1948), the father of Tulku Urgyen Karma Orgyen Tsewang Chokdrub Pelbar (sprul sku o rgyan karma o rgyan tshe dbang mchog grub dpal 'bar, 1920–1996). He and his brothers spent much of their youth at Tsangsar Lhalam Monastery (gtsang sar lha lam dgon), the family monastery of his father.
Samten Gyatso was identified as the third reincarnation of Ngawang Trinle (ngag dbang 'phrin las), a patriarch of the Tsangsar clan, and was enthroned as the Fourth Ngatrin Tulku (ngag 'phrin sprul sku) at the seat of his incarnation line, Lachab Monastery (bla khyab dgon).[1] Like Lhalam, Lachab was traditionally a Barom Kagyu monastery, controlled by the Tsangsar family, which, due to the influence of Konchok Peldron and her children, was a center for the practice of the revelations of Chokgyur Lingpa. Samten Gyatso's teacher there was a lama named Chowang Tulku (chos dbang sprul sku), who was said to have been the reincarnation of Guru Chowang (gu ru chos dbang, 1212–1270).[2] He was also a disciple of Karmey Khenpo (kar ma'i mkhen po, c.1860–c.1939),[3] who was a close disciple of Chokgyur Lingpa. Karmey Khenpo gave Sonam Gyatso his monastic ordination. A third master was his maternal uncle, Chokgyur Lingpa's son Tsewang Norbu (tshe dbang nor bu, d. 1856).[4]
He spent his youth at Lachab and its hermitage, Dzonggo Ling (rdzong mgo gling) before moving to Tsike Monastery (rtsi ke dgon), one of two centers established by Chokgyur Lingpa and the seat of the Second Kela Chokling, Konchok Gyurme (ke la mchog gling 02 dkon mchog 'gyur med, 1871–1939) also known as Tsike Chokling (rtsi ke mchog gling).[5]He went there to study with Karmey Khenpo, who shared the administration of the monastery with the Kela Chokling.[6]
Samten Gyatso is said to have strictly observed the monastic codes, never taking alcohol or meat, and was meticulous in his ritual performances.[7] Tulku Urgyen describes him as intimidating, even to high lamas such as the Sixteenth Karmapa Rangjung Rigpai Dorje (karma pa 16 rang byung rig pa'i rdo rje, 1924-1981).[8] He was stern and without pretense, refusing to allow people wear elaborate robes or to prostrate to him.[9]
Samten Gyatso was one of the main compilers and propagators of the New Revelations of Chokgyur Lingpa, which was initially printed in nine volumes by the Second Kela Chokling. Tulku Urgyen describes how his uncle would travel with scribes to copy out any of the treasure texts he came across, dedicating himself to collecting and preserving the handwritten manuscripts. The collecting also involved receiving the transmission, which largely came from either Tsewang Norbu or Karmey Khenpo. His search for scripture was not restricted to the revelations of Chokgyur Lingpa; he would apparently unwrap any text in a home or temple that he came across to examine it.[10] Samten Gyatso also requested the Fifteenth Karmapa, Khakyab Dorje (karma pa 15 bka' khyab rdo rje, 1870–1922) to compose needed liturgies for the collection[11]—the Fourteenth Karmapa, Tekchok Dorje (karma pa 14 theg mchog rdo rje, 1798–1868) had been a close collaborator with Chokgyur Lingpa in many of the revelations. Samten Gyatso's extensive library was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.
This life-long endeavor, according to Tulku Urgyen, was inspired by an order from Tsewang Norbu. While Samten Gyatso was a young man he received the transmission of Jamgon Kongtrul's ('jam mgon kong sprul, 1813–1899) Treasury of Revelations at Riwoche Monastery (ri bo che dgon), given by Tsewang Norbu. During the months-long transmission Tsewang Norbu singled Samten Gyatso out in a room full of lamas, calling him the "pillar upholding the teachings of Chokgyur Lingpa."[12] Soon after, Tsewang Norbu passed through the Tsangsar home on his way to central Tibet and called Samten Gyatso into his large tent. There he insisted Samten Gyatso accept empowerment as a holder of the teachings, giving him a number of his own ritual implements and a set of his own robes.
Samten Gyatso gathered multiple transmissions of the New Revelations where possible. For example, he held two distinct lineages of the important Three Sections of Dzogchen. He had received this from Tsewang Norbu as part of the complete transmission, but he sought out a second transmission from his younger brother, Lama Sangngak. Soon after Chokgyur Lingpa passed away he appeared to Karmey Khenpo in a vision to bestow the Three Sections of Dzogchen, which Karmey Khenpo had failed to receive while the master was alive. Karmey Khenpo passed this distinct transmission only to Lama Sangngak.[13] According to Tulku Urgyen, this treasure cycle was restricted for three generations, only becoming available for public transmission with Tulku Urgyen himself.[14]
While still a young man, Samten Gyatso accompanied his mother to Tsurpu (mtshur phu) to transmit the New Revelations of Chokgyur Lingpa to the Fifteenth Karmapa. The Karmapa had apparently been unsuccessful in convincing Tsewang Norbu to give him the transmission, and thus turned to Samten Gyatso. Like Tsewang Norbu had done, the Karmapa insisted on enthroning Samten Gyatso as a holder of the teachings, additionally demanding that he forsake his desire to live in isolated caves and instead serve as a lama, performing public empowerments and teachings, much to Samten Gyatso's dismay.[15]
Around the year 1920 or 1921 Samten Gyatso's brother Chime Dorje and his family were staying at Sangngak Choling (gsang sngags chos gling), the seat of the Tenth Drukchen, Mipam Chokyi Wangpo (mi 'pham chos kyi dbang po, 1884–1930), a teacher of Chime Dorje and his brothers. Samten Gyatso was at Tsurpu Monastery transmitting the complete revelations, known as the New Treasures of Chokgyur Lingpa (mchog gling gter gsar) to the Fifteenth Karmapa. Chime Dorje wrote to his brother asking him to request a name for his newborn son from the Karmapa. Samten Gyatso sent the Karmapa's reply, a name written in the Karmapa's own hand, along with the pronouncement that the child, Tulku Urgyen, was a "genuine tulku."[16]
He later took up the leadership of Lachab Monastery.[17] At Lachab Samten Gyatso formally enthroned Tulku Urgyen as the reincarnation of his own root teacher, Chowang Tulku, an identity that was determined by the young Sixteenth Karmapa, Rigpai Dorje.[18]
In the late 1930s the leadership of Karma Gon (karma dgon) appointed Samten Gyatso the tutor of the young Sixteenth Karmapa, who was then arriving in Kham from Tsurpu. The Karmapa's previous tutor, Ninth Gangkar Lama, Karma Shedrub Chokyi Sengge (gangs dkar bla ma 09 karma bshad sgrub chos kyi seng+ge, 1892–1957), who was considered one of the finest Karma Kagyu scholars of his generation, had been dismissed for not being sufficiently deferential to the Karmapa. The Karmapa was apparently not a diligent student, and the famous lama did not shy away from traditional forms of discipline, including pinching and even striking the Karmapa.[19] According to Tulku Urgyen, Samten Gyatso never beat the Karmapa; instead, when the teenage lama misbehaved, his tutor would strike his own attendant, a lama named Dudul (bdud 'dul), which would quickly convince the compassionate Karmapa to sit and focus on his studies.[20] The elderly Samten Gyatso held the position only briefly, receiving permission to step down when the Karmapa arrived at Pelpung Monastery (dpal spungs).[21]
Around the year 1938 Samten Gyatso gave the transmission of the New Revelations of Chokgyur Lingpa at Zurmang Dutsitil (zur mang bdud rtsi dil). This was sponsored by the Tenth Zurmang Tentrul, Karma Lodro Gyatso Drayang (zur mang bstan sprul 10 karma blo gros rgya mtsho'i sgra dbyangs). Samten Gyatso and his brother Chime Dorje presided over the three-month ceremony; Samten Gyatso gave the empowerments and Chime Dorje the reading transmission. Near the end of the three months Samten Gyatso is said to have informed Tentrul that additional transmissions would be given to only select advanced students, and that Tentrul would have the duty of deciding who might receive them.
According to Tulku Urgyen, who initially served as a shrine attendant but then was permitted to sit and receive the transmissions, despite announcing that only lamas and ordained monks would receive the restricted empowerments, several dozen members of the Nangchen nobility sat behind a curtain intent on receiving them. Because of their presence Samten Gyatso angrily refused to continue, and instructed his attendants to pack his things. Chime Dorje and Karmey Khentrul both intervened on the behalf of the terrified Zurmang Tentrul, who was bearing the brunt of Samten Gyatso displeasure. Samten Gyatso continued the empowerments only after several days of offering ceremonies to repair the breach of samaya.[22] Even so, he held back the Three Sections of Dzogchen, which was not yet deemed appropriate to transmit publicly.[23]
Among his disciples were the Second Kela Chokling, Konchok Gyurme, who was older than him and the king of Nangchen, Tashi Tsewang Tobyal (bkras shis tshe dbang stobs rgyal). Samten Gyatso's mother regarded him as her root guru and received from him pointing out instructions and meditation instructions.[24] Samten Gyatso's younger brother Sangngak was also a disciple, and lived with him for several years as an attendant. It was around this time that Lama Sangngak urged Tulku Urgyen to ordain, with the Second Jamgon Kongtrul, Khyentse Wozer ('jam mgon kon sprul 02 mkhyen brtse 'od zer, 1904–1953) as preceptor, offering him all his possessions were he to do so. Samten Gyatso, remained silent on the matter.[25]
In his memoir, Tulku Urgyen praises Samten Gyatso highly, noting that he was considered both an emanation of Four-Armed Mahākāla and, according to a vision of the Second Tsike Chokling, of Vimalamitra. Although Samten Gyatso would not allow others to speak of his accomplishments, insisting that he had none, one evening, speaking from his bed to Tulku Urgyen, who was lying on the floor, he stated that he had realized the nature of mind at the age of eight and had, despite distraction, maintained the awareness.[26]
According to Tulku Urgyen, several months before Samten Gyatso passed away he had presided over a drubchen (sgrub chen) ceremony with his three brothers. Chime Dorje reported that over the course of three days Samten Gyatso's body glowed with increasingly intense rainbow light, a sight witnessed by the other two brothers as well. Intimidated by their brother to the very end of his life, none of them had the courage to speak to him about it.[27]
His main practices were Chokgyur Lingpa's revelation Kunzang Tuktik (kun bzang thugs thig), or Heart Essence of Samantabhadra and Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo's revelation Chetsun Nyintik (lce btsun snying thig). The first is a practice on the peaceful and wrathful deities, while the second is considered one of Khyentse's most important Dzogchen revelations. Tulku Urgyen also states that his two most valued scriptures were The Seed Tantra that is the Only Child of All Buddhas (sangs rgyas thams cad kyi sras gcig gsang ba cod pan sa bon gyi rgyud) and Chokgyur Lingpa's Lotus Essence Tantra (padma snying po rgyud).
Samten Gyatso passed away in the late 1930s or 1940 at Tsurpu. His reincarnation is Tsewang Dechen, who was born in 1941 and recognized by the Sixteenth Karmapa in 1950 and enthroned at Lachab, where he lived until 1958 when he was forced to leave by the new Communist government. In 1980 he began rebuilding Lachab and Dzonggo Ling, which were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.
[1] Orgyan Tobgyal, p. 31.
[2] Tulku Urgyen, p. 89.
[3] These dates are based on Tulku Urgyen (p. 65), who states that Karmey Khenpo died in his early eighties. He was present at the Zurmang transmission of the New Revelations of Chokgyur Lingpa which occurred around the year 1938. However, Tulku Urgyen also states that Karmey Khenpo was a close disciple of Chokgyur Lingpa, who died in 1870, when, if the dates are correct, Karmey Khenpo was only about ten years old.
[4] Tulku Urgyen, p. 89.
[5] Tulku Urgyen, p. 89.
[6] Tulku Urgyen, p. 93.
[7] Orgyen Tobgyal, p. 28.
[8] Tulku Urgyen, p. 87, 99.
[9] Tulku Urgyen, p. 88.
[10] Tulku Urgyen, p. 93.
[11] Tulku Urgyen, p. 381.
[12] Tulku Urgyen, p. 95.
[13] Tulku Urgyen, p. 63, 123.
[14] Tulku Urgyen, p. 267.
[15] Tulku Urgyen, pp. 97–98.
[16] Tulku Urgyen, p. 142.
[17] Tulku Urgyen, pp. 143–144.
[18] Tulku Urgyen, p. 171.
[19] Jamgon Kongtrul, p. 8; Tulku Urgyen, p. 188.
[20] Tulku Urgyen, p. 189.
[21] Tulku Urgyen, p. 189.
[22] Tulku Urgyen, pp. 216–218.
[23] Tulku Urgyen, pp. 266–267.
[24] Tulku Urgyen, p. 82.
[25] Tulku Urgyen, pp. 197–198.
[26] Tulku Urgyen, p. 94.
[27] Tulku Urgyen, pp. 101–102.
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Bibliography
Jamgön Kongtrül Rinpoche. 1982. "The Life Story of His Holiness the XVI Karmapa."Bulletin of Tibetology, vol. 18, no.1.
Tulku Urgyen. 2005.Blazing Splendor: The Memoirs of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche as told to Erik Pema Kunsang & Marcia Binder Schmidt. Hong Kong: Rangjung Yeshe, pp. 129-134.
Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche. 1990.The Life and Teachings of Chokgyur Lingpa. Tulku Jigmey Khyentse and Erik Pema Kunsang, trans. Kathmandu: Rangjung Yeshe Publications.