The Treasury of Lives

Sherab Sengge (shes rab seng+ge) was born at Gonying Gegon (dgon rnying dge dgon) at Paro (spa gro) in 1784, the wood dragon year of the twelfth sexagenary cycle. He was the grandson of Khedrub Tendzin Dondrub (mkhas grub bstan 'dzin don grub, 1680-1728) and joined the monastic discipline at around the age of ten. He received his novice monk vows from Khenpo Ngawang Trinle (mkhan po ngag dbang 'phrin las) and received further teachings from the Ninth Je Khenpo, Shakya Rinchen (rje mkhan po 09 shAkya rin chen, 1710-1759).

Following his training Sherab Sengge devoted his time to solitary meditation where he focused on Mahāmudrā (phyag rgya chen po).

Thereafter he served as Lama Neten (gnas brtan bla ma) of Wangduephodrang Dzong (dbang 'dus pho brang rdzong) and later as Dorje Lobpon (rdo rje slob dpon). Although he had been chosen to serve as Je Khenpo (rje mkhan po) after the retirement of the Thirteenth Je Khenpo, Yonten Taye (rje mkhan po 13 yon tan mtha' yas, 1724-1784), due to a conflict with the Sixteenth Desi (sde srid) of Bhutan, Sonam Lhundrub (bsod nams lhun grub, d.u.), Sherab Sengge was instead installed as the Talang Lama (rta glang bla ma). He served at Talang for a few years and established a monastery as envisioned by Zhang Dewai Dorje (zhang bde ba'i rdo rje).

At the age of sixty-one, in accord with instructions of the Eighteenth Desi, Jigme Senggye ('jigs med seng+ge, d.u.), Sherab Sengge was enthroned as Sixteenth Je Khenpo following the death of Yonten Taye. He served as Je Khenpo for seven years and became known as a strict disciplinarian in the monastic community. He guided numerous disciples including Jampel Drakpa, the Twenty-first and Twenty-third Je Khenpo (rje mkhan po 21 / 23 'jam dpal grags pa, 1766- 1834); The Twenty-fifth Je Khenpo, Sherab Gyeltsen (rje mkhan po 25 shes rab rgyal mtshan, 1772-1848); Choje Gawang (chos rje dga' dbang); the Twenty-eight Je Khenpo, Rinchen Zangpo (rje mkhan po 28 rin chen bzang po, 1777-1848); the Third Zhabdrung Sungtrul, Yeshe Gyeltsen (zhabs drung gsung sprul 03 ye shes rgyal mtshan, 1781-1830), who also served as the Twentieth Je Khenpo; and the Fourth Peling Gyelse, Jigme Namgyel (pad+gling rgyal sras 04 'jigs med rnam rgyal, 1763-1795)

At the age of sixty-six, Sherab Sengge established Tubten Jago Phungpo Monastery (thub bstan bya rgod phung po) and built a two-story high statue of the Buddha at Drela ('bras la) in Paro. He  resigned from the post of Je Khenpo at the age of sixty-eight and spent his remaining days practicing in a hermitage. He passed away at the age of seventy-one, in 1791, the water-ox year.