The Treasury of Lives

Jangsem Sherab Zangpo (byang sems shes rab bzang po) was born at the turn of the fifteenth century in the village of Stakmo (stag mo) in Ladakh. His father's name was Tashi (bkra shis) and his mother's name was Pelzom (dpal zom). His father was a member of the royal court of Ladakh.¹

At the age of seventeen he was sent with an emissary of merchants to Lhasa, Tibet. His parents wanted him to study under the guidance of the famed teacher Tsongkhapa Lobzang Drakpa (tsong kha pa blo bzang grags pa, 1357-1419). When Sherab Zangpo first arrived in Lhasa, he visited the main temple of Lhasa, the Jokhang (jo khang) to offer his prayers to the famous statue of the Buddha there, known as the Jowo. While he was praying, he heard an old woman praising Tsongkhapa, and she too advised him to study under Tsongkhapa.

He thus journeyed to Ganden Monastery (dga ldan dgon) where he was accepted as a student by Tsongkhapa. There he studied Vinaya, Prajñāpāramitā, Madhyamika, Pramāṇavārttika and Abhidharmakośa. It is said that he received teachings from Tsongkhapa and his disciples Gyeltsab Darma Rinchen (rgyal tshab 'dar ma rin chen, 1364-1432) and Khedrub Gelek Pelzang (mkhas grub dge legs dpal bzang 1385-1438).² He further studied tantric scriptures such as Guhyasamāja and Kālachakra.

He was a tutor of the First Dalai Lama, Gendun Drub (ta la'i bla ma 01 dge 'dun grub 1391-1474).

Sherab Zangpo is considered by the tradition to have been one of "six great banners," or six disciples of Tsongkhapa deemed especially qualified for disseminating the teachings of the Geluk tradition to the outer regions of the Tibetan Plateau (bstan pa phyogs mthar spel ba'i dar chen drug). In addition to Sherab Zangpo they were: Me Jangsem Sherab Zangpo (smad byang sem shes rab bzang po), the founder of Chamdo Jampa Ling (chab mdo byams pa gling) in Kham; Ngawang Drakpa (ngag dbang grags pa) of Guge; Gyeltsen Sengge (rgyal mtshan seng ge), the founder of Pashang Netang Monastery (dpa' shod gnas thang dgon) in Kham; Denma Yonten Pel ('den ma yon tan dpal), the founder of Lab Kyabgon (lab skyabs mgon) in Yushu; and Lama Pelden Sherab (bla ma dpal ldan shes rab) who was a cousin and disciple of Sherab Zangpo's. To differentiate him from the founder of Chamdo Jampa Ling in Kham, Sherab Zangpo is also known as To Sherab Zangpo (stod shes rab bzang po) meaning "The Sherab Zangpo from the Upland Region."

Sherab Zangpo first reached the Nubra Valley. Here he met the local king, Nyima Drakpa (nyi ma grags pa), but was unable to develop a relationship. He tried next with Drakpa Bumde. According to legend Drakpa Bumde had recently dreamed of good fortune and had ordered his court to let any man enter freely to meet him; due to this policy he received Sherab Zangpo.

This fortunate meeting brought Sherab Zangpo royal patronage. With Drakpa Bumde's support he built the first Geluk temple in Ladakh, the Lhakhang Serpo, or Yellow Temple, known for the color of its walls, in Stagmo (stag mo).³ He initiated the rain season retreat with a small sangha of monks.

Soon after founding the Lhakhang Serpo, Sherab Zangpo set out to build a larger monastery. One day he and his cousin and disciple Pelden Sherab were performing rituals at the top of a mountain known as Trido (khri rdho). According to legend their offering bowl miraculously filled with water and was taken by a black crow, who flew towards the mountain top and left the bowl there, not spilling a single drop of water. They understood the black crow to be an emanation of the Buddha Mahākāla, and that the event was a sign of where they should build a new monastery. This came to be known as Tikse Monastery (khrig rtse dgon) which grew to became one of the largest monasteries in Ladakh.⁴ Sherab Zangpo taught Tsongkhapa's large and middle expositions of the path to enlightenment, the Lamrim Chenmo (lam rim chen mo) and the Lamrim Dringwa (lam rim 'bring ba)

In addition to Pelden Sherab, Sherab Zangpo's disciples included Sherab Lodro (shes rab blo gros) and Drungpa Dorje Rinchen (drung pa rdo rje rin chen).

Sherab Zangpo travelled to the Spiti valley with his student Sherab Lodro and together they founded Key Monastery (skyid).⁵ Then he went back to Nubra valley where with the patronage of king Nyima Drakpa, he founded Diskit Monastery (bde skyid), Charasa Monastery (lchags ra sa) and Ensa Monastery (dben sa).

After Nubra, Sherab Zangpo visited Zangskar, which had its first king in Detsuk Gon (lde tsug mgon). During that time, Zangskar controlled the territories of Zangla (zangs la) and Padum (dpa' gtum). At Zangla Sherab Zangpo was patronized by the son of Tri Nampel De (khri gnam dpal lde), also known as Rinchen Pelde (rin chen dpal lde), and Queen Ama Dzomspa (a ma 'dzoms pa). Both offered him the land of Dakkang (dwags rkang), Karlang (kar lang) and Tsazar (tsha zar) for religious activities. At Tsazar, Sherab Zangpo built Tsazar Monastery (tsha zar dgon). At Patum (dpa' gtum), the ruler Tsang Gyelpo (tshang rgyal po), also known as Tsewang Gyelpo (tshe dbang rgyal po) offered him the land of Marling (mar gling). At the request of the king of Padum Sherab Zangpo re-established the practice of Vinaya at the monastery today also known as Tongde Gonpa Ganden Lekshe Ling (stong sde'i dgon pa dga' ldan legs bshad gling).

During that period, it is said that he heard a voice of a ḍākinī, inspiring him to visit the Lungnak valley (lung nag) of Zanskar region. A white rat is said to have showed him an easy route there. After the rat disappeared, he heard a sound of a bell from a cave, and going inside he found three sages in meditation. These sages welcomed Sherab Zangpo and requested him to spread the dharma. Sherab Zangpo founded the monastery known as Phuktal Monastery (phug dal dgon) around the cave. It is believed that he converted the older (probably Drikung Kagyu)  monasteries in the villages of Lingshed and Karsha. Phuktal preserves some of the earliest images of Sherab Zangpo,  in murals dating the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries in the Tonpa Lhakhang (ston pa lha khang) and Kanggyur Lhakhang (bka' 'gyur lha khang).⁶

Sherab Zangpo also rebuilt the Karsha Monastery (dkar sha dgon pa) founded in the eleventh century by Lotsawa Pakpa Sherab (lo tsa ba 'phags pa shes rab) and taught Lamrim there. He visited Stongde (stong bde) village in the Zanskar region, a village that the great Marpa Chokyi Lodro (mar pa chos kyi blo gros, d.1097) is said to have visited and to have built Tongde Marpa Ling Monastery (stong sde mar ba gling) to meet his root guru Nāropa. 

Sherab Zangpo spent the majority of his life at Phuktal Monastery. He passed away there, and his remains are preserved in a reliquary stupa.⁷  Another reliquary at a nunnery called Dorje Dzong (rdo rje rdzong) that was later built around a cave said to have been one of Sherab Zangpo's meditation sites reputedly contains a piece of his monks robes. The nunnery also preserves a portrait sculpture made by the Zanskar artist Zhepa Dorje (bzhad pa rdo rje).⁸

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¹ Bka chen blo bzang bzod pa, 66.

² Bzang pod pal 'byor, 242.

³ Bka chen blo bzang bzod pa, 22.

⁴ Bsod nams dkon mchog, 116.

⁵ Tiwari, vol 2, 175.

⁶ Linrothe, 64

⁷ Bka chen blo bzang bzod pa, 66.

⁸ Linrothe, 78.