The Treasury of Lives

Sumpa Yeshe Lodro (sum pa ye shes blo gros) was born in U region of Tibet in late tenth century. No details of his birth and family are found, and the origin of his title, Sumpa, is unclear, as most Tibetans who carry this name were born or were active in the Sumpa region.

In search of valid monastic ordination over one hundred years after the tradition had been lost in U and Tsang, Sumpa Yeshe Lodro traveled to Amdo accompanied by the so-called Ten Wise Men of U and Tsang (dbus gtsang gi mkhas pa mi bcu); five from U: Lume Tsultrim Sherab (klu mes tshul khrims shes rab), Dring Yeshe Yonten ('bring ye shes yon tan), Rakshi Tsultrim Jungne (rag shi tshul khrims 'byung gnas), Ba Tsultrim Lodro (rba tshul khrims blo gros); three from Tsang: Loton Dorje Wangchuk (lo ston rdo rje dbang phyug), Tsong-tsun Sherab Sengge (tshong btsun shes rab seng ge), and Bongdongpa Upadekar (bong dong pa u pa de kar); and the two Wogye brothers from Ngari (mnga' ris pa 'o brgyad spun gnyis) whose names are not known.

Sumpa Yeshe Lodro and his companions reached Riwo Dantik in the Tso-ngon region (mtsho sngon ri bo dan tig) where, according to tradition, encountered Lachen Gongpa Rabsel (bla chen dgongs pa rab gsal, 832-915) in a hermitage named Marlung Dorje Drak Dantik Shelgyi Yang-gon (rmar klung rdo rje brag dan tig shel gyi yang dgon). Lachen granted them the vows of primary monk (rab byung), novice monk (dge tshul), and the full ordination (dge slong) on the same day, assisted by the monks who had ordained him – Marben Shakya Sengge / Śākyamuni (dmar ban shakya seng ge / shAkya mu ni), Yo Gechung (g.yo dge chung) and Tsang Rabsel (gtsang rab gsal) together with two Chinese monks to complete the necessary quorum of fully ordained monks.

More likely they received their ordination from Gongpa Rabsel's disciple, Tulpa / Dulpa Drum Yeshe Gyeltsen (thul pa / 'dul pa brum ye shes rgyal mtshan), also known as Drum Shinglakchan (brum shing glag can), a reference to his own Bon heritage.

Sumpa Yeshe Lodro and his companions, minus Lume, who stayed behind to study Vinaya in detail from Trum Yeshe Gyeltsen (krum ye shes rgyal mtshan d.u.), then returned to U-Tsang. Upon their arrival, Yeshe Lodro arranged the restoration of Samye Monastery (bsam yas), and also contributed to the restoration of other monasteries and temples. He established the Meru (dme ru) religious center in Drosatang ('bro sa thang) with the hopes of developing it into a monastery, but was unsuccessful in his efforts. He was, however, instrumental in reintroducing the monastic ordination tradition and the Vinaya in U and Tsang.

Among his disciples, names that are known included Nyo Tsultrim Gyeltsen of Tselchung, (tshal chung gi gnyos tshul khrims rgyal mtshan, d.u.), Pang Wangchuk Gyeltsen ('phangs dbang phyug rgyal mtshan, 1016-1082), and two men named Zi and Lung (gzi rlung gnyis).