The Treasury of Lives

Tokkhawa Rinchen Sengge (thog kha ba rin chen seng ge) was born in the male fire dog year, 1226, into the Kyura (skyu ra) clan which controlled Drigung Til Monastery ('bri gung mthil dgon). His birthplace said to have been the village of Tsongngu (tsong ngu) in the area of Upper Dan area ('dan stod). His father, Dorje Sengge (rdo rje seng ge), was the first Gompa (sgom pa), or secular chief, of Drigung. Dorje Sengge was the cousin of Drigung's founder Jikten Gonpo Rinchen Pel ('jig rten mgon po rin chen dpal, 1143-1217), and the brother of Won Sonam Drakpa (dbon bsod nams grags pa, 1187-1234), the monastery's third abbot, and of Chung Dorje Drakpa (bcung rdo rje grags pa, 1210-1278), the fifth abbot. Rinchen Sengge was the oldest of five siblings, who were named, from eldest to youngest, Dorje (rdo rje), Anu Gyel (a nu rgyal), Chennga Tsamchepa Drakpa Sonam (spyan snga mtshams bcad pa grags pa bsod nams, 1238-1286), and Konchok Tse (dkon mchog tshe). Drakpa Sonam would later serve as the seventh abbot of Drigung.

It is said that as a youth he excelled in his studies of letters and mathematics and became learned in the worldly sciences. When he was nine, Chung Dorje Drakpa gave him ordination with the name Rinchen Sengge. Chung Dorje Drakpa gave him the fundamental early Drigung teachings, including the Five-fold Path of Mahāmudrā (zab mo lnga), the Six Dharmas of Nāropa (chos drug), and the Life Force Chakra of Devotion (mos gus srog 'khor). He received additional teachings from other masters, but their names are not recorded.

After completing his training he spent seven years in silent sealed retreat in the top floor of Drigung Til's Golden Temple (gser khang), which had been built by Chung Dorje Drakpa. During that time, he was said to have had numerous visions of deities and Kagyu lamas, and is said to have shown many signs of accomplishment, such as resting a dharma robe on a ray of sunlight and turning back waves of water. Between sessions he taught disciples through a hole in his retreat wall. His epithet of Tokkhawa -- Man from Tokkha -- is derived from the fact that he did his retreat in the Tokkha or upper floor (thog kha) of the Golden Temple.

After Chung Dorje Drakpa passed away Rinchen Sengge was requested to succeed him on the abbot's throne at Drigung, but he attempted to refuse, and retreated to various solitary places to remain focused on practice. Nevertheless, in 1278, at the age of fifty-three, he became the sixth abbot of Drigung and held that position until 1284. As abbot he is remembered as having engendered strong faith in many students, who in turn made generous donations of wealth to him. He used this wealth to expand the Drigung tradition of practice and explanation by printing vast numbers of scriptures and supporting retreatants to practice in the three pilgrimage sites of Mt. Kailash, Labchi, and Tsari.

Rinchen Sengge passed away in 1284 at the age of fifty-nine and was succeed as abbot by his younger brother, Chennga Tsamchepa Drakpa Sonam.