The Treasury of Lives

The Fourteenth Ganden Tripa, Rinchen Wozer (dga' ldan khri pa 14  rin chen 'o zer) was born in Zhingzang in Tolung Da (stod lung mda' zhing bzang) in U in 1453, the water-bird year of the eighth sexagenary cycle. At a young age Rinchen Wozer enrolled in Drepung Monastery ('bras spungs dgon pa) and received the vows of novice monk from Drepung Choje Rinchen Jangchub ('bras spungs chos rje rin chen byang chub, d.u.).

Rinchen Wozer began his primary monastic education at Drepung, learning reading and writing, and memorization of daily and frequent prayer texts and other root-verses of important philosophical texts. He then studied mainly sutra under the tutorship of some outstanding masters including the Tenth Ganden Tripa Yeshe Zangpo (dga' ldan khri pa 10, yeshe bzang po, 1415-1498). Master Tsultrim Zangpo from the Tantric College (rgyud pa tshul khrims bzang po, d.u.) tutored him in his studies in advanced tantra and he gradually gained reknown as a scholar in both sutra and tantra.

He became a fully ordained monk at Nyiding, with the vows administered by Drung Zimchenpa (drung gzims chen pa, d.u.). In 1498, at the age of forty-six, he was appointed as the master in Tantric College and gave extensive teachings in profound tantra. Ten years later, in 1508 he joined Ganden Jangtse Monastery (dga' ldan byang rtse grwa tshang) and composed a text entitled Dentsi Selwai Dronme (bstan rtsis gsal wa'i sgron me), A Lamp Illuminating the Chronology of Doctrine, a work that contains a chronological table of past Buddhist scholars.

He was enthroned as the Fourteenth Ganden Tripa at the age of seventy, in 1522, the water-horse year of the ninth sexagenary cycle. He served for seven years, mainly occupying himself with the usual duties of giving teachings in both sutra and tantra. During his tenure Trichen Rinchen Wozer had built a statue of Amitabha made of gold gilt.

He had a large number of serious devotees and disciples; among the chief was Chokyong Gyatso (chos skyong rgya mtsho, d.u.), also called Tsepa Choje (rtse pa chos rje chos).

Trichen Rinchen Wozer retired from the abbacy of Ganden Tripa in 1529, at the age of seventy-seven, and settled in private for his personal dharma practices. Finally in 1540, the iron-mouse year of the ninth sexagenary cycle, he passed into nirvana at the age of eighty-eight.