The Treasury of Lives

The Fifty-fourth Ganden Tripa, Ngawang Chokden (dga' ldan khri pa 54 ngag dbang mchog ldan) was born at Chantsa Karmo Puk (gcan tsha dkar mo phug) near Jakhyung Monastery (bya khyung dgon) in Amdo in 1677, the year of fire-snake of the eleventh sexagenary cycle. His father was called Chakdor Tashi (phyag rdor bkra shis) and his mother was Pochog Kyi (spo chog skyid).

At the age of eleven Ngawang Chokden enrolled in Jakhung Monastery (bya khyung dgon pa) and received the vows of primary and novice monks (rab byung and dge tshul) from his monk-uncle Ngawang Tsultrim (ngag dbang tshul khrims, d.u.) who also gave him basic training and education such as reading and writing, and the memorization of prayers. He also memorized root-verses of some philosophical texts and started studying logic at the age of thirteen under his uncle. Some sources of his biography have it that he received the vows from the Sixty-first Ganden Trichen, Ngawang Tsultrim but it is an obvious error as this Trichen was born more than four decades after Ngawang Chokden.

In 1691, at the age of fifteen Ngawang Chokden travelled to U-Tsang and matriculated in the Sera Monastic University where he studied then Abhisamayālaṃkāra, Madhyamaka, Abhidharmakośa, Pramāṇavārttika, and Vinaya, the five major subjects of the Geluk monastic curriculum, with particular focus on Prajñāpāramitā and related topics, Lamrim, and Kadam treatises. At the age of twenty he stood for the traditional examination on Prajñāpāramitā at Sangpu Neutok (gsang phu ne'u thog) and earned recognition among scholars in the subject. From the age of twenty-two he studied the other major texts and he stood for the grand examination in the Lhasa Monlam Chenmo in the midst of over twenty thousand monks.

Subsequently, apparently not happy at Sera, he announced that he would prefer the life of a jadrel (bya bral), meaning, “free from worldly activity,” and so left the monastery to live as an itinerant monk. Before long, however, he travelled to Tashilhunpo and received the vows of full ordination (dge slong) from the Fifth Paṇchen Lama, Lobzang Yeshe (paN chen bla ma 05 blo bzang ye shes, 1663-1737).

Ngawang Chokden returned to Lhasa from Tsang and matriculated in Gyume College (rgyud smad grwa tshang) where he studied tantra, especially the Guhyasamāja tantra with its generation and completion stage practice (bskyed rdzogs), and other related topics. He then stood in the traditional examination on tantra which he passed comfortably. Thereafter he was appointed as the disciplinarian (dge bskos) of Gyume, at the age of twenty-nine, but presumably he returned to his hometown in Amdo in the same year, 1705.

Soon after his arrival in Amdo Ngawang Chokden stood for the traditional examinations on the complete texts of major subjects in all the major monasteries in the region including Jakhyung, Kumbum (sku 'bum), Gonlung Jampa Ling (dgon lung byams pa gling), and Tsenpo (btsan po), and his fame spread fast across the region. He constructed a row of eight stupas of the buddhas (bde gshegs brgyad kyi mchod rten) for his parents. After about four years in his home region he returned to Lhasa.

In 1710, when he was thirty-four, the Lhasa government appointed Ngawang Chokden to serve as abbot of Toling Monastery in Ngari (mnga' ris mtho lding dgon pa) where he served for seven years. Besides his duties in giving teachings and empowerments, performing dharma activities, and leading dharma festivals, he restored a large number of temples and stupas built by Rinchen Zangpo (rin chen bzang po, 958-1055). He then retired from the Toling abbacy and returned to Lhasa via Mount Kailash, where he is said to have left a footprint in a stone.

Nine years later, at the age of forty-three, Ngawang Chokden was appointed abbot of Gyume College by the Lhasa government, a post he served for ten years, teaching tantra of all levels in accordance with their tradition. He also restored Sang Ngag Khar (gsang sngags mkhar) in 1722. In 1728 he was appointed as the tutor, especially in tantra, to the Seventh Dalai Lama Kelzang Gyatso (ta la'i bla ma 07 bskal bzang rgya mtsho, 1708-1757), who was then in exile in Gartar (mgar thar) in Kham. He gave the Dalai Lama many important transmissions including on Vajramala of Mitra, Kālacakra, and selected topics from the Kangyur and Tengyur. He also gave many teachings to the Third Changkya, Rolpai Dorje (lcang skya 03 rol pa'i rdo rje, 1717-1786). His service to the Dalai Lama earned him the title “a chi thu no mon han” from the Qianlong Emperor in Beijing.

In 1739, the year of earth-sheep of the twelfth sexagenary cycle, at the age of sixty-three, Ngawang Chokden was enthroned as the Fifty-fourth Ganden Tripa of Ganden Monastery (dga' ldan), retiring from the post in 1746.

Among his teachers were Jamyang Zhepai Dorje ('jam dbyangs bde ba'i rdo rje, 1682-1741), the First Jamyang Zhepa ('jam dbyangs bzhad pa 01 'jam dbyangs bzhad pa'i rdo rje, 1648-1721/22), and the Fiftieth Ganden Tripa, Trichen Gendun Puntsok (dga' ldan khri pa 50 khri chen dge 'dun phun tshogs, 1648-1724).

He served as teacher to numerous prominent lamas, including Longdol Lama Ngawang Lobzang (klong rdol bla ma ngag dbang blo bzang, 1719-1794); the Third Chubzang, Ngawang Tubten Wangchuk (chu bzang 03 ngag dbang thub bstan dbang phyug, 1725-1796), who was the twenty-eighth and thirtieth throne holder of Labrang Monastery (bla brang); the fortieth abbot of Jakhyung, Lobzang Chodrak (bya khyung mkhan rabs 40 blo bzang chos grags, d.u.); Kangyurwa Sonam Zangpo (bka' 'gyur ba bsod nams bzang po, d.u.), and the Sixth Pakpa Lha Jigme Tenpai Gyatso ('phags pa lha 06 'jigs med bstan pa'i rgya mtsho), and many others.

At his request the Seventh Dalai Lama gave Reting Monastery to Trichen Ngawang Chokden upon his retirement, and he worked for the development of the monastery until his death in 1751, the iron-sheep year of the thirteenth sexagenary cycle, at the age of seventy-five. His reliquary was installed on the left-side of Jowo Jampel Dorje (rjo 'jam dpal rdo rje) in Reting Monastery.