The Treasury of Lives

Khenpo Tsering Chojor (mkhan po tshe ring chos 'byor) was born in 1928, the earth-dragon year of the sixteenth sexagenary cycle, by a lake named Gongwa Tsokar (gong ba mtsho dkar) located near Tsāritra (tsA ri tra), a holy place to the south of Dzogchen monastery. His father was named Dorje (rdo rje) and his mother was named Tsewang Chodron (tshe dbang chos sgron). He was the maternal uncle of the Sixth Dzogchen Drubwang, Jikdrel Jangchub Dorje (rdzogs chen grub dbang 06 'jigs dral byang chub rdo rje, 1935-1959).

He was brought to Dzogchen Monastery, Rudam Orgyen Samten Choling (rdzogs chen ru dam o rgyan bsam gtan chos gling) at the age of eight where he began his studies in reading, writing, grammar, poetry, and other foundational subjects. At the age of sixteen he enrolled at Śrī Siṃha College (shrI sing+ha bshad drwa) where he studied the thirteen classical texts of the Śrī Siṃha curriculum as well as additional texts by renowned scholars of many traditions such as Ju Mipam Gyatso ('ju mi pham rgya mtsho, 1846-1912) and Gorampa Sonam Sengge (go rams pa bsod nams seng ge, 1429-1489). His main teachers were the twenty-third abbot of Śrī Siṃha, Khenchen Tubten Nyendrak (mkhan chen thub bstan snyan grags, 1883-1959); the twenty-eighth abbot, Pema Tsewang Gyatso (pad+ma tshe dbang rgya mtsho, 1902-1959); and Dzigar Khenpo Noryang ('dzi sgar mkhan po nor g.yang, d.u.). He received instructions on Dzogchen along with their related empowerments and transmissions from the twentieth abbot of Śrī Siṃha, Pema Tekchok Loden (pad+ma theg mchog blo ldan, 1879-1955) and the twenty-seventh abbot, Jigme Yonten Gonpo ('jigs med yon tan mgon po, 1899-1959).

On the order of the Sixth Dzogchen Drubwang, Tsering Chojor traveled to Changma Gar (lcang ma sgar) in Dzato (rdza stod) to serve as the tutor to the Third Pema Vajra Tulku, Pema Kelzang (pad+ma ba dz+ra sprul sku 03 pad+ma skal bzang, b.1943).  He remained for two years. While there, he taught the Prajñāpāramitā and composed an outline on the topic that became very well known.

In 1956, when he was around twenty-nine the Sixth Dzogchen Drubwang summoned Tsering Chojor back to Dzogchen monastery and enthroned him as the abbot of Dzogchen Monastery. He was to have served in this position for four years before taking his seat as thirty-third abbot of Śrī Siṃha had he not passed away in 1959 at the age of thirty-two during the turmoil caused by the Communist takeover of Tibet.