The Treasury of Lives

The Tenth Ganden Tripa, Yeshe Zangpo (dga' ldan khri pa 10 ye shes bzang po) was born in Denma (ldan ma) in Kham in 1415, the wood-sheep year of the seventh sexagenary cycle. At a young age Yeshe Zangpo travelled to U-Tsang and matriculated in Drepung Monastic University ('bras spungs dgon) There he studied Abhisamayālaṃkāra, Pramāṇavārttika and the treatises on Madhyamaka under the tutorship of Khenchen Pello (mkhan chen dpal blo, d.u.), and Vinaya under Gelek Pelwa (dge legs dpal ba, d.u.).

Yeshe Zangpo introduced the Lingse (gling bsre) Geshe degree, becoming himself the first Lingsewa (gling bsre ba). The course for Lingse Geshe was implemented with four traditional texts: Abhisamayālaṃkāra, Madhyamaka, Pramāṇavārttika, and Vinaya; an additional text, the Abhidharmakośa, is studied for the Geshe Lharampa (dge bshes lha ram pa), the highest geshe degree of the Geluk tradition.

Yeshe Zangpo received the vows of full ordination from Choje Tashi Pelden (chos rje bkra shis dpal ldan, d.u.) and soon thereafter he served as the master at Drepung Loseling Monastery ('bras spungs blo gsal gling grwa tshang). He then travelled to many places in the Eastern Region and gave teachings on Madhyamaka, Prajñāpāramitā, and Lamrim (lam rim).

In 1493, at the age of seventy-eight, Yeshe Zangpo was enthroned to the seat of Ganden Monastery (dga' ldan dgon), serving as the Tenth Ganden Tripa (dga' ldan khri pa) for six years. In addition to his teaching duties, during his tenure he built a large statue of Maitreya. Among the large number of his disciples were Tonpa Khetsun Yonten Gyatso (thon pa mkhas btsun yon tan rgya mtsho, 1443-1521); Chokyi Shenyen (chos kyi bshes gnyen, 1453-1540), later the Thirteenth Ganden Tripa; and Rinchen Ozer (rin chen 'od zer, 1453-1540), later the Fourteenth Ganden Tripa.

At the age of seventy-nine, in 1498, in the earth-horse year of the eighth sexagenary cycle, Trichen Yeshe Zangpo passed into nirvana.