The Treasury of Lives

A painting of Sachen Kunga Nyingpo with Sonam Tsemo And Sachen Kunga Nyingpo seated beside him.

Sanggye Sengge, the eleventh throne holder of Ngor Ewam Monastery.

Sanggye Sengge, the eleventh throne holder of Ngor Ewam Monastery is the main figure in this work, created between 1550 and 1560. It is in the Menri style with Beri elements.

A portrait of Sachen Kunga Nyingpo in the classic Beri style. Based on stylistic comparison, it is likely from the fourteenth or fifteenth century.

Four Teachers of the Lamdre Lineage Sakya Pandita, Pakpa Lodro Gyeltsen, Shangton Konshok Pel, Drakphukpa

Chakrasamvara, Sahaja Heruka, with the footprints of Drigungpa Rinchen Pel

An early statue of the twelfth century adept Padampa Sanggye

Sakya Lotsawa Jampai Dorje, the twenty-third Sakya Tridzin.

The style of this painting is known as tshal thang, a red background with fine gold lines forming the shapes of the subject deities. Only the eyes are filled with white and black pigments.

An early image of Padmasambhava with Nyangrel Nyima Ozer and masters of various traditions, including Padampa Sanggye.

This sixteenth century painting shows the Drigung founder, Jikten Gonpo, with two men who stood at the beginning of the two main incarnation lines at monastery, the Drigung Chetsang and the Drigung Chungtsang.

This eighteenth century painting features Padmasambhava surrounded by his consorts Yeshe Tsogyel and Mandarava. Below are Śāntarakṣita  and Trisong Detsen. 

This late eighteenth or early twentieth century Drigung Kagyu painting of Padmasambhava and the Drigung Kagyu refuge field is associated with a terma tradition of Rinchen Puntsok. Drigung Monastery is pictured along the bottom of the painting along with Terdrom on the left edge. A nearby treasure site is shown adjacent to Terdrom.

This painting shows major sites of Lhasa including the Jokhang, Potala Palace and Lukhang. The monasteries of Sera, Drepung, and Sangpu Neutok are also pictured. It is possible that the image depicts activities during Losar festivities.

This drawing shows Lhasa before 1950 from an elevated perspective. The highly detailed representation shows many major monasteries and landmarks of Lhasa.

Rinchen Sadutshang, a fifth rank official at the Tibetan foreign ministry, with his colleague Takla Phuntsok Tashi, a brother in law of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, in front of the Potala in 1952. Sadutshang would later become a Kalon in India in 1978 and would become the Representative at the Bureau of the Dalai Lama in Delhi, his last post before retirement. 

Lo Gendun Sadutshang with Khampas he had gathered as armed guards to escort the young Fourteenth Dalai Lama, who had just assumed full political power, from the capital Lhasa to Yatung by the border for safety, in December 1951. 

A nineteenth century painting from Tibet of the Eighth Tatsak with prominent Geluk figures. 

This 18th century painting depicts Padmasambhava as a monk surrounded by several disciples and Jigme Lingpa above his head.

The important translator Go Khukpa Lhetse is the central figure of this 19th century painting, with Atiśa depicted above. 

A fifteenth century painting of Sachen Kunga Nyingpo, the Third Sakya Trizin and son of Khon Konchok Gyelpo.

Avalokiteśvara Jinasagara is depicted at center with meditation deities immediately surrounding: Hayagrīva (left), Guhyajñāna (right), Siddharajni (center top), Mahākāla (center bottom). On the uppermost level is Milarepa on the left, Marpa in the center, and Gampopa on the right. 

A nineteenth century painting of Padmasambhava as Pema Jungne depicts his disciple Sokpo Pelgyi Yeshe in the lower left corner. 

This Nyingma painting of Padmasambhava as Sengge Dradok shows Yeshe Tsogyel in the lower right corner.

This 20th century painting depicts Padmasambhava in wrathful form as Guru Dragpo, in the treasure tradition of Padmasambhava biographer Nyangrel Nyima Ozer.

This eighteenth century painting of a Bodhisattva depicts Atiśa and Kadam founder Dromton on the top (left and right). Tara and Jambala are pictured along the bottom. Dromton is considered an emanation of Padmapani Avalokiteśvara, who is the central figure in this image according to some sources. However, the presence of a sword and book suggests that the central figure is Mañjuśrī.

This letter from the Tibetan Government in Exile documents Lobsang Phuntsok Lhalungpa's role in cultural preservation activities of the early exile government. 

A letter certifying Lobsang Phunstok Lhalungpa's employment and exemplary service as a teacher at St. Joseph's College in Darjeeling.

A receipt dated September 9, 1965 documenting the dispersal of funds to the Sakya Trizin and the Sakya Settlement at Dehra Dun, by Lobsang P. Lhalungpa on behalf of the Tibet Society of United Kingdom.

A receipt dated from1965 documenting the dispersal of funds to the Tibet Bonpo Foundation by Lobsang P. Lhalungpa on behalf of the Tibet Society of United Kingdom. The Tibet Bonpo Foundation was registered at the Lhalungpa residence in Delhi.

Tibetan resistance fighters at Kalsang Phug HQ in 1966.

Dasang Damdul Tsarong and his wife Pema Dolkar during Losar, 1937.

A painting of the opening of Rongme Karmo Taktsang by Chokgyur Lingpa and Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo. The king of Derge is also depicted as attending.

This mural from Jorra Monastery in southern Tibet depicts Pang Lotsawa in the center with his nephews Jangchub Tsemo to the left and Drakpa Gyeltsen to the right. The Jorra incarnations are considered emanations of Bodong Panchen, himself a nephew of Drakpa Gyeltsen.

The Sakya (sa skya) tradition was founded by Khon Konchok Gyelpo in 1073, a date marked by his founding of Sakya temple in the Sakya valley in Tsang. Konchok Gyelpo’s son Sachen Kunga Nyingpo combined his Khon family’s lineage of Yangdak and Vajrakīla, which his ancestor Khon Lui Wangpo received during the Imperial era, with new teachings. These include the Sakya Lojong teachings obtained in a vision of Manjuśrī, and the Lamdre teachings that are based on the Hevajra tantra. The Sakya Lamdre teachings were transmitted by the Indian Mahāsiddha Virupa to Drokmi Lotsāwa who brought them to Tibet and taught them to Seton Kunrik, who passed them to to Zhangton Chobar, who transmitted them to Sachen. Sachen also received Cakrasaṃvara, Vajrabhairava, the Vajrayoginī of Nāropa, and Pañjaranātha Mahākāla from Mel Lotsāwa Lodro Drakpa. Sachen’s two sons, Sonam Tsemo and Drakpa Gyeltsen were the next to lead the temple. Drakpa Gyeltsen’s nephew, Sakya Paṇḍita Kunga Gyeltsen, one of the greatest scholars of his day, was the fourth in the lineage. The fifth was Sakya Paṇḍita’s nephew, Pakpa Lodro Gyeltsen, who traveled with his uncle when the Mongolian leader Godem Khan summoned him. In 1253 Pakpa met Qubilai Khan, who three years later conquered China and initiated the Yuan Dynasty. Borrowing from Tangut-Kagyu alliance of the previous century, Qubilai and Pakpa entered into a relationship of “patron and priest,” with Pakpa being made guoshi, or Imperial Preceptor. With Mongolian support, the Sakya Khon family ruled Tibet until the rise of the Pakmodru Dynasty in the middle of the fourteenth century. Three branches of the Sakya tradition are the main branch based at Sakya Monastery; the Ngor (ngor), founded by Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo and based at Ngor Evam Choden monastery; and Tsar (tshar), established by Tsarchen Losel Gyatso and based at Dar Drangmoche. The Ngor tradition became influential in the dissemination of the Sakya tantric teachings, and the Tsarpa in the esoteric transmission known as the Lobshe, which contrasts to the more widely taught Tsokshe, both being teaching traditions of Lamdre. A third branch is the Dzongpa, which is based at Gongkar Chode in Lhoka. There are several independent institutions that share Sakya doctrinal tradition, including Jonang (jo nang), Bodong (bo dong), and Bulug / Zhalu (bu lugs / zhwa lu), and which are frequently considered part of the Sakya tradition.

The Martsang Kagyu was established when Marpa Sherab Yeshe, a disciple of Pakmodrupa, founded Sho Monastery in 1167, in Markham, Kham. Sherab Yeshe's disciple Drogon Rinchen founded a monastery named Tsomdo, and together the two monasteries serve as the headquarters of the tradition, which is led by the Gangri Karma incarnations. Both monasteries were destroyed by the Mongol invasions of the seventeenth and eighteenth century, and were rebuilt each time.