The Treasury of Lives

Chime Dolkar ('chi med sgrol dkar) was born in 1895 on her family's estate, called Nanglang (Nang lang) or Gozhi Peling (sgos gzhi dpal gling), which was associated with the Tartse Labrang (thar rtse bla brang) of Ngor Ewaṃ Choden Monastery (ngor e wam chos ldan dgon). She was also known as Namdrol Yeshe Zangmo (rnam grol ye shes bzang mo).

Her mother was named Sonam Dolma (bsod nams sgrol ma) of the Drangti family (brang ti). Sonam Dolma's first husband, who entered the family as a makpa (mag pa), or adopted groom who took his wife's family name, was Jungne Zangpo ('byung gnas bzang po, 1840s–1890s) of the prominent Rakhashar family (rag kha shar) of Lhasa, also known as Dokhar (mdo mkhar); he either died in 1895 or she left him, and in 1896 she married the much younger bursar of the Tartse Labrang, a man named Ngawang Puntsok (ngag dbang phun tshogs). Opinion varied as to whether Jungne Zangpo or Ngawang Puntsok was Chime Dokhar's father.^[1]

If Jungne Zangpo was her father, then she may have been a niece of the Tibetan cabinet minister (bka' blon) Dokhar Tsewang Norbu (mdo mkhar tshe dbang nor bu, d. 1902), whose daughter, Tseten Dolkar (tshe brtan sgrol dkar, d. circa 1898), married the Derge king Chime Takpai Dorje (dpal ldan 'chi med rtag pa'i rdo rje, 1851–1898) in the early 1870s.^[2]

Chime Dolkar had five elder siblings from her mother's marriage to Jungne Zangpo. The eldest brother, Wara Zhabdrung Jampa Kunzang Tenpai Nyima (wa ra zhabs drung byams pa kun bzang bstan pa'i nyi ma, b. 1870s), was a disciple of Jamyang Loter Wangpo (blo gter dbang po, 1847–1914) and a teacher to Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro ('jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse chos kyi blo gros, 1893–1959). The second was Peling Rinchen Wangdu (dpal gling rin chen dbang 'dus, c. 1878–1937) who married as an adopted groom into the Tanak Shukhupa family. The third was Yutok Khenchung Wangdu Norbu (g.yu thog mkhan chung dbang 'dus nor bu, b. 1884), who was adopted by his uncle Yutok Khenchung Jamyang Tenzin (g.yu thog mkhan chung 'jam dbyangs bstan 'dzin, died circa 1912–1913). An elder sister is not named in sources.^[3]

Before Chime Dolkar's birth, Loter Wangpo predicted that the child in the womb would be the reincarnation of the Ngor Ponlob Sherab Gyatso (ngor dpon slob shes rab rgya mtsho, died circa 1894), but with her birth the identification was rescinded.^[4]

Chime Dolkar's mother gave birth to seven or eight children by her second husband, Ngawang Puntsok. David Jackson, in his appendix to his biography of Chogye Trichen (bco brgyad khri chen, 1920–2007), names only one of them: Jamyang Kunzang Thubten Chokyi Gyeltsen (ngor mkhan chen 67 'jam dbyangs kun bzang thub bstan chos kyi rgyam mtshan, 1903–1960), who served as the Sixty-Seventh Ngor Khenchen.^[5]

Chime Dolkar married Sonam Sengge Wangchuk (bsod nams seng ge dbang phyug, 1873–1928), of the Zhalu Kushang family (zhwa lu sku zhang). She was his second wife.

She gave birth to four sons and three daughters. According to David Jackson, Chime Dolkar told the Seventeenth Chogye Trichen, Rinchen Khyentse Wangpo (bco brgyad byams pa rin chen mkhyen brtse dbang po, 1869/1970–1927) that she disliked giving birth, and that she hoped to sire a son who would become a great religious master.^[6] Tradition holds that this statement inspired the Chogye Trichen to reincarnate in the person of her only son to reach adulthood, the Eighteenth Chogye Trichen Tubten Lekshe Gyatso (bco brgyad khri chen 18 rin po che thub bstan legs bshad rgya mtsho, 1920–2007).

Her daughters were Dechen Yudron (bde chen g.yu sgron), who married, and Kunzang Tendron (kun bzang bstan sgron), who became a nun and abbess of Rinding Monastery (rin sding dgon), a nunnery a short distance from Nalendra Monastery (na len dra dgon).^[7]

Chime Dolkar was an accomplished Dzogchen practitioner who is said to have remained in a meditative state throughout the day and night. She would sit upright during the night, never sleeping for more than fifteen minutes. Her daughter Kunzang Tendron remarked that her mother was thus able to keep the ashes hot through the night, relieving other family members of the responsibility.^[8]

From 1924 to 1926 the family went on pilgrimage to western Tibet, as far as Mount Kailash and Lo Montang, visiting with Sonam Sengge Wangchuk's daughter from his first marriage, Kelzang Chodron (bskal bzang chos sgron, 1901–1963), who had married the king of Mustang, Jampel Tenzin Dradul (byams dpal bstan 'dzin dgra 'dul, 1900–1964). While in western Tibet they met with their Dzogchen teacher, Dewai Gyelpo (bde ba'i rgyal po, 1873–1933), who was a disciple of Dudjom Lingpa (bdud 'joms gling pa, 1835–1904). He gave their son the name Tsering Namgyel Dorje (tshe ring rnam rgyal rdo rje) and a benediction that began: "May Sonam Sengge Wangchuk realize the view of the Great Perfection; may Namdrol Yeshe Zangmo perfect the four visions; may the activities of Tsering Namgyel Dorje be equal to the sky." This signified that the father was a practitioner of the Dzogchen trekchod (khregs chod), or "cutting" practice, while the mother was a practitioner of the more advanced Dzogchen togel (thod rgal), or "leaping over," which produces four visions.^[9]

Chime Dolkar appears to have moved to Nalendra in 1929 when her son was appointed to the position of Chogye Zhabdrung (bco bgyad zhabs drung), an abbatial candidate of Nalendra. Her husband had died the year before. She accompanied her son on pilgrimage to western Tibet in 1938–1939, where they mainly stayed at Sakya Monastery (sa skya dgon) and Tanak Monastery (rta nag dgon). Otherwise, she appears to have resided at her daughter's nunnery, Rinding.

She left Tibet for Lo Montang with her son and daughter in 1959, fleeing from Chinese Communist troops. The journey took two and a half months due to the advanced age of Chime Dolkar and the Fifth Zimwok Rinpoche (gzim 'og rin po che 05, 1884–1963), her son's teacher. She stayed in Lo until 1965, when she went to live with her son and daughter in a small building in Dharamsala, attended on by a woman named Yangchen (dbyangs chen), a sister of Drukpa Tulku ('brug pa sprul sku). She passed away in 1966, with her head resting in her son's lap, after remarking that she was happy and that she felt at peace.^[10]

 

_________________________________________________

Publication of this biography was made possible through support of National Endowment for the Humanities.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Additional Bios Sponsored By National Endowment for the Humanities

---

Learn more about the Women Initiative, an effort to add 100 new biographies of women by 2026.