The Treasury of Lives

Demchok Dorje was born in 1898, the earth-dog year of the fifteenth sexagenary cycle in the town of Nakchu (nag chu) in the region of Lhari (lha ri). He was the son of a mantra practitioner who claimed descent from the legendary warrior Michang Karpo (mi spyang dkar po). He had a sister called Peldron (dpal sgron) who became the consort of Sonam Chopel (bsod nams chos 'phel) and was a delok ('das log), someone who appears to die and then return to tell stories about other realms.

The Fifth Dzogchen Drubwang, Tubten Chokyi Dorje (rdzogs chen 05 thub bstan chos kyi rdo rje, 1872-1935), while on his way to Lhasa, recognized the boy as the incarnation of his own teacher, Khenpo Pema Vajra (mkhan po pad+ma badz+ra, c.1807-1884). Locating the family home following a vision, Tubten Chokyi Dorje offered the young child a silk scarf, and arranged for him to be sent, together with his parents, to Dzogchen Monastery, Orgyen Samten Choling (o rgyan bsam gtan chos gling). When the Fifth Dzogchen had returned from his visit to Lhasa, he presided over the joint enthronement of Demchok Dorje and Guru Tsewang (gu ru tshe dbang, b.1896-d.1935?), the mind incarnation (thugs sprul) of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo ('jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse'i dbang po, 1820-1892). During the hair-cutting ceremony the young boy was given the name Demchok Dorje.

He studied with several teachers, including the Fifth Dzogchen, Purtsai Khenpo Akon (phur tsha'i mkhan po a dkon, b. 1830s), Ju Mipam ('ju mi pham, 1846-1912), and Khenpo Zhenpen Chokyi Nangwa (gzhan phan chos kyi snang ba, 1871-1927) and gained a reputation for great learning. After being fully ordained by Konchok Drakpa (dkon mchog grags pa, d.u.), the fifteenth abbot of Śrī Siṃha College at Dzogchen Monastery, he went on to transmit the monastic vows widely himself.

At Dzogchen Monastery he shared the main lama’s residence (bla brang) with the Fifth Dzogchen and the Second Dzogchen Kongtrul, Konchok Tenpai Gyeltsen (rdzogs chen kong sprul 02 dkon mchog bstan pa'i rgyal mtshan, c.1900-c.1952). The collaborative activity of these three figures was so successful and effective that they were collectively honored with the epithet of "Khenpo, Ācārya and Dharma king (mkhan slob chos gsum), a reference to the imperial era triad of Khenpo Śāntarakṣita, Ācārya Padmasambhava and King Tri Songdetsen (khri srong lde'u btsan).

Following the death of the Fifth Dzogchen in 1935, Demchok Dorje took charge of Dzogchen Monastery as its tenth abbot and oversaw efforts to rebuild the main temple and the other buildings which were destroyed by a major fire in 1936, the fire-mouse year.

In 1940, the iron-dragon year, he was poisoned, possibly by the custodian of the monastery’s protector chapel. His death left the responsibility for running Dzogchen Monastery briefly in the hands of the treasurer (phyag mdzod), a man named Zopa (bzod pa) until the enthronement of the Sixth Dzogchen, Jikdrel Jangchub Dorje (rdzogs chen 06 o rgyan 'jigs bral byang chub rdo rje, 1935-1959). His incarnation, Pema Kelzang (pad+ma skal bzang), was born in 1943.