The Treasury of Lives

Drakpa Gyeltsen (grags pa rgyal mtshan) was born in the year 1365. While the names of his parents are not provided in his biography contained within the History of Zhalu Monastery's Abbatial Succession (zhwa lu gdan rabs), it is mentioned there that Drakpa Gyeltsen was born into a "lineage of lords" that produced a siddha by the name of Gomorbi (sgo mor bi).

He was a student of Rinchen Namgyel (rin chen rnam rgyal, 1318-1388), a chief disciple of Buton Rinchen Drub (bu ston rin chen grub, 1290-1364), the latter of whom restored and enlarged  Zhalu Monastery (zhwa lu) in Tsang. Following Buton's tenure as abbot of Zhalu, from 1320 to 1356, Rinchen Namgyel held the throne from 1356 to 1388, and is numbered in the History as the monastery's first abbot. Rinchen Namgyel gave Drakpa Gyeltsen his novice and full ordinations as well as numerous teachings and transmissions. Rinchen Namgyel made it his final testament that Drakpa Gyeltsen should succeed him as Zhalu's abbot, and advised Kushang Namkha (sku zhang na[m] mkha'), from Zhalu's ruling family, that Drakpa Gyeltsen would make a suitable abbot since he had received the initiations, explanations, and oral teachings of most of the teachings that were passed through Buton's lineage.

Drakpa Gyeltsen was enthroned as abbot of Zhalu at the age of twenty-five in the year 1389. He is said to have often traveled to U, and his biography relates that he served as lama to one of the Pakmodru (phag mo gru) kings of Tibet at Nedong (sne'u gdong), Gongma Drakpa Gyeltsen (gong ma grags pa rgyal mtshan, 1374-1432). This ruler is said to have sponsored the carving of the printing blocks for some of Buton's works.

In the year 1404, at the age of forty, Drakpa Gyeltsen entrusted Zhalu's monastic seat to his disciple Khedrub Sanggye Pelrin (mkhas grub sangs rgyas dpal rin, b. 1376), who served as the abbot for eight years (1404-1412) before stepping down and renouncing his worldly activities. In the year 1413, at the age of forty-nine, Drakpa Gyeltsen became Zhalu's throne holder once again.

Over the course of his two tenures as abbot, the History tells us that Drakpa Gyeltsen extensively facilitated the activities of teaching through explanation, debate, and composition, and he is remembered to have exerted control in both religious and temporal matters, not only over Zhalu itself, but also over its nearby village and monastic hermitage of Ripuk (ri phug), and perhaps even further beyond – the History recounts that he once resolved a military conflict in U-Tsang.

Nearing the end of his life Drakpa Gyeltsen traveled once again to central Tibet where he served as a teacher to many monks, disciples, and rulers, including the Nedong king. Returning to Zhalu for the last time, Drakpa Gyeltsen summoned the monastery's lamas and officers, and the region's lay leaders to his residence, furnished them with a great feast, and issued them a statement of advice wherein he discussed a past quarrel at the monastery and publicly declared that his successor would be Trulzhik Tsultrim Gyeltsen ('khrul zhig tshul khrims rgyal mtshan, 1399-1473), whose tenure lasted from 1440 to 1466. Drakpa Gyeltsen not only explained his rationale for his choice of successor, detailing the candidate's qualifications, but also the divinatory techniques involved in the candidate's selection. He urged the assembly to respect his decision and honor the new abbot.

In the year 1440, at the age of seventy-six, just two days after the enthronement of Trulzhik Tsultrim Gyeltsen, Drakpa Gyeltsen moved from Zhalu to Ripuk, where he meditated and taught for the remaining eight years of his life. He died in the year 1448 at the age of eighty-four.

Among his chief disciples recorded in the History are his aforementioned abbatial successors: Khedrub Sanggye Pelrin and Trulzhik Tsultrim Gyeltsen, as well as several others including Go Lotsāwa Zhonnu Pel ('gos lo tsA ba gzhon nu dpal, 1392-1481).