Details of the life of Drakpa Rinchen (grags pa rin chen) are sparse. He studied at Sangpu (gsang phu), Dewachen Rawa (bde ba can rwa ba stod), and Tsel Gungtang (tshal gung thang) monasteries. Among his teachers were Tsongkhapa Lobzang Drakpa (tsong kha pa blo bzang grags pa, 1357-1419), and the founder and first abbot of Drepung Monastery ('bras spung), Jamyang Choje Tashi Pelden ('jam dbyangs chos rje bkra shis dpal ldan, 1379-1449).
Jamyang Choje Tashi Pelden charged him with setting up the monastery's first college, Gomang (sgo mang grwa tshang), and assigned him as its first abbot.
During his tenure he implemented various traditions for the teaching system including, Tsongkhapa's commentary on the Prajñāpāramitā called Lekshe Sertreng (legs bshad gser 'phreng) or Golden Garland of Eloquence.
After retiring from Gomang he gave teachings at Meldro Chakar Monastery (mal gro cha dkar), which had recently been established by Lhazik Drakpa Gyatso (lha gzigs grags pa rgya mtsho, d.u).
དཔྱད་གཞིའི་ཡིག་ཆ་ཁག།
Bstan pa bstan 'dzin. 2003. So so'i rnam thar dang 'brel ba'i sgo nas rgyas par bshad pa la gdan rabs dang po drung grags pa rin chen. In Chos sde chen po dpal ldan 'bras spung bkra shis sgo mang grwa tshang gi chos 'byung dung g.yas su 'khyil ba'i sgra dbyangs, vol. 1, pp. 23-24. Mundgod: Dpal ldan 'bras spungs bkra shis sgo mang dpe mdzod khang. TBRC W28810.