The Treasury of Lives

The Twenty-first Ganden Tripa, Gelek Pelzang (dga' ldan khri pa 21 dge legs dpal bzang) was born in Wolkha Gyangsar ('ol dga' gyang gsar) in 1505, the wood-ox year of the eighth sexagenary cycle.

Gelek Pelzang was admitted at a young age to Samten Ling Monastery (bsam gtan gling) where he received the basic monastic training and education in reading and writing, and learning the prayer texts by heart. He then studied the traditional texts of the Geluk curriculum. He was granted the vows of novice monk and was also fully ordained by the Second Dalai Lama, Gendun Gyatso (ta la'i bla ma 02 dge 'dun rgyatsho, 1475-1542) whom he continued to study under.

Gelek Pelzang then matriculated Gyuto College in Lhasa to study the traditional Geluk texts of the four sections of secret tantra (gsang sngags rgyud sde bzhi), rituals, madala drawings, and chanting. At the completion of his studies he served as lobpon at Gyuto and subsequently as lobpon at Shartse College of Ganden Monastery (dga' ldan shar rtse grwa tshang).

In 1559, the earth-sheep year of the ninth sexagenary cycle, at the age of fifty-four, Gelek Pelzang was enthroned as the Twenty-first Ganden Tripa. He served for seven years, giving comprehensive teachings especially on the Jataka, the Life Stories of the previous lives of Buddha Śākyamuni, and topics in both sutra and tantra, and leading all the important religious activities, events, and festivals including the annual Great Prayer Festival, the Lhasa Monlam Chenmo.

During his tenure Trichen he produced and erected a great gold gilt statue of Buddha Maitreya.

He granted the vows of full ordination to the Third Dalai Lama, Sonam Gyatso (ta la'i bla ma 03 bsod nams rgya mtsho, 1543-1588). He also served as the patron-lama (zhal 'dzin), of Meldro Rinchenling (mal gro rin chen gling) and Pakmo Chode (phag mo chos sde) and other monasteries.

He retired from the post of Ganden Tripa at the age of sixty-one, in 1565, the year of wood-ox in the ninth sexagenary cycle. He settled at Dewachen Monastery in Nyetang (snye thang bde ba can) near Lhasa. Because of his popularity in Dewachen he was also called Trichen Dewa Chenpa (khri chen bde ba chen pa). He was also one of the holders of the Lamrim lineage.

In addition to the Second Dalai Lama, Gelek Pelzang studied also with Sonam Drakpa (bsod nams grags pa, 1478-1554), the Fifteenth Ganden Tripa; and Lobzang Evam (blo bzang e wan, d.u.). Among his disciples were the Third Dalai Lama, Sonam Pelzang (bsod nams dpal bzang, d.u.), and Peljor Gyatso (dpal 'byor rgya mtsho, 1526-1582), the Twenty-fifth Ganden Tripa.

In 1567, the fire-hare year of the ninth sexagenary cycle, after two years in retirement, Trichen Dewa Chenpa passed into nirvana, at the age of sixty-three. A silver reliquary was built in his memory and installed at the fourth position on the left rows of the main objects of faith on the east side of Lima Lhakang in Ganden Monastery.