The Treasury of Lives

Gepel Tulku Jamyang Kunga Chokyi Nyima (dge 'phel sprul sku 'jam dbyangs kun dga' chos kyi nyi ma) was born around the year 1900 in Kandze, Kham. He was recognized as a reincarnation of Gepel Matrul Nyendrak Tenpai Wangchuk (dge 'phel ma sprul snyan grags bstan pa'i dbang phyug), who was a disciple of Jamyang Loter Wangpo ('jam dbyangs blo gter dbang po, 1847–1914) and a teacher to Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro (rdzong sar mkhyen brtse chos kyi blo gros, 1893–1959).^[1] His seat was Langna Monastery (glang sna dgon) in Kandze.

He studied under Drakkar Tulku Lobzang Pelden Tenzin Nyendrak (brag dkar sprul sku blo bzang dpal ldan bstan 'dzin snyan grags, 1866–1928), a disciple of Khenpo Zhenga (mkhan po gzhan dga', 1871–1927). His personal practice was White Mañjuśrī. His knowledge of the language arts was so extensive that he apparently boasted that he was a reincarnation of the great seventeenth-century Geluk scholar Desi Sanggye Gyatso (sde srid sangs rgyas rgya mtsho, 1653–1705).^[2]

Gepel Tulku traveled several times to central Tibet in the 1920s and 1930s to tutor prominent Sakya lamas. His second trip was precipitated by a skirmish between the Tibetans and the Chinese, during which he was accused and fined by the Chinese of harboring a wounded Tibetan soldier. Pleading poverty, he received permission to collect offerings in nomadic areas and from there fled to Lhasa. He found employment first at Chakpori (lcags po ri) teaching poetics, and then made the rounds to Sakya monasteries.^[3] Among his students was Amchi Lama Yonten Dorje (am/em chi bla ma yon tan rdo rje), a fellow monk from Kandze, to whom he taught medicine.^[4]

In 1936, at Nalendra Monastery (na len+dra dgon) Gepel Tulku gave instructions on grammar and poetics to Chogye Trichen Tubten Lekshe Gyatso (bco brgyad khri chen rin po che thub bstan legs bshad rgya mtsho, 1920–2007), teaching from Sakya Paṇḍita's (sa skya paN Di ta, 1182–1251) Elegant Sayings (sa skya legs bshad) and the Kāvyādarśa of Daṇḍin. Gepel Tulku was so impressed with Chogye Trichen's mastery of poetics that he gave him a poet's name, Jamyang Yangchen Gyepai Lodro ('jam dbyangs dbyangs can dgyes pa'i blo gros).

Gepel Tulku lived most of his life as a monk, but he is known to have had female companions, whom he hid from the public for a time. According to Dhongthog Rinpoche (gdong thog rin po che, 1934–2015), this activity began when Gepel Tulku was departing at the end of a visit with Drakkar Tulku at Dongtok Monastery (gdong thog dgon). His teacher warned him against stopping anywhere on his way home, but while walking below the monastery he encountered the youngest sister of the previous Dhonthog Rinpoche, a woman named Dawa Dolma (zla ba sgrol ma), who called to him to spend the night in the Dhonthog residence. He accepted her offer and lost his celibacy that night. He later maintained a relationship with a woman whom he pretended was the girlfriend of an attendant named Zangrin (bzang rin). A suspicious chieftain named Atub Wangga (a thub dbang dga') is said to have warned him against employing the attendant, but Gepel declined the advice.^[5] Later in life he lived more openly with a female companion, despite the disapproval of his nomad patrons.

In the late 1930s or early 1940s Gepel Tulku went to Amdo where he taught at Dhīpu Monastery (dhiḥ phu / d+hI phu dgon), the largest branch of Nalendra in the northeast. He returned to Lhasa in the mid-1940s, and in 1947 he taught Dhonthog Rinpoche the Mañjuśrī divination system of Mipam Gyatso (mi pham rgya mtsho, 1846–1912). He then went north to the nomadic regions of Namru (gnam ru) and Engo (e/n rgod). He died while visiting the Yu chieftain of Engo in 1950 or 1951.^[6] Before his death he sent Chogye Trichen a message of four lines of verse:

 

I was born following my wishes

but fell into the mud of saṃsāra.

Now I am tired of the work of saṃsāra,

so, for the time being, I am going to Shambhala.

 

Due to this last line, referencing the mythical land of the Kālacakra Tantra, Chogye Trichen told disciples that it would be fruitless to search for Gepel Tulku's reincarnation.^[7]

Gepel Tulku composed at least one published work, a commentary on Vajrayogīnī practice, entitled An Explanation of the Practice of Glorious Vajrayogīnī: A Treasury of Scripture and Reasoning (dpal rdo rje rnal 'byor ma'i cho ga'i rnam bshad lung dang rigs pa'i gter mdzod).

 

_________________________________________________

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