The Treasury of Lives

Jatson Nyingpo ('ja' tshon snying po) was born in 1585 in Waru, in Kongpo. His father was named Chokyong Gonpo (chos skyong mgon po) and his mother was Namlang Buti (nam langs bu khrid). From the age of twelve until twenty he studied various subjects, including medicine. Then, at the age of twenty, he took preliminary ordination under Mipam Tashi Lodro (mi pham bkra shis blo gros, 1577-1636), and received the name of Ngawang Chogyel Wangpo (ngag dbang chos rgyal dbang po). He received full ordination from a certain Lhatsewa (lha rtse ba).

Jatson Nyingpo spent seventeen years in retreat, sealing the door of his hermitage with clay. According to his hagiography, while in retreat or soon afterwards, at the age of thirty-six, in 1620, he revealed a treasure inventory said to be written in the hand of Yeshe Tsogyel (mtsho rgyal gyi phyag bris ma), and went on to reveal numerous treasure texts, including his best known cycle, the Embodiment of the Precious Ones (dkon mchog spyi 'dus), a Guru Rinpoche sadhana which has inspired numerous commentaries and was a personal practice of Jamgon Kongtrul ('jam mgon kong sprul, 1813-1899)

He is also known under the treasure name Ledro Lingpa (las 'phro gling pa) and the tantric name Ngakchang Humnak Mebar (sngags 'chang hUm nag me 'bar).

Jatson Nyingpo established the monastic center of Bangri Jokpo (bang ri 'jog po), and he served as master to many prominent Nyingma and Kagyu lamas. These included the Tenth Karmapa, Choying Dorje (karma pa 10 chos dbyings rdo rje. 1610-1674); the Fourth Tsurpu Gyeltsab, Drakpa Dongrub (mtshur phu rgyal tshab 04 grags pa don grub, 1550-1617); the First Drigung Chungtsang, Chokyi Drakpa ('bri gung chung tshang chos kyi grags pa, 1595-1659); the Fifth Drukchen, Paksam Wangpo ('brug chen 05 dpag bsam dbang po, 1593-1641), Dordrak Rigdzin Ngagi Wangpo (rdo brag rig 'dzin ngag gi dbang po, 1580-1639), Tsele Natsok Rangdrol (rtse le sna tshogs rang grol, b. 1608), Lhatson Namkha Jigme (lha btsun nam mkha' 'jigs med, 1597-1650), Rigdzin Trinle Lhundrub (rig 'dzin 'phrin las lhun grub, 1611-1662) and Terton Dudul Dorje (gter ston bdud 'dul rdo rje, 1615-1672).

Jatson Nyingpo was the first treasurer revealer to characterize Pemako (pad+ma bkod; also spelled pad+mo bkod) as a hidden land (sbas yul) which are regions said to be exceptionally well-suited for religious activity and are foretold and described exclusively through treasure texts. The text that he revealed is entitled The Guidebook to the Hidden Land of Pemako (sbas yul pad+ma bkod kyi lam yig).¹ Jatson Nyingpo uncovered this guidebook from Sergyi Lhakang (gser gyi lha khang) in Kongpo,² which is included in his treasure cycle Embodiment of the Precious Ones (dkon mchog spyi 'dus). The Guidebook to the Hidden Land of Pemoko is a prediction text (lung bstan) that describes the future degenerate times (rtsod ldan gyi dus) and demarcates this region as a place of particular importance to treasure revealers and pilgrims, especially those escaping persecution. In the text Jatson Nyingpo describes signs of the degenerate age, how to find the entrance to the hidden land, which practices to perform, and the results stemming from the great effort to arrive there.³ Notably The Guidebook states:

Amongst the sixteen hidden lands, whoever hears of or recalls this great Pemoko, their karmic obscurations will be purified. Even walking or riding seven steps in its direction will certainly result in being born there. Performing seven full prostrations while visualising this place will lead to becoming a Non-Returner and no longer wandering in cyclic existence. Whoever surely arrives here will obtain the indestructible rainbow body.⁴

Jatson Nyingpo died at the age of seventy-two. His Embodiment of the Precious Ones treasure teaching remains widely practiced among the Nyingma and Kagyu traditions.

¹ Greensmith, Jacobson, and Choephel; see Tib Shelf for a full translation.

² Dudjom 1991, 811, Ehrhard 1999a, 232.

³ For more information on treasure revealers who travelled to Pemako see Ehrhard 1999a and 1999b.

⁴ Greensmith, Jacobson, and Choephel.