The Treasury of Lives

Jigme Damcho Gyatso ('jigs med dam chos rgya mtsho) was born in 1898, on the day of twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month of the lunar calendar, to a nomadic family in Abar (a bir), Rebkong (reb kong) in eastern Amdo (a mdo). He was the youngest son of his father, Gendun Sonam (dge 'dun bsod nams, d.u.) and mother, Dolma Kyi (sgrol ma skyid). His parents, who belonged to the Nyingma tradition, named him Guru Wangchen Kyap (gu ru dbang chen skyab).

When he turned five his parents brought him to the Sixth Rongwo Drubchen Lobzang Tenpai Gyeltsen (rong bo grub chen 06 blo bzang bstan pa'i rgyal mtshan, 1859-1915) at the Geluk Rongwo Monastery in Rebkong. The lama was impressed with the boy, and recognized him as a reincarnation of Dzongkar Jigme Samten (rdzong dkar grub dbang 'jigs med bsam gtan, 1814-1881/1897), which was confirmed by the Fourth Amdo Zhamar Gendun Tendzin Gyatso (a mdo zhwa dmar 04 dge 'dun bstan 'dzin rgya mtsho, 1852-1912), a teacher of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama (tA la'i bla ma 13 thub bstan rgya mtsho, 1876-1933). In 1904 the Fourth Amdo Zhamar gave him the name Jigme Damcho Gyatso ('jigs med dam chos rgya mtsho).

Then he moved to Karing (ka ring) Monastery to take up residence at his previous incarnation’s monastic seat at Tashi Choling (bkra shis chos gling), located in present day Xunhua County of Qinghai Province. In the wood snake year (1905) he went to Draklung Monastery (brag lung dgon) in Chentsa (gcan tsha). He requested important teachings, particularly empowerments to the thirteen forms of Vajrabhairava.

Following his enthronement at Rongwo Gonchen Tosam Namgyel Ling (rong bo dgon chen thos bsam rnam rgyal gling) he began studying reading and writing under the Chennga Konchok Puntsok (spyan nga dkon mchog phun tshogs, d.u.), at the command of the Fourth Amdo Zhamar.

At the age seven, he was transferred to Ditsa Tashi Choding Ling (lde tsha bkra shis chos sding gling) for training in Buddhism, and there he received novice monastic vows from the Fourth Amdo Zhamar, who gave him his name Jigme Damcho Gyatso. After he received the teachings of Bhairava from the Fourth Amdo Zhamar he was given the secret name Rinchen Dorje Tsel (rin chen rdo rje rtsal).

In 1907 he went to Kumbum to receive blessings from the Thirteenth Dalai Lama, who was on his return trip to Tibet from in Mongolia. In the ninth month of that year, he sojourned at Beyul Karpo Shong (sbas yul dkar po gshong) in upper Rebkong, where he listened to teachings given by Changlung Trigen Jamyang Tubten Gyatso (lcang lung khri rgan 'jam dbyangs thub bstan rgya mtsho, 1866-1928), from whom he received many tantric initiations and empowerments. Jamyang Tubten Gyatso later gave him full ordination, when Jigme Damcho Gyatso was nineteen.

When he turned eleven, he went again on pilgrimage in eastern Amdo, visiting Tu Gon (mthu dgon), Denma ('dan ma), Dantik (dan tig), Gyazhur (rgya zhur), and other Buddhist places. On this trip he met Tsaton Tendzin Chopel (gtsa stod bstan 'dzin chos 'phel, d.u.) at Shel Gon (shel dgon) and with him studied the Kadam Lekbam (bka' gdams glegs bam), the writings of the Third Tukwan Lobzang Chokyi Nyima (thu'u bkwan 03 blo bzang chos kyi nyi ma, 1737-1802), Arol Lungrik Gyatso (a rol lung rig rgya mtsho,1805-1886) and other relevant subjects.

When he was thirteen years old, he arrived back to Ditsa to study Buddhist philosophy and other curses under instructions from Dzoge Tsultrim Gyatso (mdzod dge tshul khrims rgya mtsho, d.u.) and Yongdzin Paṇḍita Lobzang Pelden (yongs 'dzin paNDi ta blo bzang dpal ldan, 1880-1944), also known as Giteng Rinpoche (sgis steng rin po che).

When he was fifteen years old, in 1912, his most important teacher, the Fourth Amdo Zhamar passed away. He overcame this obstacle and continued studying. At the age sixteen he went to Gelek Chodzong (dge legs chos rdzong) and studied Abhidharma, via the Abhidharma-Samucchaya and the Abhidharmakoṣa, with Changlung Trigen Jamyang Tubten Gyatso (lcang lung khri rgan 'jam dbyangs thub bstan rgya mtsho, 1866-1928). When he turned nineteen, he accepted further monk’s vows from Changlung Trigen and Yongdzin Paṇḍita.

Due to the revolt in Rebkong in 1917, Jigme Damcho Gyatso went to Shel Monastery and studied tantra with Yongdzin Paṇḍita, and Sanskrit grammar, writing, divination and astrology with Rongwo Jigme (rong wo 'jigs med, d.u.) and Taklung Tulku (stag lung sprul sku, d.u.). Yongdzin Paṇḍita also taught him poetics, and, starting at the age of twenty-eight, Madhyamaka. Yongdzin Paṇḍita gave him the pen name Yangchen Gyepai Dorje (dbyangs can dgyes pa'i rdo rje).

At the age thirty he returned to Rongwo and took the throne at the Dechen Khorling (bde chen chos ’khor gling) section. There he gave teachings to monks, including the Seventh Rongwo Drubchen, Kelzang Trinle Lungtok Gyatso (rong bo grub chen 07 blo bzang 'phrin las lung rtogs rgya mtsho, 1916-1978) The next year, he went to Ngawa (rnga ba) and gave teachings at Kirti Monastery, Namgyel Dechen Ling (ki+rti rnam rgyal bde chen gling).

In 1937, and Kumbum, Jigme Damcho Gyatso met the Ninth Paṇchen Lama, Lobzang Tubten Chokyi Nyima (paN chen bla ma 09 blo zang thub bstan chos kyi nyi ma, 1883-1937), who was travelling to China and Mongolia due to his conflicts with the Tibetan Central Government in Lhasa.

Jigme Damcho Gyatso had been a great debating partner in Dobi Geshe Sherab Gyatso (rdo sbis dge bshes shes rab rgya mtsho, 1884-1968) and out of their discussions on philosophical views both produced significant compositions.

In addition to the Fifth Amdo Zhamar, he trained the Sixth Tseten Zhabdrung, Jigme Rigpai Lodro (tshe tan zhabs drung 06 'jigs med rigs pa'i blo gros, 1910-1985), one of the most influential Geluk lamas of the twentieth century. He wrote biographies of Jigme Samdrub Gyatso ('jigs med bsam grub rgya mtsho, 1833-1847), the fifty-third throne holder of Labrang, and of his teacher Changlung Trigen.

Jigme Damcho Gyatso passed away in 1946 due to illness at Ewam hermitage above Karing Monastery. On his deathbed, he expressed his last will and testament to Tsetan Zhabdrung and the two Dzongkar Kuzhab (rdzong dkar sku zhabs): the Alak Sertri (a lags gser khri) and the Alak Dzongkar Gonpai Gondak Lama (a lags rdzong dkar dgon pa'i dgon bdag bla ma). These wishes included writing dhāraṇī on his corpse and for the construction of eight stupas at Karing Monastery.

According to Dungkar’s biography there are twenty volumes to his Collected Works, however the current woodblock print from Rong bo Monastery only contains fifteen volumes. Volume ba contains a praise poem written by the Fourteenth Dalai Lama.