The Treasury of Lives

The Fourth Zamtsa Sertri, Jigme Samdrub Gyatso (zam tsha gser khri 04 'jigs med bsam grub rgya mtsho) was born at a place called Kotse in Amdo (mdo smad kho tshe) in 1833, the water-snake year of the fourteenth sexagenary cycle. His father was called Gelek (dge legs) and the mother was named Gonpo Tso (mgon po mtsho). The baby was considered to be exceptional and the Fourth Gungtang, Konchok Tenpai Gyatso(gung thang 04 dkon mchog bstan pa'i rgya mtsho 1824-1859) gave him the name Gonpo Kyab. At the age of four, he was given the vows of upāsaka by Detri Rinpoche Jamyang Tubten Nyima (sde khri 03 'jam dbyangs thub bstan nyi ma 1779-1862).

According to his biography, Gonpo Kyab experienced astonishing visions relating to tantric deities at the age of six or seven. At the age of eight he began his education, learning reading and the memorization of prayer texts, and also some rituals, from his uncle Dorampa Konchok Kyab (rdo ram pa dkon mchog skyabs), quickly mastering the texts. In 1842, at the age of ten, he was identified by Detri Rinpoche as the fourth reincarnation of the Fifty-fifth Ganden Tripa Trichen Ngawang Namkha Zangpo (dga' ldan khri pa 55 khri chen Ngag dbang nam mkha' bzang po, 1690-1750) whose reincarnations continued in the name of Zamtsa Sertri; and the immediate reincarnation of the Third Zamtsa Sertri, Jetsun Lobzang Trinle Gyatso (zam tsha gser khri 03 blo bzang 'phrin las rgya mtsho 1821-1832) who had lived for only about eleven years.

At the age of eleven, Gonpo Kyab was ordained with the primary and novice vows (rab byung and dge tshul) by the Third Jamyang Zhepa, Lobzang Tubten Jigme Gyatso ('jam dbyangs bzhad pa 03 blo bzang thub bstan 'jigs med rgya mtsho, 1792-1855) while visiting Kotse in 1843. It can be assumed that his name was changed to the ordained name Jigme Samdrub Gyatso then. He was then brought to the Labrang Tashikhyil and enthroned to the seat of the Zamtsa Sertri lineage that year, and subsequently enrolled in the monastery.

Jigme Samdrub Gyatso commenced his education with the memorization of traditional philosophical texts, examined by Sodrak Tulku (bsod grags sprul sku, d.u.). He then began the study of logic under the tutorship of his uncle Dorampa Konchok, sitting a retreat on the White Mañjūśrī that immensely helped in fast learning of the dharma texts, which was fairly uncommon for scholar monks of educational status. He then received transmissions, initiations, empowerments, instructions, and teachings on various topics from a number of eminent teachers that included the Third Jamyang Zhepa, Lobzang Tubten Jigme Gyatso, Detri Rinpoche Jamyang Tubten Nyima, the Fourth Gungtang, Konchok Tenpai Gyatso, the Fourth Hortsang Sertri Jigme Tenpai Nyima (hor tshang gser khri 04 'jigs med bstan pa'i nyi ma, b.1816), Konchok Gyeltsen (rje dkon mchog rgyal mtshan, d.u.), and Sherab Gyatso (rje shes rab rgya mtsho, d.u.).

In 1852, at the age of twenty, Jigme Samdrub Gyatso received the vows of full ordination (dge slong) from Jamyang Zhepa. He received a letter from the Xianfeng Emperor (r. 1850-1861) to visit Beijing in the same year. Thus he soon travelled to Beijing and arrived there at the Imperial Palace of the Emperors in the twelfth month of the same Tibetan year, January/February 1853. After four days of his arrival he had the audience of Xianfeng, the eighth Emperor of the Manchu-led Qing Dynasty, and the seventh Qing emperor to rule over China. At the Emperor's request, he performed rituals to prevent violence in Beijing. In the absence of an outbreak of violence in the capital, Xianfeng rewarded him with a title and a seal together with offerings such as expensive clothing, money, coral, and so forth. While in Beijing he served as junior as well as senior lama at the instruction of the emperor. Jigme Samdrub Gyatso was given permission to leave the imperial palace in 1860, the year before the death of Xianfeng Emperor.

On his return to Amdo Jigme Samdrub Gyatso travelled through Horshul (hor shul) where he gave many teachings and empowerment including the Kālacakra. He also is said to have established a monastery, but details are not known. He arrived to Labrang Tashikhyil in March / April 1863, the second month of the year of water-pig. Upon his arrival he arranged special feast-offering prayer and made abundant offerings to the young tulku of Jamyang Zhepa, money and feast offerings to monks, and many decorative items made of silk and brocades for the monastery. Subsequently he served as the abbot of Ganden Sherub Chokorling (dga' ldan bshad sgrub chos 'khor gling) and worked hard for the education in the monastery.

At the age of thirty-three or four, in 1865, Jigme Samdrub Gyatso returned to Labrang Monastery and was enthroned as the fifty-third throne holder of the monastery on the full-moon day of the eleventh month. He served seven or eight years during which he focused mostly on the education in the monastery. He then retired from the throne on the fourteenth day of the first month of the water-monkey year in 1872 by arranging a farewell tea-offering in the general prayer assembly chaired by Jamyang Zhepa, and making offerings of several statues including an Amitāyus, and gold and silver in good quantity.

At the age of forty-two in 1874, on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month of the wood-dog year of the fifteenth sexagenary cycle, Zamtsa Sertri Jigme Samdrub Gyatso passed into nirvana. Kelzang Jigme Namkha Zangpo (skal bzang 'jigs med nam mkha' bzang po, 1875-1899) was identified as his reincarnation, the Fifth Zamtsa Sertri.