The Treasury of Lives

Jomo Mangchungma (jo mo mang chung pa) of Mangkhar (mang mkhar) was presumably a twelfth-century practitioner. Her identity is linked to the Mangchungma, one of eleven commentaries written by Sachen Kunga Nyingpo (sa chen kun dga' snying po, 1092–1158) on the Vajra Verses (rdo rje tshig rkang) of Virupa, a core text of the Lamdre tradition.

According to Cyrus Stearns, a eulogy to Sachen by his student Zhuje Ngodrub (zhu byas dngos grub) contained a list of eight men and three women. The Twenty-First Sakya Tridzin, Lodro Gyeltsen (bdag chen blo gros rgyal mtshan, 1444–1495), understood this list to refer to the eleven commentaries, and Jomo Mangchungma is generally considered to have been one of three female students of Sachen along with Jocham Auma (jo mo 'a 'u ma) and Jocham Purmo (jo lcam phur mo). Later scholars, including Mangto Lhundrub Gyatso (mang thos klu sgrub rgya mtsho, 1523–1596) and Nesar Jamyang Khyentse Wangchuk (gnas gsar 'jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse'i dbang phyug, 1524–1568) based their lists of the eleven commentaries on the eulogy listing, although there are other enumerations, some containing only ten commentaries.^[1]

Nesar Jamyang Khyentse Wangchuk wrote that while in meditation Jomo Mangchungma howled, having experienced being a yak, and thus was purified from birth in that realm. Stearns notes that this echoes the experience of Jomo Auma, another of Sachen's students, who was said to have experienced being a dog at some point.^[2]

Because the Mangchungma is no longer extant, some Tibetan historians have argued that the commentary never existed and that it is the same as the Auma ('a 'u ma) commentary intended for Jomo Auma. This position thereby calls into question the historicity of Jomo Mangchungma.

 

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