The Treasury of Lives

Lachen Chemchok (bla chen che mchog) was the first son of Ponchen Karma (dpon chen karma), whose brother, Lupel (klu 'phel) was the seventh king of Derge, and whose other brother Jampa Puntsok (byams pa phun tshogs) expanded the kingdom and the royal monastery, Lhundrubteng (lhun grub steng). He was likely born some time in the mid seventeenth century.

As a youth Chemchok was trained in Buddhist monastic education, and later enthroned as the second abbot of Lhundrubteng, which is also known as Derge Gonchen (sde dge dgon chen).

During this era the abbots of Lhundrubteng often acted as the rulers of the kingdom, although they were not the official heads of the royal family; in his generation his cousin, Orgyen Tashi (o rgyan bkra shis), the son of his uncle Lupel, filled that role.

Although considered the ninth king of Derge, he passed away young, and there are no details about his life.

He had two younger brothers, Dorlek (rdor legs) and Yulgyel (gyul rgyal). Dorlek served Jampa Puntsok in his campaign against the neighboring territory of Chakra (lcags ra), which expanded the kingdom's territory.

Lhachen Chemchok likely passed away in 1675, the year his successor as abbot and ruler, his cousin Sanggye Tenpa (sangs rgyas brtan pa), another son of Lupel by a second wife, took the throne.