The Treasury of Lives

Potowa Rinchen Sel Chokle Namgyel (po to ba rin chen gsal phyogs las rnam rgyal) was born in either 1027 or 1031. He ordained at Gyel Lhakang (rgyal lha khang) in the presence of Lan Tsuljang (glan tshul byang, d.u.) and served as steward for Drakgyab Monastery (brags rgyab) in Penyul ('phan yul).

At the age of twenty-eight, in 1058, Potowa went to Reting Monastery (rwa sgreng) and became one of three main disciples of Dromton Gyelwa Jungne ('brom ston rgyal ba 'byung gnas, 1005-1064), the main disciple of Atiśa Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna (c.982-1054). The other two were Puchungwa Zhonnu Gyeltsen (phu chung ba gzhon nu rgyal mtshan, 1031-1106) and Chennga Tsultrim Bar (spyan snga tshul khrims 'bar, 1038-1103.

Dromton passed away six years later, in 1064, after which Potowa went into retreat for roughly fifteen years. At the age of fifty he began teaching, staying at Kandrak (mkhan grags), Drolak (sgro lag), and Tartok (mthar thog), all in Penyul, as well as the site where Taklungtangpa Tashi Pel (stag lung thang pa bkra shis dpal, b. 1142) would late found Taklung Monastery (stag lung). Later in life he founded the Poto Monastery (po to) in Penyul. He also served as abbot of Reting Monastery following Gonpawa Wangchuk Gyeltsen (dgon pa ba dbang phyug rgyal mtshan, 1016-1082).

Potowa taught what were known as the Six Basic Texts of the Kadampa: the Mahāyānasutra-alamkara, the Bodhisattvabhumi, the Shikshasamuccaya, the Bodhisattva-avatara, the Jataka, and the Udanavarga, as well as Atiśa's Bodhipatapradipa.

According to the Blue Annals, Potowa's tenure as abbot of Reting ended after he fell victim to slander  spread by an unnamed Khampa. His disciple Yeshe Bar (ye shes 'bar) followed his master, who had slipped out of the monastery at night, and demanded an explanation, saying, "What is this conduct of the acarya?" Potowa retorted that it was not for a disciple to question the activities of his master, and he continued on his way.