The Treasury of Lives

Sabzang Pakpa Zhonnu Lodro (sa bzang 'phags pa gzhon nu blo gros) was born in the male fire dog year, 1346, at Mudzing (dmu rdzing) as the son of the monk Zhonnu Pel (dge slong gzhon nu dpal) and Drolma Bum (sgrol ma 'bum). His date of birth given in the biography written by his disciple Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo (ngor chen kun dga' bzang po, 1382-1456) -- the male earth dog year, 1358 -- is almost certainly in error, one which causes several chronological issues.

In 1350, at age five, the young boy is said to have experienced a harmful obstacle (bar chad) that probably consisted of some kind of illness, one that was diagnosed as caused by a demonic interference ('byung po). Consequently, a tantric teacher named Lama Lhatse Tsemo (bla ma lha rtse rtse mo) bestowed on him the initiation into the maṇḍala of Hayagrīva according to the Nyingma (rnying ma) tradition and also the vows of a lay practitioner (dge bsnyen: upāsaka), conferring on him the name Dorje Saten (rdo rje sra brtan). Assisted by his mother, the young boy engaged in a tantric propitiation retreat of Hayagrīva that brought about his recovery.

When he was eight years old, in 1353, he received monastic ordination (rab tu byung: pravrajyā) from Lama Tukje Dzongpa Gyeltsen Bum (bla ma thugs rje rdzong pa rgyal mtshan 'bum, d.u.), under whom he studied Guṇaprabha’s Vinayamūlasūtra and its exegesis by Dzimpa Sherab O ('dzims pa shes rab 'od).

In 1366, in his twenty-first year, he took the vows of a fully ordained monk (dge slong: bhikṣu) at the monastery of Pel Zangden (dpal bzang ldan) from Denod Dzingpa Chenpo Sanggye Zangpo (sde snod 'dzin pa chen po sangs rgyas bzang po) as presiding abbot (mkhan po: upādhyāya), Dram Namkha Gyeltsen (bram nam mkha' rgyal mtshan) as ceremony master (las kyi slob dpon: karmācārya), and Lama Gonpo Bum (bla ma mgon po 'bum) as secret revealing preceptor (gsang ste ston pa: raho’nuśāsaka).

Subsequently, he studied the Abhisamayālaṃkāra and its commentary, which probably is a reference to Haribhadra’s Abhisamayālaṃkārāloka, under Sanggye Zangpo, and mainly engaged himself numerous times in the tantric propitiation retreat (bsnyen pa) of Avalokiteśvara’s tantric form Amoghapāśa and performed the Rig pa stong phrag brgya pa three times. As a result of his continuous engagement in austere practices such as fasting (smyung gnas), he was compared to an ārya, a superior or spiritually advanced being – pakpa ('phags pa) in Tibetan -- and thus became known by the title of Pakpa.

Soon after he went to visit Gyelse Tokme Zangpo (rgyal sras thogs med bzang po, 1295-1369), but first stopped on his way at Sabzang Monastery (sa bzang) to pay his respects to Sabzang Mati Paṇchen (sa bzang ma ti paN chen blo gros rgyal mtshan, 1294-1376). The two of them knew each other from a previous encounter when Sabzang Pakpa had served as Mati Paṇchen’s ritual assistant (mchod g.yog) at Zangden. With reference to that connection, and pointing to the visit of Rinpoche Sherab Pel (rin po che shes rab dpal), who was a further unspecified relative of Sabzang Pakpa, Mati Paṇchen asked him to stay for a while at Sabzang Monastery.

In the period that followed, Sabzang Pakpa received from Mati Paṇchen all the teachings that lama possessed: the Sūtra section (mdo sde) of the tripiṭaka, the respective explanations of and reading transmissions for the treatises clarifying the intent of those sūtras along with oral instructions on the stages of meditation, and empowerments, explanations, and esoteric instructions pertaining to the four Tantra classes.

Sabzang Pakpa later went to study under Gyelse Tokme Zangpo and received from that lama the latter's instructions of the Seven Point Mind Training (blo sbyong don bdun ma), the reading transmission for both his collected works and commentaries on the Bodhicaryāvatāra and Sūtrālaṃkāra. Tokme Zangpo also bestowed on him the initiation into the maṇḍala of Sarvavid Vairocana according to the tradition of Nur (gnur lugs).

Afterwards, Sabzang Pakpa proceeded to Jonang Monastery (jo nang) to request from Chokle Namgyel (phyogs las rnam rgyal, 1306-1386) the conferring of initiation into the maṇḍala of Kālacakra. Later on, at the hermitage of Dechen (bde chen), he also received explanations on the Vimalaprabhā, instructions on the Sixfold Yoga of Kālacakra (dus 'khor sbyor drug), and the reading transmission for all the texts that Chokle Namgyel had written on Kālacakra.

In total, Sabzang Pakpa is said to have pursued his monastic training under forty-two masters. His biography mentions Lotsāwa Jangchub Tsemo (lo tsA ba byang chub rtse mo, 1303/15-1379/80), from whom he requested the bestowal of initiation into the maṇḍala of Guhyasamāja according to the tradition of Nāgārjuna ('phags lugs) and received a few esoteric instructions such as Taking Happiness and Suffering as the Path (skyid sdug lam khyer). Also are mentioned Lama Khetsun Gonpo Gyeltsen (bla ma mkhas btsun mgon po rgyal mtshan), Khenchen Dratsepa Rinchen Namgyel (mkhan chen sgra tshad pa rin chen rnam rgyal, 1318-1388), and Choje Jangchub Sengge (chos rje byang chub seng ge), who was likely the same Jangchub Sengge who taught Sharchen Yeshe Gyeltsen (shar chen ye shes rgyal mtshan, 1359-1406) and who served as the ninth abbot of Jonang Monastery. Other teachers included Lama Pelden Dondrub (bla ma dpal ldan don grub), Drigung Lotsāwa Maṇikaśrījñāna ('bri gung lo tsA ba ma Ni ka shrI, 1289-1363), Lama / Lotsāwa Norbu Pelzangpo (bla ma/lo tsA ba nor bu dpal bzang po), Jamyang Khache ('jam dbyangs kha che), Lama Shākya (bla ma ShAkya), Lama Sonam Gon (bla ma bsod nams mgon), and Lama Lhawang (bla ma lha dbang).

From those teachers, Sabzang Pakpa obtained the majority of Buddhist teachings, sutric as well as tantric in nature, that had been translated into Tibetan at that time, including also teachings from other traditions such as Kadam (bka' gdams), Zhije (zhi byed), Mahāmudrā (phyag rgya chen po), Chod (gcod), and Nyingma.

Sabzang Pakpa played a vital role in promulgating in Tibet the ritual compendium of the Kriyāsamuccaya, which had not been translated into Tibetan until about the mid-14th century. Its Sanskrit manuscript had been brought to Sakya (sa skya) by a Newari trader and obtained by Jamyang Donyo Gyeltsen ('jam dbyangs don yod rgyal mtshan, 1310-1344), the fourteenth throne holder of Sakya, and passed on to the Jonang master Kunpang Chodrak Pelzangpo (kun spangs chos grags dpal bzang po, 1283-1363). Owing to Chodrak Pelzangpo's initiative and sponsorship, the manuscript was jointly translated into Tibetan by his disciple Sabzang Mati Paṇchen and Mañjuśrī, the great Indian paṇḍita from the Buddhist university of Vikramaśīla.

However, at the time, no master with the full transmission and empowerment was available in Tibet. Having heard of a master by the name of Ngaripa Dorje Pel (mnga' ris pa rdo rje dpal), who was said to have had received that empowerment at Pāṭan, located in the Kathmandu valley of Nepal, Sabzang Pakpa was enlisted to travel there with six companions and succeeded to obtain the entire empowerments and reading transmissions from the Newari Paṇḍita Mahābodhi. Later on, Sabzang Pakpa spread the Kriyāsamuccaya at his future monastic seat of Sabzang.

Sabzang Pakpa kept the original Sanskrit manuscript of the Kriyāsamuccaya and entrusted it along with other religious objects to the care of Ngorchen when installing him as his successor to the throne of Sabzang. It was later kept at Ngor Monastery, which was famous for its collection of palm leaf Sanskrit manuscripts, and its existence was later documented by Zhalu Lotsāwa Chokyong Zangpo (zhwa lu lo tsA ba chos skyong bzang po, 1441-1528) and the twentieth century scholar Gendun Chopel (dge 'dun chos 'phel, 1903-1951).

Sabzang Pakpa received from both Sabzang Mati Paṇchen and Choje Jangchub Sengge repeated explanations on the Vimalaprabhā and trained himself for a long time in that text. Similarly, he investigated and trained himself for a long time in the textual traditions of both sūtra and mantra and the conventional sciences (tha snyad kyi gtsug lag), studying such works as the Sūtrālaṃkāra, Uttaratantra, Bodhicaryāvatāra, Abhidharmasamuccaya, Kalāpasūtra, Daṇḍin’s classical treatise on poetics, the Kāvyādarśa, and Ratnākaraśānti’s metrical treatise, the Chandoratnākara. He also mastered the esoteric instructions of the Sixfold Yoga of Kālacakra (dus 'khor sbyor drug), Orgyen Nyendrub (u rgyan bsnyen sgrub), Lamdre (lam 'bras), Five Stages of Guhyasamāja (gsang ’dus rim lnga), and Five Stages of Cakrasaṃvara (bde mchog rim lnga).

In 1374, when Sabzang Pakpa was twenty-nine, Sabzang Mati Paṇchen installed him as his successor on the throne of Sabzang. During his long teaching career and tenure of more than thirty-five years, Sabzang Pakpa bestowed an enormous amount of teachings. He bestowed the complete empowerments for the Kriyāsamuccaya and Vajrāvalī close to one hundred times, the initiations into the maṇḍalas of the enlightened body, speech and mind of Kālacakra thirty-five times, and the complete maṇḍalas of the Yoga tantric system six times. Moreover, he conferred an extensive number of individual teachings pertaining to deities such as Guhyasamāja, Hevajra, Cakrasaṃvara, and Catuḥpīṭha, bestowed the authorization (rjes gnangs) of the Sādhanasamuccaya more than sixty times, and gave an enormous number of reading transmissions for different sections of the Kangyur (bka' 'gyur) such as the Tantra section nineteen times, the Sūtra section fifteen times, the Vinaya section eight times, and the sūtras of the Prajñāpāramitā section three times. He gave the reading transmission for the collected works of Pakpa Lodro Gyeltsen ('phags pa blo gros rgyal mtshan, 1235-1280) five times, and the reading transmission for the collected works of Sabzang Mati Paṇchen seven times. He also conferred all the guiding instructions for esoteric instructions such as of the Sixfold Yoga of Kālacakra.

Among his numerous disciples, both scholars and yogins, were eminent masters such as Dzongpa Kunga Gyeltsen Pelzangpo (rdzong pa kun dga' rgyal mtshan dpal bzang po, 1382-1446), Yakton Sanggye Pel (g.yag ston sangs rgyas dpal, 1350-1414), and Choje Lamdrepa Lobzang Karmo (chos rje lam 'bras pa blo bzang dkar mo).

Sabzang Pakpa apparently once claimed to have been the reincarnation of an abbot of Genmo Lhe (rgan mo lhas) Monastery named Khenpo Rinchen Gyeltsen (mkhan po rin chen rgyal mtshan). He made the assertion to his attendant Bariwa Lodro Gyeltsen (ba ri ba blo gros rgyal mtshan) as they passed the vicinity of Genmo Lhe while on pilgrimage to Lhasa.

In his sixty-fifth year, in 1410, Sabzang Pakpa handed over the throne of Sabzang to Ngorchen, and retired to the Shākzang Kumbum (shAk bzang sku 'bum), his residence at Sakya, where he engaged himself in meditation and continued to bestow teachings to a few disciples.

In 1412, when he had reached his sixty-seventh year, he gave a small group of distinguished disciples the bestowal of initiations into the maṇḍalas of the Kriyāsamuccaya. In the process of that initiation, he fell ill. He instructed Ngorchen to complete that teaching and passed away on the eighteenth day of the third month of 1412, twenty-three days after he stopped teaching. Complying with his master's order, Ngorchen is said to have bestowed those initiations, starting all over with the preparatory stage.

Since Sabzang Pakpa had fallen ill, Ngorchen spent the last days together with his master, taking care of him and his medical treatment and organizing religious services for his recovery. After his master's demise, he also oversaw the preparation of his corpse and officially announced his passing. In performing various meritorious actions on his behalf, he distributed on a large scale donations and offerings in Sakya's central monastic assembly. For making supplications, he invited lamas residing at Sakya into the Labrang Nyitok (bla brang nyi thog), where he organized for many days a prayer service. For forty-nine days, Lobpon Choseng (slob dpon chos seng) and others performed the Yenlak Dunpa (yan lag bdun pa) and Ngorchen covered all the expenses for the weekly rituals and offerings. On the same scale, he distributed donations at Sabzang and hold a similar prayer service as well. Moreover, he commissioned realistic clay statues of his master in different sizes. As an "inner reliquary" (nang rten), he commissioned magnificent statues of the Buddhas of the Three Times – Dīpaṃkara, Śākyamuni, and Maitreya – along with a five-pointed gandhola made out of gilded copper. Out of the cremation ashes and bone fragments, he had stamped one hundred thousand commemorative images (sku gdung). They were placed into a silver reliquary of a Stūpa of Great Awakening (byang chub chen po’i mchod rten), which was another of his commissions. He furnished the stūpa with a canopy and the Thousand Buddha Images, provided the latter with garments out of silk, and performed the consecration of all those objects. The stūpa was placed into the Shākzang Kumbum (shAk bzang sku 'bum at Sakya.

Later on, to fulfill the last wishes of his master, Ngorchen commissioned a magnificent set of fourteen maṇḍala paintings depicting the forty-two maṇḍalas explained in the Vajrāvalī together with three additional maṇḍalas originating from the Kriyāsamuccaya. Ngorchen commissioned this set after the foundation of Ngor in 1429 and had it executed by Newar artists. At least nine paintings are known to have survived in private or museum collections outside of China,

According to the late Khenchen Ape Rinpoche Yonten Zangpo (mkhan chen a pad rin po che yon tan bzang po, 1927-2010) et al., there once existed a collection of Sabzang Pakpa's compositions, though the author of that respective entry specifies that he has not seen any catalogue of it. Ngorchen references a sādhana that Sabzang Pakpa composed in relation to the empowerment of the Seventeen Deity [Maṇḍala of] Hevajra as taught in the Saṃpuṭatantra and both a sādhana and the ritual procedures of the authorization (rjes gnang) of Ucārya Vajrapāṇi. TBRC holds only one text by Sabzang Pakpa, a thirty-folio dbu med manuscript of the 'Phags pa gnas brtan bcu drug la phyag mchod bya tshul, which was written on the seventh day of the sixth month of 1398 at Sabzang Monastery. (See TBRC W1CZ1188.)