The Treasury of Lives

Rabjampa Śākya Gyeltsen (rab 'byams pa shA kya rgyal mtshan) was born in the family of Joten Nangso Ngonpo (jo stan nang so sngon po). Although the years of his birth and death are not known, it can be presumed that he was born during the first half of the sixteenth century as sources mention that he was born during the life of the Second Pakpa Lha, Sanggye Pel ('phags pa lha 02 sangs rgyas dpal, 1507-1566).

The young man offered his crown-hair-cut to a Bhutanese lama who named him Śākya Gyeltsen; subsequently he received teachings, transmissions, and instructions according to the Bhutanese Nyingma traditions from Lama Ngawang Drakpa (bla ma ngag dbang grags pa, d.u.). He also received teachings mainly on tantra from Choje Kunga Lhundrub (chos rje kun dga' lhun grub, d.u.), Choje Sanggye Peldor (chos rje sangs rgyas dpal 'byor, d.u.), Lobpon Rinchen Sal (slob dpon rin chen gsal, d.u.), and Lobpon Loden Sherab (slob dpon blo ldan shes rab, d.u.), among others.

He then traveled to U-Tsang and enrolled in Drepung Loseling Monastery ('bras spungs blo gsal gling) where he received teachings on Madhyamaka and Prajñāpāramitā from Lobpon Samten (slob dpon bsam gtan, d.u.); detail teaching on Vinaya from Lobpon Lhawang Rinchen (slob dpon lha dbang rin chen, d.u.); teachings on Abhidharma from Ratsak Choje (ra tshag chos rje, d.u.); teaching on Pramāṇa from Lobpon Lobzang Ebam (slob dpon blo bzang e bam, d.u.); Sanskrit Phonology and Astrology according to the Kālacakra system from Bum Rabjampa ('bum rab byams pa, 1433-1504); poetry from Tulku Mentangpa (sprul sku sman thang pa, d.u.); and commentary on Guhyasamāja from Ngawang Chodrak (ngag dbang chos grags, d.u.) of the Tantric College ('bras spungs sngags pa grwa tshang) from whom he also received initiation on Mahākāla and teachings on many tantric topics. He also received numerous teachings from the Second Dalai Lama, Gendun Gyatso (ta la'i bla ma 02 dge 'dun rgya mtsho, 1475-1542), and Tulku Sonam Gyatso (sprul sku bsod nams rgya mtsho, d.u.).

He became a fully ordained monk, presumably at Drepung. His vows were administered by the Seventeenth Ganden Tripa, Dorje Zangpo (dga' ldan khri pa 17 rdo rje bzang po, 1491-1554) assisted by his tutor Ngawang Chodrak from the Tantric College.

He travelled to the Kongpo region and served as the abbot of Drula Monastery ('bru la). There he encountered the Second Pakpa Lha, who gave him teachings and transmissions in his oral tradition. Śākya Gyeltsen requested a divination on his future lives and Pakpa Lha recited in clear verses of prophecy describing Śākya Gyeltsen's service in the dharma and lengthy life span. He predicted a life-span of sixty years, saying, “I can assure (that you will live) till the age of sixty; any longer depends on yourself and the exalted deities.” The Pakpa Lha also gave Śākya Gyeltsen a written recommendation to the resident lama at Tashi Pende (bkra shis phan bde) and he was subsequently enthroned to the seat of the abbot there. Although he spent only a few years at these monasteries, he extended the lamas' residence at Pende by one additional floor.

Śākya Gyeltsen was also invited the leaders of  Demola Monastery (de mo la dgon) and there he served as lama and taught for few years. Thereafter he gave teachings occasionally when they did not have a resident lama at Demola. He also gave teachings at other places in the region. Subsequently he was also offered the post of chief lama of Matang (ma thang) which he accepted, receiving a significant offering that he later donated to monasteries in U-Tsang and Kongpo.

He granted vows of novice monk to the Third Pakpa Lha, Tongwa Donden ('phags pa lha 03 mthong ba don ldan, 1567-1604). He also gave him the complete teachings, initiations, empowerments, transmissions, and instructions according to their tradition. He also taught him common subjects such as poetry and astrology and so forth. He also served as master to a number of prominent lamas of his region and time including Jepon Gyeltseb Rinpoche (rje dpon rgyal tshab rin po che, d.u.), Khenpo Namkha Gyeltsen (mkhan po nam mkha' rgyal mtshan, d.u.) and Lobpon Gelek Gyatso (slob dpon dge legs rgya mtsho, d.u.).

Śākya Gyeltsen took the five treatises of Maitreya as his daily prayer-texts, an uncommon habit, and he used a statue of Maitreya as his main object for meditation. He made a number of statues of deities and lamas including Sarasvati and Tsongkhapa. He also sponsored paintings of thankas of maṇḍalas of Yamāntaka, Cakrasaṃvara, Guhyasamāja, Kālacakra, and various dharmapala. He also published some important and rare texts on Kālacakra tantra and some religious poetic works of ancient scholars and so forth.

According to the First Kondor Tulku, Śākya Lhawwang's (dkon rdor sprul sku 01 mkhas grub shAkya lha dbang. 1586-1655) religious history, Śākya Gyeltsen composed numerous texts on Vinaya and Kālacakra and other topics, but only one volume of his work is extant.

He lived until the age of sixty-three, passing away on the third day of Nakda (nag dzla), the third month of Tibetan calendar. The year of his death is not known but the place is called Zurkhang Lungrik Khyilpa (zur khang lung rig 'khyil pa). A three-day nirvana-prayer was arranged annually for some years but later it was merged into the Great Prayer of the Tenth Day (tshes bcu chen mo) on the tenth of third month of Tibetan year. A statue of Maitreya made in copper with gold plating and a portrait statue made of clay mixed with aromatic herbs was built as a part of the nirvana-prayer in his memory by this followers. These statues were installed in the temple of Pende.