The Treasury of Lives

Chogyel Mipam Trinle Rabten (si tu 06 chos rgyal 'phrin las rab bstan) was born in a village called Tsetang (g/rtse/s dangs/thang) the Mesho (smad shod) valley in Derge (sde dge). He was a relative -- possibly a brother -- of Kunga Puntsok (kun dga' phun tshogs), the first abbot of Lhundrubteng (lhun grub steng), the royal monastery of Derge.

The year of his birth is uncertain, but is likely to have been in the late 1630s or first years of the 1640s. The earth dog year, or 1658, is given in some sources, but this is certainly incorrect, and follows the erroneous date of 1657 for the death of the Fifth Tai Situ, Chokyi Gyeltsen (ta'i si tu 05 chos kyi rgyal mtshan, 1562/86-1632)

In 1643 the Tenth Karmapa, Choying Dorje (karma pa 10 chos dbyings rdo rje 1604-1674), was staying in Lhodrak Sekhar (lho brag sras mkhar), already in exile from Tsurpu (mtshur phu) following the arrival of Gushri Khan in central Tibet. He authorized the identification of Chogyel Mipam Trinle as the reincarnation of the Fifth Tai Situ. 

The Karmapa instructed him to go to Karma Gon (karma dgon), the seat of the previous Situ incarnations. There Chogo Lungrik Nyima (chos sgo lung rig nyi ma, seventeenth century) gave him teachings and transmissions in the Karma Kagyu tradition for the next three years.

He then went to Alo Peljor Monastery (a lo dpal 'byor dgon) in Derge (sde dge), just south of the capital, where he reluctantly accepted an offering of books.

In 1654 he met the Karmapa, who was staying in Gorapar (sgo ra spar) in southern Kham, near Gyeltang (rgyal thang). A year later, in Shayul (sha yul), the Karmapa gave him full ordination, in a ceremony in which the Karmapa acted as preceptor, his close disciple Tsang Khenchen Pelden Gyatso (gtsang mkhan chen dpal ldan rgya mtsho, 1610-1684) acting as assistant preceptor, an incarnation with the title Nangso (nang so) acting as time-keeper (dus sgo) and Zhagom Kukye Karma Kelzang Nyingpo (zhwa sgom sku skye karma skal bzang snying po) acting as mentor (gsang stong). The Karmapa gave him the name Chogyel Trinle Rabten Drola Gyepai Pel (chos rgyal phrin las rab brtan 'gro la dgyes pa'i dpal) and presented him with a painting by his own hand.

Chogyel Trinle Rabten remained with the Karmapa in southern Kham for the next few decades. Legend has it that he requested permission of the Karmapa to be reborn as an Emperor of China, a position from which he would better be able to serve the Karma Kagyu tradition. The Karmapa, who had declined imperial recognition in apparent disgust over the political maneuvering of his contemporaries, refused to permit such an aspiration to be fulfilled.

The Karmapa returned to central Tibet in 1672. It is not clear whether the Situ went with him, remained, or returned to Karma Gon. He died in 1682.