The Treasury of Lives

The Twenty-eighth Ganden Tripa, Gendun Gyeltsen (dga' ldan khri pa 28 dge 'dun rgyal mtshan) was born at Lumpa Shar in Lhasa (lha sa'i lum pa shar) in 1532, the water-dragon year of the ninth sexagenary cycle. He was admitted to Sera Monastery se ra dgon) at the young age, where Sera Jetsun Chokyi Gyeltsen (se ra rje btsun chos kyi ryal mtshan, 1469-1544) and Lobpon Sherab Sengge (slon dpon shes rab seng ge, d.u.) granted him vows of novice monk. Thereafter he studied the traditional curriculum of both sutra and tantra at Sera Je Monastery (se ra byes grwa tshang).

At the age of nineteen, Gendun Gyeltsen received the vows of fully ordained monk from a man named Sonam Gyatso (bsod nams rgya mtsho, d.u.)–possibly, but not likely, the Third Dalai Lama, who would have been too young–and Ngari Lhatsun Sonam Pelzang (mnga' ris lha btsun bsod nams dpal bzang, d.u.), assisted by other senior monks. Subsequently he was enrolled in Gyume College and studied tantra under the tutorship of Tashi Zangpo (bkra shis bzang po, d.u.).

At the age of forty-four, in 1575, the year of wood-pig in the tenth sexagenary cycle, Gendun Gyeltsen served as the lama of Gyume College. He joined Ganden Jangtse Monastery (dga' ldan byang rtse) in 1589, the earth-ox year of the tenth sexagenary cycle and served their educator (’chad nyan pa).

In 1603, the water-hare year, at the age of seventy-two, Gendun Gyeltsen was enthroned as the Twenty-eighth Ganden Tripa, serving until 1607. He regularly attended and led the Lhasa Monlam Chenmo, the annual great prayer festival of Lhasa (lha sa smon lam chen mo). Trichen Gendun Gyeltsen performed as lobpon in granting the vows of novice monk to Dechen Chokyi Gyelpo (bde chen chos kyi rgyal po, d.u.) who was a prominent lama of the era but about whom details are not known. He also introduced and raised fund for the daily tea-offering during the Summer Retreat for the participants from Lamoi Sakhok (la mo’i sa khog) to Ganden Monastery.

According to sources, Trichen Gendun Gyeltsen served as the personal lama to the Fourth Paṇchen Lama, Lobzang Chokyi Gyeltsen (paN chen bla ma 01 blo bzang chos kyi rgyal mtshan,1567-1662) and also the lobpon in granting the vows of novice monk to the Fourth Dalai Lama, Yonten Gyatso (ta la'i bla ma 04, yon tan rgya mtsho 1589-1617).

Among the disciples of Trichen Gendun Gyeltsen the only known name according to the sources is Khonton Peljor Lhundrub ('khon ston dpal 'byor lhun grub, 1561-1637). This lama served as tutor to the Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobzang Gyatso (ta la'i bla ma 05 ngag dbang blo bzang rgya tsho, 1617-1682) and became a favorite. He was also a scholar in Nyingma tradition in which he gave teachings.

At the age of seventy-six, in 1607, the fire-sheep year in the tenth sexagenary cycle Trichen Gendun Gyeltsen retired from the post of Ganden Tripa; he passed into nirvana in the same year. A silver reliquary was built and installed in the Ganden Monastery in his memory and an extensive nirvana-prayer was done.