The Treasury of Lives

The Twenty-ninth Ganden Tripa, Shenyen Drakpa (dga' ldan khri pa 29 bshes gnyen grags pa) was born at Zungchu in Chone, Amdo (mdo smad co ne'i zung cu) in 1546, the fire-horse year of the ninth sexagenary cycle. Prior to ordination his name was Sonam Dondrub (bsod nams don grub), most likely the name he was given at birth. In his youth, Shenyen Drakpa travelled to Lhasa and memorized prayer texts and root-verses of essential philosophical and Vinaya texts, and then learned reading and writing. He also studied grammar, poetry, Sanskrit phonology, and composition, the common subjects necessary for scholars. Shenyen Drakpa had a great interest in beautiful handwriting and he was well-known for his calligraphic writing especially in Lanza script. Choje Gendun Gyeltsen, the Twenty-eighth Ganden Tripa (dga' ldan khri pa 28 chos rje dge 'dun rgyal mtshan, 1532-1607) gave him the name Shenyen Drakpa.

After completing his basic education Shenyen Drakpa studied the traditional courses in the major subjects in the Geluk monastic curriculum. It may be presumed that he studied sutra in Sangpu Monastery (gsang phu dgon) or in any of the great seats of the Geluk tradition near Lhasa, and tantra in Gyume College (rgyud smad) in Lhasa, although nothing is mentioned in his available biography.

Shenyen Drakpa served as the abbot at Sangpu Peser (gsang phu spe ser), Gyume, and Ganden Shartse College (dga' ldan shar rtse grwa tshang) where he taught topics in sutra and tantra. Shenyen Drakpa mediated and skillfully reconciled a dispute these monasteries had against Depa Kyishopa (sde pa skyid shod pa), an official leader of the region. Depa Kyishopa later turned into a sponsor to the monasteries.

At the age of sixty-two, in 1608, the earth-monkey year of the tenth sexagenary cycle, Shenyen Drakpa was enthroned to seat of the Twenty-ninth Ganden Tripa and served the post for seven years, until 1614. Trichen Shenyen Drakpa gave teachings in sutra and tantra and also led and performed other important religious activities. He built the new Lima Lhakang (li ma lha khang) in Ganden Monastery during his tenure.

About the age of seventy, Trichen Shenyen Drakpa retired from the throne and settled in private to pursue his personal practices in dharma. Thereafter about three years later in 1618, at the age of seventy-three Trichen Shenyen Drakpa passed into nirvana. Some sources have his year of birth and death recorded as 1545 and 1615 respectively. An enlightenment stupa (byang chub mchod rten) was built in silver as the reliquary and installed in Ganden Monastery in his memory. An extensive nirvana-prayer was held annually thereafter.