The Treasury of Lives

Zhangton Tashi Dorje was born in Yardok Donang (yar 'brog do nang), at a place called Lado Nultsho Lingu (bla do snul mtsho gling dgu). His father was named Zhangton Ngodrub (zhang ston dngo grub) and his mother was called Shumo Nyarecham (shu mo nya re lcam). While a young man he studied sutra and tantra with Chegom Nakpo (lce sgom nag po) and received numerous visions of deities.

When Shangton was twenty-one, in 1117, he revealed the Bima Nyingtik (bima snying tig) from a cave at Samye Chimpu (bsam yas mchims phu). Four years later, when he was twenty-five, he met Chetsun Sengge Wangchuk (lce btsun seng ge dbang phyug, d.u.) who gave him the complete transmission of the Dzogchen Nyingtik (rdzogs chen snying thig) teachings.

Zhangton Tashi Dorje was the author of an important Dzogchen history, The Great History of the Dzogchen Nyingtik (rdzogs pa chen po snying thig gi lo rgyus chen mo).

He died at the age of seventy-one, leaving as his successors his son Nyima Bum (nyi ma 'bum, 1158-1213) and Chegom Sherab Dorje (lce sgom shes rab rdo rje, b.1130).