The Treasury of Lives

Zhalu Lotsawa Chokyong Zangpo (zha lu lo tsA ba chos skyong bzang po) was born in Upper Serkang (gser khang gong ma) near Zhalu, Tsang, in 1441, the iron bird year of the seventh sexagenary cycle in the Tibetan calendar. His father was Samdrub Zangpo (bsam grub bzang po), a descendant of the Go ('gos) clan, and his mother was Rinchen Chozom (rin chen chos 'dzoms). His childhood name was Chokyong Bum (chos skyong 'bum). It is said that he played at teaching and writing when he was a child.

He learned how to write and read from Tashi Pelden (bkra shis dpal ldan, 1379-1449), an early patriarch of Drepung Monastery ('bras spungs dgon). When he was eight his father died in a battle between the Sharkhapa (shar kha pa) family that ruled Gyantse (rgyal rtse) in alignment with the Pakmodrupa (phag mo gru pa), and the Rinpungpa (rin spungs pa), which was then in fierce competition with the Pakmodrupa. His grandmother sent him to live with Dakchen Tashi Pakpa (bdag chen bkra shis 'phags pa). There he read scriptures with Dakchen and learned Lanca and Wartu scripts from a Nepali painter. Impressed by his knowledge of Buddhism, Dakchen thought that he was suited to become a monk.

At the age of twenty-two, his mother consented on his ordaining even though, as the only son among four siblings, he was needed at home to take over the family property. Jamyang Konchok Zangpo ('jam dbyangs dkon mchog bzang po, 1398-1475) and Choje Kunga Pelzang (chos rje kun dga' dpal bzang) gave him the monastic vows and named him Rinchen Chokyong Zangpo (rin chen chos skyong bzang po) at Pelkhor Chode (dpal 'khor chos sde) in Gyantse. There he studied texts on Vinaya and Prajñāpāramitā with Tingdzin Ozer (ting 'dzin 'od zer), a teacher at Kangsar College (khang gsar) at the monastery. It is said that he could memorize in a day the amount of texts that took others months, and that the monastic community was abuzz with tales of his memorization abilities.

The next year, Tingdzin Ozer passed away and Choje Sonam Drakpa (chos rje bsod nams grags pa) became his tutor. He taught him the Mahayana Sūtrālaṃkāra and texts on Kālacakra by Buton Rinchen Drub (bu ston rin chen grub, 1290-1364) and gave him empowerment teaching of Vairocana, among other things.

At the age of twenty-five, he went to Zhalu Monastery (zha lu dgon) where he gave lectures on The Five Treatises of Maitreya to many monks gathered there. At that time, Lotsāwa Neten Lek Gyelwa (lo tsa ba gnas brtan legs rgyal ba), a student of Nartang Lotsāwa Sanghaśrī (snar thang lo tsA ba san+g+ha shrI), resided at Zhalu and Chokyong Zangpo asked the lotsāwa to teach him Sanskrit. It is said that he mastered Kalapa Sanskrit grammar in just two months. He also studied poetics at the time.

At the age of twenty-six, Choje Dondrub Drakpa (chos rje don grub grags pa) and others gave him the full ordination at Pelhor Chode. He then went to Chokhor Gang (chos 'khor sgang) where he received both tantric and sutric teachings, transmissions and instructions from Taktsang Lotsāwa Sherab Rinchen (stag tshang lo tsA ba shes rab rin chen, b.1405). His knowledge of Sanskrit is said to have impressed Taktsang Lotsāwa.

On a pilgrimage to Tropu Monastery (khro phu), he met Lotsāwa Lodro Drakpa (lo tsA ba blo grus grags pa), a master of Candrapa Sanskrit grammar, and received teachings from him. Back at Gyantse, he put together the supplies he needed and set off for Pelding Monastery (dpal sdings) where he mastered the Sanskrit tradition of Candrapa in four months, becoming a qualified lotsāwa, the title given to accomplished translators. It is said that when he orally translated Sanskrit texts, his students, following him on texts already translated into Tibetan, would not see a single mistake in his spontaneous oral translation; his oral translation was so fast that only the best students could keep up with him.

He received teachings from as many as fifty masters, including the First Dalai Lama, Gendun Drub (tA lai bla ma 01 dge 'dun grub, 1391-1474), who had been a close disciple of Tsongkhapa (tsong kha pa blo bzang grags pa, 1357-1419). The most important among them was Kuzhang Kyenrab Choje (sku zhang mkhyen rab chos rje, 1436-1497) who taught him Kālacakra, Guhyasamāja and the Eight Tantras of Magic Manifestation (sgyu 'phrul chen mo) among many others. It is said that whenever he heard the name of or anything about this teacher later on, he would shed tears holding his hands in prayer. After studying under so many masters, he mastered the five main topics of the scholastic curriculum.

At the request of Tashi Rabten (bkra shis rab bstan), the governor in Gyantse who ruled from the Gyelkartse Palace (rgyal mkhar rtse), he spent fifteen years editing the Kangyur (bka' 'gyur). In springs and summers, he worked on the Kangyur in Gyantse while consulting the original Indian texts and existing Tibetan editions. In the autumns and winters, he spent time in Zhalu Monastery teaching and practicing.

When he was about thirty-seven, his mother passed away and he made offerings to monasteries for her.

At the age of forty-two, around the year 1483, he moved from Tsang to U, traveling first to Gongkar Dorje Den (gong dkar rdo rje gdan), where he met its founder, the Sakya master Kunga Namgyel (kun dga' rnam rgyal, 1432-1496) and Taklung (stag lung) where he taught, translated and discussed teachings with others. The Seventh Karmapa, Chodrak Gyatso (karma pa 07 chos grags rgya mtsho, 1454-1506) conferred upon him the title Light of Dharma, or Tenpai Dronme (bstan pa'i sgron me), encouraging the people to go to him if they wanted to master Tibetan studies. He visited Nedong Tsetsokpa Monastery (ne gdong rtse tshogs pa) and other places to teach.

In 1496, Dratang Monastery (grwa thang) and its monks were offered to him, and from that year he lived there as his residence. The monastery was then in the process of being absorbed into the Sakya tradition. People all over Tibet converged on Dratang to receive teachings from him on topics including Sanskrit, Pramāṇa, Prajñāpāramitā, Vinaya, Abhidharma and Kālacakra.

In 1501, Chokyong Zangpo sent all his personal possessions as an offering to Zhalu Monastery in memory of Buton Rinchen Drub and his disciples. The leadership at Zhalu Monastery urged him to come there to live and teach but he refused, saying that there was nothing for him to do in a great monastery such as Zhalu, the seat of Buton. The Dratang and Zhalu communities argued over which place suited him better. The monks from Zhalu persisted, and he slowly relented and traveled towards Zhalu, giving teachings in places along the way. He arrived at Zhalu to a joyous celebration with monks holding banners and playing instruments and lay people dancing and singing.

At Zhalu many people came to him for teachings and monastic ordinations. He mainly taught Sanskrit, poetics and linguistics. He gave simple instructions to beginners and taught advanced subjects to those with better understanding. After eleven years of his activity there it is said that the knowledge level and disciplines at Zhalu were as good as when Buton taught there.

At that time, the Twenty-second Sakya Tridzin, Jamyang Kunga Sonam ('jam dbyangs kun dga' bsod nams, 1485-1533) invited him to Tsedong (rtsa gdong) where he gave the empowerment teachings of Immortal Drumming ('chi med rnga sgra) and Kālacakra and taught Sanskrit for two months. He then traveled to Dratang at the invitation of Yargyab Chokyi Gyelpo (yar rgyab chos kyi rgyal po), a powerful lord in Lhokha (lho kha) and there he again taught to the delight of his followers who included Lotsāwa Ratnabhadra (blo tsA ba ratna bha dra).

He had Indian students such as Paṇḍita Dharmadibakara, and it is said that he once sent a poem in Sanskrit to India to be posted on the gate of the Mahābodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya, and that the quality of his Sanskrit impressed the Buddhists in India.

Chokyong Zangpo wrote extensively on Sanskrit, poetics, tantra and Tibetan grammar, and he also wrote several biographies of other masters. He translated forty-eight works that are included in the Kangyur and Tengyur (bstan 'gyur) and revised numerous volumes in the Kangyur. His translations in the Tengyur include the Jātakastava, the Amarakośa and the Abhidarma-kośa-bhāṣya-tīkā tattvārtha-nāma. Among his compositions was Illuminating the Meaning, A Commentary on the Kalapa Sutra on Grammar (brda sprod pa ka la pa'i mdo'i 'grel pa gzhung do rab gsal).

His students came from all traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. They included the Second Pawo, Tsuklak Trengwa (dpa' bo 02 gtsug lag 'phreng ba, 1504- 1564/1566); Pelkhang Lotsawa Ngawang Chokyi Gyatso (dpal khang lo tsA ba ngag dbang chos kyi rgya mtsho); Orgyen Dzongpa Chokyong Gyeltsen (o rgyan rdzong pa chos skyong rgyal mtshan, c.1455-c.1520); and Minyak Dorje Sengge (mi nyag pa rdo rje seng+ge, b.1462)

In 1526, he returned to Dratang where he passed away the following year at age eighty-seven.