The Treasury of Lives

Jamyang Chokyi Wangpo ('jam dbyangs chos kyi dbang po) was born in 1893, the water-snake year, in the region called Geok (dge 'og), on the ridge between the Drichu ('bri chus) and the Sershul (ser shul) rivers in the Changra (lcang ra) district of Derge. His father, Tashi Gyelpo (bkra shis rgyal po) of the Yarlha (yar lha) family, was a disciple of Jamgon Kongtrul ('jam mgon kong sprul, 1813-1899), Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo ('jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse'i dbang po, 1820-1892), and Chokgyur Lingpa (mchog 'gyur gling pa, 1829-1870). He was also known as Tokden Tragyel (rtogs ldan bkra rgyal), with Tokden—"realized one"—being a recognition of his father’s accomplishment in tantric practice. He was the great-uncle of the Nyingma lama and scholar Namkhai Norbu (nam mkha'i nor bu, 1938-2018), on whose 1985 book, The Lamp That Enlightens Narrow Minds, this essay is based.

While on pilgrimage in central Tibet, Tashi Gyelpo and his wife, Lhamo Tso (lha mo mtsho), discovered that they would soon have a child. A lama, possibly the Ninth Dorje Drak Rigdzin, Tubten Chowang Nyamnyi Dorje (rdo rje brag rig 'dzin 09 thub bstan chos dbang mnyam nyid rdo rje, 1886-1933), had urged them to hurry home to Derge with the prediction that something important would soon happen to them. The child was their second; they had an elder daughter named Samdrub Dronma (bsam grub sgron ma) and would have a second son, Rinchen Dargye (rin chen dar rgyas), who was later identified as a reincarnation at Dorje Drak Monastery (rdo rje brag).

The child was considered remarkable and is said to have recited the Chanting the Names of Mañjuśrī, or Mañjuśrīnamasaṇgīti, from memory at the age of three. Jamyang Loter Wangpo ('jam dbyang blo gter dbang po, 1847-1914), a close disciple of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, was then in his Lasye Ritro (la sye ri khrod) hermitage above Derge, and was told about Tokden Tragyel's son. He sent disciples to meet the child and invited him to the hermitage. There he declared him one of the reincarnations of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and gave him the name Jamyang Chokyi Wangpo and a long-life initiation. Jamgon Kongtrul and the Sakya Trichen—presumably the Thirty-seventh, Kunga Nyingpo (kung dga' snying po, 1850-1899)—confirmed the recognition.

Jamyang Chokyi Wangpo was identified as Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo's "body" reincarnation; Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro ('jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse chos kyi blo gros, 1893-1959), born the same year, was identified as his "activity'' incarnation. Additional reincarnations include Karma Khyentse Wozer (karma mkhyen brtse'i 'od zer, 1896-1945), known as the First Beru Khyentse (be ru mkhyen brtse), who was Khyentse Wangpo's "speech" incarnation; Dilgo Khyentse Tashi Peljor (dil mgo mkhyen brtse bkra shis dpal 'byor, 1910-1991) was the "mind" incarnation; and the First Dzogchen Khyentse, Guru Tsewang (rdzog chen mkhyen brtse 01 gu ru tshe dbang, 1896-1935) was the "qualities" incarnation.

In 1897, the child was brought to Dzongsar Monastery (rdzong sar dgon), Khyentse Wangpo's seat, and enthroned at the residence of his predecessor. He was trained by Loter Wangpo and other lamas. It appears that a faction of the community did not accept the recognition and opposed Chokyi Wangpo's status. This culminated in his subsequent incarnation, Jamyang Chokyi Wangchuk ('jam dbyangs chos kyi dbang phyug, 1910-1963), being forced out of Dzongsar.

In 1904, Chokyi Wangpo went to Adzom Gar (a 'dzom sgar) to study with Adzom Drukpa Pawo Dorje (a 'dzom 'brug pa 'gro 'dul dpa' bo rdo rje, 1842-1924), who gave him the transmission of several revelations of Khyentse Wangpo, including the Chetsun Nyingtik (lce btsun snying thig), one of Khyentse Wangpo's main Dzogchen revelations, and the Chime Pakmai Nyingtik ('chi med 'phags ma'i snying thig), focused on White Tārā. As he was then twelve, his first "obstacle year"—a year in which he would be prone to danger—Adzom Drukpa sent Chokyi Wangpo to practice the second of these at Pema Shelpuk (pad+ma shel phug), Khyentse Wangpo's main hermitage near Dzongsar.

According to Namkhai Norbu, Chokyi Wangpo asked to study at Dzogchen Monastery (rdzogs chen dgon) but had been refused permission, presumably by members of Dzongsar's administration. He does not explain the reasons, but it appears to have been related to the existing opposition at the monastery. Whatever the case, his retreat at Pema Shelpuk was cut short by administrative requests to return to the monastery and take up his duties. Dzongsar was an ancient monastery, initially a Bon institution that had been converted to Sakya in the thirteenth century by Pakpa Lodro Gyeltsen ('phags pa blo gros rgyal mtshan, 1235-1280). Khyentse Wangpo's fame had allowed the monastery to expand, but his death had left it without a charismatic leader to ensure financial support of patrons. The administration urged Chokyi Wangpo to make a tour of the region to shore up donations. He thus spent several months traveling, performing large public ceremonies.

At age thirteen or fourteen, at Sengchen Namdrak Cave (seng chen gnam brag), which is said to be a practice site of Vairocana, Chokyi Wangpo revealed a treasure titled The Mind Essence of Vairocana (bai ro thugs thig). He wrote down the revelation and transmitted it to a lama from Dzetak Monastery (mdzad rtag dgon) named Dzetrul Dechen Dorje (mdzad sprul bde chen rdo rje) and others, but it was later lost in the chaos of the Communist takeover of Tibet.

Chokyi Wangpo persisted with his request to study at Dzogchen, and at age fifteen, he succeeded in receiving permission with Loter Wangpo's support. At Dzogchen, he received transmissions from the Fifth Dzogchen Drubwang, Tubten Chokyi Dorje (rdzogs chen 05 thub bstan chos kyi rdo rje, 1872-1935), as well as from other lamas. According to Namkhai Norbu, the faction at Dzongsar that had earlier opposed Chokyi Wangpo's visit to Dzogchen had not subsided, and his Dzogchen visit only served to inflame the conflict further with sectarian slander. At Dzogchen, Chokyi Wangpo fell ill, and rumor circulated that it was a Sakya protector who had struck him down.

Chokyi Wangpo passed away at Dzogchen Monastery on April 18, 1908, the seventeenth day of the second month of the earth-monkey year, at the age of fifteen. Before he passed away, he is said to have announced he would be reborn as the child of his sister, later known as Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Wangchuk ('jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse mchog kyi dbang phyug, 1910-1963).

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