The Treasury of Lives

Japa Dongak Gyatso ('ja' pa mdo sngags rgya mtsho) was born in 1824, the wood-monkey year of the fourteenth sexagenary cycle. His father was from Taktok Japa (rtag thog 'ja' ba) and his mother belonged to the Wangda (dbang mda'), one of eight great tribal groups of Pema Bum in Golok. Although he was not officially recognized as such, some considered him to be an incarnation of Gungtang Konchok Tenpai Dronme (gung thang 03 dkon mchog bstan pa'i sgron me, 1762-1823), the twenty-third abbot of Labrang Monastery (bla brang dgon).

He studied widely, but his main teachers were Patrul Orgyen Chokyi Wangpo (dpal sprul o rgyan chos kyi dbang po, 1808-1887) and Zhabkar Tsokdrug Rangdrol (zhabs dkar tshogs drug rang grol, 1781-1851). He attempted to arrange a meeting between these two great figures but it never came about; Patrul did set out to visit Zhabkar, but while en route he learned that Zhabkar had passed away.

Japa Dongak studied all the various aspects of sutra and mantra and was said to be capable of explaining any doctrine of the old or new traditions. Yet he was famously defeated by the great Nyingma scholar Ju Mipam Namgyel Gyatso ('ju mi pham rnam rgyal rgya mtsho, 1846-1912) in a debate adjudicated by their mutual teacher, Patrul. The event, which must have occurred between 1878 and 1887, is recounted in Mipam's principal biography. From that source we learn that the arguments lasted for several days and were finally settled when the two masters discussed the meaning of Dzogchen (rdzogs chen). Some oral accounts even relate that Japa Dongak was forced to burn his treatise on Dzogchen and wept out of humiliation. Mipam went on to refute Japa Dongak's views explicitly in his Trilogy on Fundamental Mind (gnyug sems skor gsum).

It is said that Japa Dongak spent twelve years meditating on bodhicitta in a hermitage at Drakkar Gepel Ling (brag dkar dge 'phel gling). He then spent a further six years in retreat focused upon the generation phase (bskyed rim) and then six months practicing the perfection phase (rdzogs rim). He named the cave where he sat the “E-wam Cave.”

The writings of Japa Dongak are now lost, but are said to have included songs of realization (mgur), an explanation of dhāraṇī, clarifications concerning refuge, and some writings on the fundamental mind (gnyug sems skor). A work by Patrul Orgyen Chokyi Wangpo, advising how best to combine the outer and inner elements of retreat, which was composed at Japa Dongak's request, has survived and is included in the most recent editions of Patrul's collected works.

Japa Dongak's students included the Third Dodrubchen, Jigme Tenpai Nyima (rdo grub chen 03 'jigs med bstan pa'i nyi ma, 1865-1926), and “the four khenpos of Dodrubchen Monastery,” (rdo grub chen dgon): Garwa Khenpo Jigme Osel (mgar ba mkhan po 'jigs med 'od gsal, d. 1926), Lushul Khenpo Lobzang Kunkhyab (klu shul mkhan po blo bzang kun khyab, 1859-1936), Amye Khenpo Damcho (a mye mkhan po dam chos, d.u.), and Sershul Khenpo Ngawang (ser shul mkhan po ngag dbang, d.u.). In addition, he was both a teacher and a disciple of Lingtrul Pema Lungtok Gyatso (gling sprul pad+ma lung rtogs rgya mtsho, b. 1852).

He died in 1902, the water-tiger year. His reincarnation was identified by Amdo Geshe Jampel Rolpai Lodro (a mdo dge bshes 'jam dpal rol pa'i blo gros, 1888-1936) in the person of Dongak Chokyi Gyatso (mdo sngags chos kyi rgya mtsho, 1903-1957).