The Treasury of Lives

Konchok Peldron was likely born in the 1850s. Her grandson, Tulku Urgyen (sprul sku o rgyan, 1920–1996), from whose memoir, Blazing Splendor, most of the information in this essay was drawn, reports that she was in her 80s when she passed away in the 1930s.^[1] Her older brother, Wangchuk Dorje (dbang phyug rdo rje), may have been born before their father, Chokgyur Lingpa (mchog 'gyur gling pa, 1829–1870), arrived at Pelpung Monastery (dpal spungs dgon) in 1853 from his homeland in Nangchen and began his collaboration with Jamgon Kongtrul ('jam mgon kong sprul, 1813-1899) and Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo ('jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse'i dbang po, 1820-1892). Their younger half-brother, Tsewang Norbu (tshe dbang no bu) was born to a niece of Khyentse Wangpo, and so was likely born no earlier than the late 1850s.

Konchok Peldron's mother was Dechen Chodron (bde chen chos sgron), known to people as Degah (sde dga'). She was a sister of Chokgyur Lingpa's disciple Barwai Dorje ('bar ba'i rdo rje, 1836-1920), and lived at least until 1874, when she requested Kongtrul compose Light of Wisdom, a commentary to Chokgyur Lingpa's Stages of the Path of the Wisdom Essence revelation. Tulku Urgyen described her as wrathful and obstinate, a powerful woman capable of holding her own against the demands of her famous husband.

According to Tulku Urgyen she had the respect of Khyentse Wangpo, who would greet her formally and who gave her empowerments.²

Family lore had it that Konchok Peldron was an emanation of the bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi, whereas her two brothers were Avalokiteśvara and Mañjuśrī.³ She appears to have spent considerable time with her father and mother as they moved around Kham, and she witnessed the revelations of many of his treasures. Tulku Urgyen relates stories in which his grandmother interacted with Chokgyur Lingpa's disciples in public settings.^[4]

Konchok Peldron played a vital role in the preservation of her father's revelations, which were the product of a collaborative effort between Chokgyur Lingpa, Kongtrul, Khyentse, and the Fourteenth Karmapa, Tekchok Dorje (karma pa 14 theg mchog rdo rje, 1798-1868), among others. While her sons gathered the many liturgical texts scattered among disciples, and requested the composition of others, Konchok Peldron is credited with preserving the ritual aspects of the tradition. She learned the chants and melodies associated with the liturgies, which tradition holds were revealed to Chokgyur Lingpa in a vision, and also the precise method for blowing the gyaling (rgya gling) a Tibetan ritual reed instrument. She passed these to her sons and other lineage holders, ensuring their survival.^[5] Tulku Urgyen also credits her with the knowledge of making torma (gtor ma), the ritual cake-sculpture, associated with her father's revelations.^[6]

She is also said to have preserved physical elements of her father's revelations. Dilgo Khyentse relates how she inherited a treasure scroll that Chokgyur Lingpa had revealed but which he had not transcribed. She passed this on to Tulku Urgyen, who gave it to an uncle, who in turn asked Dilgo Khyentse to extract the text.^[7]

In the late 1860s Konchok Peldron went with her father to central Tibet, where the family and disciples made pilgrimage across the region. At Mindroling (smin grol gling) she trained in the mudras of the Nyingma tradition and the painting style of the region.^[8]

In the presence of her father, she met Patrul Rinpoche (dpal sprul in po che, 1808-1887), whose thick Golok accent she was said to imitate,^[9] and also received teachings from Ju Mipam Gyatso ('ju mi pham rgya mtsho, 1846-1912), Kongtrul, and Khyentse Wangpo.^[10]

Tulku Urgyen also describes her as a skilled astrologer and herbalist who dispensed treatments daily.^[11]

Konchok Peldron married Orgyen Chopel (o rgyan chos 'phel), a scion of the influential Tsangsar family (gtsang sar) in Nangchen. The couple resided in Orgyen Chopel's family estate, and she spent many years at her husband's monastery, Lhalam (lha lam dgon).

Her four sons all were recognized as reincarnations and all became prominent lamas and lineage holders of Chokgyur Lingpa's revelations: Samten Gyatso (bsam gtan rgya mtsho, d. 1940?), Lama Sangngak (bla ma sangs sngags, 1886–1949), Tersey Tulku (gter sras sprul sku, d. 1956), and Chime Dorje ('chi med rdo rje, 1885–1948), the father of Tulku Urgyen. Tersey Tulku was the identified reincarnation of her brother Wangchuk Dorje. She also had two daughters: Tashi Chime (bkra shis 'chi med) and Rigdzin Peldron (rig 'dzin dpal sgron). 

Although she later celebrated her sons' religious accomplishments, she was not immediately willing to give them up to the monasteries that claimed them. In Blazing Splendor Tulku Urgyen narrates the remarkable battle between Konchok Peldron and a lama of Tsangsar Namgon (gtsang sar rnam dgon), who claimed her son Chime Dorje as the reincarnation of their throne holder. Namgon was one of three monasteries belonging to the Tsangsar family, alongside Lhalam and Lachab (gla chab dgon). The lama arrived during the memorial services for Konchok Peldron's mother, and she informed them that it was not the right time for them to take her son to their monastery. The lama refused to leave without the child, and after an increasingly contentious confrontation he left only to camp nearby, making obvious preparations to abduct the child. Soon after, Konchok Peldron and her family traveled to Tsike Monastery. On the road twenty-five monks from the monastery ambushed them and kidnapped the three-year-old child.

Konchok Peldron appealed unsuccessfully to her husband to demand the return of her son. Orgyen Chopel was apparently content to allow his second son to be installed at a Tsangsar monastery, thereby continuing the family's influence over the religious institutions of the region. Konchok Peldron was disgusted and left her husband's estate for Tsike Monastery (rtsi ske), the seat of her father's reincarnation, the Tsike, or Kela Chokling. The Second Kela Chokling, Kongchok Gyurme (ke la mchog gling 02 dkon mchog 'gyur med, 1871–1939) was her contemporary. For five years she waited before the monks would allow her to see her son, and when they were reunited, she refused to allow him to be taken again, relying on the strength of Tsike Monastery to protect her and her family. Tsike Chokling defended her at Pelpung, and Chime Dorje remained with her until he was grown, never to ordain or formally accept his identification as an incarnate lama.^[12]

Although fiercely protective of her family, she was not shy about expressing her opinion of her illustrious sons' reputations, or their apparent penchant for disregarding her desire that they stay close to home. Tulku Urgyen opens Blazing Splendor with Konchok Peldron's long complaint about her son Tersey Tulku having disappeared in central Tibet. After reminding her audience of her father's fame, she states, "Yet for all that, he left his body behind and me along with it." She then bemoans that she has been left alone (despite her three eldest sons' presence beside her) and mocks Tersey Tulku's reputation in comparison to her father: "Having witnessed such greatness, how can I be impressed by anything these days? I hear all kinds of stories about the so-called great deeds of Tersey Tulku, yet compared to the activities of his grandfather, they seem no more than foam on water." Konchok Peldron then declared her intention to travel to central Tibet, find her son, and bring him back to Kham. Her three eldest sons accompanied her.^[13]

In contrast to her occasional mocking of her sons, she did recognize their accomplishments. According to Tulku Urgyen, Konchok Peldron considered her son Samten Gyatso to be her main teacher, and she spent years with him in retreat at the family hermitage, Dzonggo Ling (rdzong mgo gling).

She is said to have attained a state of meditative realization called "dissolution of all phenomena" (chod nyid zad pa), in which dreaming ceases and one's awareness continues in sleep and wakefulness. Although her accomplishments in practice and ritual performance were well known, she declined to offer herself as a teacher. When lamas came to receive instruction from her she would refuse to see them, forcing her sons to arrange apparently chance meetings between their mother and the visitors.^[14] Yet she did not entirely refuse to minister to those who had faith in her. Orgyan Tobgyal describes how she would bless grains of barley and distribute them to people who would place them in amulets.^[15]

Konchok Peldron passed away at Tsike Monastery. The Second Jamgon Kongtrul, Pelden Khyentse Wozer ('jam mgon kong sprul 02 dpal ldan mkhyen brtse'i 'od zer, 1904–1952) was present for her funeral, as were Dzigar Kongtrul Lodro Rabpel ('dzi sgar kong sprul blo 'gro rab 'phel, 1901–c.1958) and her four sons. A stūpa was erected there to house her relics.^[16]

 

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