The Treasury of Lives

The Fourth Lingla, Tubten Trinle Gyatso (gling bla 04 thub bstan phrin las rgya mtsho) was born at Namgyel Ling (rnam rgyal gling) near Den Chokhor ('dan chos 'khor) around 1897. His father was named Rigdzin Dorje (rig 'dzin rdo rje) and his mother was named Rigdzin Lhamo (rig 'dzin lha mo).

The Fifth Dzogchen Drubwang, Tubten Chokyi Dorje (rdzogs chen 05 thub bstan chos kyi rdo rje, 1872-1935) identified the boy as the Third Lingla, Tubten Kelzang Gyatso (gling bla 03 thub bstan skal bzang rgya mtsho, d.u.) and brought him to Dzogchen Monastery, Rudam Orgyen Samten Choling (rdzogs chen ru dam o rgyan bsam gtan chos gling).

There he studied under a number of outstanding teachers including the nineteenth abbot of Śrī Siṃha College (shrI sing+ha bshad drwa), Zhenpen Chokyi Nangwa (gzhan phan chos kyi snang ba, 1871-1927); Khenchen Kunzang Pelden (mkhan chen kun bzang dpal ldan, 1862-1943) of Katok Monastery; the Third Mura, Pema Dechen Zangpo (mu ra sku phreng 03 pad+ma bde chen bzang po, d.u.); and the sixteenth abbot of Śrī Siṃha, Adro Khenchen Sonam Chophel (a gro'i mkhan chen bsod nams chos phel, d.u.). The Fifth Dzogchen Drubwang gave him detailed teachings on oral transmission (bka' ma) lineage as well as the collection of treasure teachings, the Rinchen Terdzod (rin chen gter mdzod). He would later go on to pass these teachings on to the Sixth Dzogchen Drubwang, Jikdrel Jangchub Dorje (rdzogs chen 06 'jigs bral byang chub rdo rje, 1935-1959) and Druktrul Tubten Nyima ('brug sprul thub bstan nyi ma, d.u.).

When the Fifth Dzogchen Drubwang passed away in 1935, Tubten Trinle Gyatso played an important role during the transitional period, assisting the newly appointed tenth abbot of Dzogchen, Dechok Dorje (bde mchog rdo rje, 1898-1942), who was an incarnation of Pema Vajra (pad+ma badz+ra, 1807-1884), with administration, education, and restoration of temples and other parts of the monastery complex. He is particularly noted for supervising the restoration of the main assembly hall that had been critically damaged by an earlier fire. He is known to have donated all of the offerings he received from devotees to the monastery, and is said to have distributed all of his personal belongings three times.

In his later life Tubten Trinle Gyatso broke with convention by appointing Gyazil Tulku Tubten Lungrik Gyatso (rgya zil sprul sku thub bstan lung rigs rgya mtsho, c. 1939-1959) as the Lingla Kuchung (gling bla sku chung), or Junior Lingla. The latter was held to be an emanation of Fifth Dzogchen Ponlob, Konchok Tenpai Nyima (rdzogs chen dpon slob 05 dkon mchog bstan pa'i nyi ma, c.1889-c.1924), and Tubten Trinle Gyatso instructed him to continue his own incarnation line as well. He then settled in a secluded retreat place named Mipam's Meditation Cave in the valley above Dzogchen Monastery, where he lived the life of a simple hermit and kept a strict meditation schedule. The local people eventually renamed the cave as "Lingla's Practice Cave" (gling bla'i sgrub phug).

Tubten Trinle Gyatso was arrested and thrown in prison by the Chinese Communists in Lhasa in 1959. According to his hagiography, he intentionally passed away several days after his imprisonment by deliberately ejecting his consciousness from his body (pho ba).