The Treasury of Lives

The Second Gungtang, Ngawang Tenpai Gyeltsen (gung thang 02 ngag dbang bstan pa'i rgyal mtshan) was born at a small town called Cha near Ganden Monastery (dga' ldan gyi nye 'dabs cha) in U in 1727, the year of fire-sheep of the twelfth sexagenary cycle.

According to Ngawang Tenpai Gyeltsen's biography, when the Fiftieth Ganden Tripa, Gendun Puntsok (dga' ldan khri pa 50 dge 'dun phun tshogs, 1648-1724), also known as Tri Gungtangpa (khri gung thang pa), after the place of his initial monastic seat, Gungtang Chode (gung thang chos sde), was about to enter into nirvana, his devotees prayed for him to extend his life and, if he must die, to reincarnate swiftly and clearly. "Don't worry," he told them; "I will certainly take birth at a place where the doctrine of Je Tsongkhapa is flourishing." He instructed them to consult with the Fifth Paṇchen Lama, Lobzang Yeshe (paN chen bla ma 05 blo bzang ye shes, 1663-1737) and Lamo Chokyong (la mo chos skyong), a dharma protector, for divination regarding the exact place of his birth.

The Paṇchen Lama and the medium of the deity both pointed towards Ngawang Tenpai Gyeltsen, and the boy, along with his mother, was thus brought to Gungtang Chode at the age of three.

Ngawang Tenpai Gyeltsen had a very sharp intellect and learned lengthy prayer texts by heart in a short time. He frequently told people that his seat was in Amdo, indicating Labrang Tashikhyil. At the age of five he was granted vows of primary ordination (rab byung) by Gyelse Yeshe Drakpa (rgyal sras ye shes grags pa, d.u.) who gave him the name Ngawang Lobzang Tenpai Gyeltsen (ngag dbang blo bzang bstan pa'i rgyal mtshan). At the age of seven, the same abbot granted him the vows of novice monk (dge tshul). He subsequently enrolled in Gomang College of the Drepung Monastic University ('bras spungs bkra shis sgo mang) where he primarily studied logic under the tutorship of Rabjampa Sonam Dargye (rab 'byams pa bsod nams dar rgyas, d.u.) who was also called Geshe Yangpa Chen (dge shes yangs pa can).

At the recommendation of Paṇchen Lobzang Yeshe, and with the permission of Miwang Sonam Topgye (mi dbang bsod nams stobs rgyas, d.u.), the local lord, Gungtang Ngawang Tenpai Gyeltsen departed from Drepung to Amdo at the age of ten. He was warmly sent off by a large number of designated officials and prominent lamas including the Paṇchen Lama, Miwang Sonam Topgye, and the Fifty-fourth Ganden Tripa, Trichen Ngawang Chokden (dga' ldan khri pa 54 ngag dbang mchog ldan, 1677-1751) who was a disciple of the Trichen Gendun Puntsok, who presented him with memorable parting gifts.

Ngawang Tenpai Gyeltsen joined his previous incarnation's primary seat, Labrang Tashikhyil, upon his arrival in Amdo. There he resumed his studies in common subjects followed by the traditional courses in both sutra and tantra. He received transmission on the five treatises of Maitreya, Madhyamika, Abhidharmakosha, Parmanavartika and so forth, from the Second Jamyang Zhepa, Konchok Jigme Wangpo ('jam dbyangs bzhad pa 02 dkon mchog 'jigs med dbang po, 1728-1791). In addition to the philosophical and tantric studies, he also learned religious dance, basic-line drawings of religious objects, chanting of prayers, religious music and so forth, all that is required in tantric practice.

At the age of twenty Ngawang Tenpai Gyeltsen went to Ngoyul (rngo yul) in order to receive teachings from Nyentse Ponlob Ngawang Chopel (gnyan rtse dpon slob ngag dbang chos 'phel, 1684-1756) who granted him the vows of full ordination (dge slong). Ponlob Ngawang Chopel, who had been one of the chief disciples of Tri Gungtangpa, subsequently gave him a number of initiations and empowerments on various tantric deities including Heruka. During the Heruka empowerment Ngawang Chopel removed his bone ornaments and put them on Tenpai Gyeltsen. Ngawang Chopel had received the ornaments from Tri Gungtangpa while receiving Heruka empowerment from him, with the condition that he will return them to him in the future.

In addition to the religious and philosophical courses, Ngawang Tenpai Gyeltsen also studied grammar, poetry, Sanskrit phonology composition, astrology and astronomy, medicine, and many more subjects. He single-pointedly studied a great variety of texts from the age of eleven until twenty avoiding most other activities. Thus Tenpai Gyeltsen became a highly noted scholar and he was called Tsangse Gyepai Dorje (tshang sras dgyes pa'i rdo rje) meaning the “Pleasing Prince of Brahma."

At the age of twenty-two Ngawang Tenpai Gyeltsen was enthroned as the fifth throne holder of Labrang on the twenty-second day of the ninth Tibetan month (the day that Buddha descended from Tushita) in the year of earth-dragon, with a memorable ceremony. To mark the occasion the Seventh Dalai Lama, Kelzang Gyatso (ta la'i bla ma 07 bskal bzang rgya mtsho, 1708-1757) sent a greeting and gifts. Thereafter he gave teachings and also arranged for teachings and empowerments on such topics as the Mitra Gyatsa (mitra rgya-rtsa) by Khenchen Dorjechang Gendun Gyatso (mkan chen rdo rje 'chang dge 'dun rgya mtsho, 1679-1765) at the monastery. He sponsored a set of Tengyur and one hundred copies of the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā (shes rab kyi pha rol tu phin pa brgyad stong pa) written in silver, and many other objects of faith. He retired from the post at the age of twenty-six.

While still in his twenties he invited Kagyurwa Ngawang Nyima (bka' 'gyur ba ngag dbang nyi ma, d.u.) to the monastery and received from him teachings on the Kangyur, the collected works of Tsongkhapa and others. Around this time, at the wish of Drakkar (brag dkar) Monastery, he traveled there and expanded the philosophical college, founded tantric college, and monitored the education system.

While Ngawang Tenpai Gyeltsen was at Drakkar Monastery, the sixth throne holder of Labrang, Lobzang Dondrub (blo bzang don grub, 1696-1756) was called to Urge Dratsang Sanggnak Mingyel Ling (urge grwa tshang gsang sngags smin rgyal gling) to assume the abbacy there. At that time the Second Jamyang Zhepa was away in Lhasa, and the seventh throne holder, Lobzang Neten Tsondru (blo bzang gnas brtan brtson 'grus, 1696-1754) passed away while in office. The monastery had fallen into conflict, with the community dividing into two factions. Ngawang Tenpai Gyeltsen was thus requested to return to Labrang as the eighth throne holder. He sent some deputies to Jamyang Zhepa asking him to return, and, in 1758, when Jamyang Zhepa returned, he again retired from the post. He went in solitary meditation and established the hermitage of Yiga Chodzin (yid dga' chos 'dzin).

At the age of thirty-three Ngawang Tenpai Gyeltsen travelled to China in mid 1759 and visited the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1735-1796). According to the biographies, for nearly a year Beijing and the surrounding region has suffered a drought that no court ritualist could overcome; the day Ngawang Tenpai Gyeltsen arrived at palace of the Emperor it started raining. The Qianlong Emperor was so impressed that he bestowed the title of Khutuktu (the Mongolian for tulku; sprul sku, meaning nirmanakaya/emanation body) and announced that he need not kneel-down to the Emperor (it should be pointed out that such a privilege occasionally claimed in Tibetan sources is never attested in Chinese histories). Moreover he was awarded the authority to use a yellow-cushion that was rarely allowed for use by Tibetan lamas. At the time there were only eight Tibetans who the Qing court had awarded the title of Khutuktu, and as a result his name was known across Tibet.

Gungtang Ngawang Tenpai Gyeltsen passed into nirvana during his visit in Beijing, in 1759, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month of the earth-hare year in the thirteenth sexagenary cycle, at the young age of thirty-three.