The Treasury of Lives



Ngawang Sonam Rinchen (ngag dbang bsod nams rin chen) was born feet-first in 1705.

His father was the Twenty-ninth Sakya Tridzin, Ngawang Kunga Tashi (sa skya khri 'dzin 29 ngag dbang kun dga' bkra shis, 1649-1711). His father and Kapewa Choje Ngawang Tenpa Rabgye (ka spe chos rje ngag dbang bstan pa rab rgyas) identified him as the reincarnation of his paternal grandfather, the Twenty-eighth Sakya Tridzin Ngawang Sonam Wangchuk (bdag chen bsod nams dbang phyug, 1638-1685).

His father, who was fifty years old when he was born, passed away when Ngawang Sonam Rinchen was seven years old. Just before passing away, his last words to his son were that he should receive whatever was left to be taught and transmitted from Konchok Gyelpo (dkon mchog rgyal po), the man who would become his root guru. Upon his father's death he was enthroned as the Thirtieth Sakya Tridzin.

Among his early teachers were the tenth abbot of Nalendra Monastery (na len dra dgon), Ngawang Khyentse Rabten (ngag dbang mkhyen brtse rab bstan).

At the age of fifteen he practiced Vajrakīlaya. The following year he went to Lhasa and then toured the monasteries of southern, central, and western Tibet, including Zhalu (zha lu dgon) and Ngor Ewaṃ Choden (ngor e waM chos ldan).

At the age of seventeen he received lay vows and teachings from Gongkar Lodro Wangchuk (gong dkar blo gros dbang phyug). At twenty he received the transmission of the Kangyur (bka' 'gyur) from an unidentified lama with the title of Nesar Dorje Chang (gnas gsar rdo rje 'chang). A contemporary of his, Kunga Lekpai Jungne (kun dga' legs pa'i 'byung gnas, 1704-1760) also had this title, but it seems unlikely that he was the one who gave the transmission, as he too would have only been seventeen years old. This was the first time in several generations that at Sakya Tridzin held the full transmission of the Kangyur.

Additional teachers included: Jampa Sonam Zangpo, the thirtieth abbot of Ngor (ngor mkhan chen 30 byams pa bsod nams bzang po, 1689-1749); Ngawang Kunga (ngag dbang kun dga'); Drubwang Sonam Chopel (grub dbang bsod nams chos 'phel); the tenth abbot of Nalendra, Ngawang Khyentse Rabten (ngag dbang mkhyen brtse rab brtan); Ngawang Tendzin Puntsok (ngag dbang bstan 'dzin phun tshogs); the Nyingma teacher Choter Lingpa Ngawang Kunzang Rangdrol (chos gter gling pa ngag dbang kun bzang rang grol); Taktse Jampa Lhawang Ridzin (stag rtse byams pa lha dbang rig 'dzin); and Konchok Gyelpo (dkon mchog rgyal po), to name only a few.

He married a woman named Sonam Wangmo (bsod nams dbang mo) and had at least one son, Ngawang Kunga Lodro (ngag dbang kun dga' blo gros, 1729-1783).

He developed a reputation for dispelling obstacles, and was invited by the Tibetan Government to perform the rites on behalf of the nation. According to legend, when he was twenty-seven his future wife Sonam Wangmo fell ill, and she came to him to receive a blessing. During the ceremony, she had a vision of him as Vajrakīlaya. She vomited blood and puss and was completely cured. Three years later he had a vision of the Sakya protector deity named Putra (pu tra).

In 1735 the King of Derge, Tenpa Tsering (sde dge chos rgyal bstan pa tshe ring, 1678-1738) sent a copy of the Derge Kangyur (sde dge bka' 'gyur) to Sakya, which was received in grand ceremony. Four years later the Derge king Puntsok Tenpa (phun tshogs bstan pa, d. 1751) arrived at Sakya with a retinue of five hundred people. They brought many gifts, including the Derge editions of the collected works of the Sakya masters, gold and silver items, brocades – reportedly over one thousand items.

Ngawang Sonam Rinchen passed away in the iron rooster year of 1741. His son Ngawang Kunga Lodro succeeded him as the Thirty-first Sakya Tridzin.

Dirk Schmidt is Ph.D. student in Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. www.dirkpschmidt.com

Published November 2015

Images

Wangdu Nyingpo and other masters

Wangdu Nyinpo was the Twenty-ninth Sakya Tridzin. This painting gives visual representation to his previous incarnations, which include Padmasambhava, and some of his disciples.

参考书目

Mkhan po bsod nams rgya mtsho. 2011. Gdan rabs ngo mtshar bang mdzod by mkhan po bsod nams rgya mtsho. Dehradun: Sakya College, pp. 379-384.

Mu po. 2002. Gsung ngag rin po che lam 'bras bla ma brgyud pa'i rnam thar kun 'dus me long. Beijing: Mi rigs dpe skrun khang, p. 177. TBRC W23724.

有关该人物的著作可参阅TBRC网站