The Treasury of Lives

The Fifty-eighth Ganden Tripa, Ngawang Chodrak (dga' ldan khri pa 58 ngag dbang chos grags) was born near Jakhyung Monastery (bya khyung dgon) in Amdo in 1707, the fire-pig year of the twelfth sexagenary cycle. His father was named Tsering Gonpo (tse ring mgon po) and mother was called Tsering Kyi (tshe ring skyid).

At a young age he was admitted to the Jakhyung Monastery where Deyang Ngawang Gonpo (bde yangs ngag dbang mgon po, d.u.) gave him the vows of novice monk (dge tshul) and named him Ngawang Chodrak. He was given the basic training in the monastic life and learned to read and write, and memorized prayer and several important texts. His later title Jakhyung derived from this monastery.

In 1727, at the age of twenty-one, Ngawang Chodrak travelled to Lhasa and enrolled in the Sera Je College of Sera Monastic University. There he studied logic and then Abhisamayālaṃkāra, Madhyamaka, Abhidharmakośa, Pramāṇavārttika, and Vinaya, the five major subjects of the geshe curriculum, under Lobzang Chopel (rje blo bzang chos 'phel, d.u.) and Drakri Ngawang Dondrub (brag ri ngag dbang don grub, d.u.). He received the vows of full ordination (dge slong sdom pa) from the Fifth Paṇchen Lama, Lobzang Yeshe (paN chen bla ma 05 blo bzang ye shes, 1663-1737) who also later gave him many teachings.

Ngawang Chodrak received teachings from many outstanding scholars such as Drubwang Peljor Lhundrub (grub dbang dpal 'byor lhun grub, d.u.); the Second Purchok, Lobzang Jampa (phur lcog 02 blo bzang byams pa, 1763-1823/1865); the Seventh Dalai Lama, Kelzang Gyatso (ta la'i bla ma 07 bskal bzang rgya mtsho, 1708-1757); the Fifty-third Ganden Tripa Trichen Gyeltsen Sengge (dga' ldan khri pa 53 khri chen rgyal mtshan seng+ge, 1678-1756); and the Fifty-fourth Ganden Tripa Ngawang Chokden (dga' ldan khri pa 54 ngag dbang mchog ldan, 1677-1751). He received reading transmission of the Kangyur (bka' 'gyur) and many other teachings. He stood successfully for the Geshe Lharampa (dge bshes lha rams pa) examination during the Great Monlam Festival of Lhasa, the highest degree of scholarship in Geluk tradition.

Thereafter Ngawang Chodrak matriculated in the Gyume College (rgyud smad grwa tshang) for advanced studies in Tantra where he studied all aspects of the tantra including rites and rituals, maṇḍala-drawings, chanting and other related topics required in tantric practice. Subsequently he served as the chant leader (bla ma dbu mdzad), the head of education, and then abbot of Gyume. After that post he was enthroned to the seat of the abbot of Jangtse College (dga' ldan byang tse grwa tshang) of Ganden Monastic University, where he mainly focused his attention on discipline and education. Later he served as the tutor to the Eighth Dalai Lama, Jampel Gyatso (ta la'i bla ma 08 rgyal ba 'jam dpal rgya mtsho, 1758-1804) and assisted in his ordination ceremony. He also served as timekeeper (dus go ba) during the novice ordination and secret preceptor (gsang ston) for the full ordination of the Sixth Paṇchen Lama, Lobzang Pelden Yeshe (paN chen bla ma 06, blo bzang dpal ldan ye shes, 1738-1780).

In 1764, the wood-monkey year of the thirteenth sexagenary cycle, Ngawang Chodrak was enthroned as the Fifty-eighth Ganden Tripa, serving for the customary seven years, until 1770. (Some sources have it that he served from 1763 to 1769). Trichen Ngawang Chodrak built a life-size silver statue of Je Tsongkhapa with throne during his tenure and installed in the Lhaden Kyilkording (lha ldan dkyil 'khor sdings) in Ganden. He also built a life-size statue of the Buddha Jowo in copper with gold plates and presented it as a gift to Jakhyung Monastery.

In 1778, the earth-dog year of the thirteenth sexagenary cycle Trichen Jakhyung Ngawang Chodrak passed into nirvana at the age of seventy-two. His reliquary was installed in the Sera Je Monastery.