The Treasury of Lives

Tsakho Ngawang Drakpa (tsha kho ngag dbang grags pa) was born to an aristocratic family in the Tsenlha (btsan lha) principality of Gyarong (rgyal rong) in 1365. Because of his royal background, he is often referred to as Tsakho Ponpo (tsha kho dpon po), or Tsakho chieftain. For his scholarly achievements he was known as Khenchen Ngawang Drakpa (mkhan chen ngag dbang grags pa). There is currently no known biography of Tsakho Ngawang Drakpa; most of what we know of him comes from the biographies of his contemporaries. 

In 1381, at the age of sixteen, Ngawang Drakpa left for central Tibet to study at various monastic institutions. At one of these he encountered Tsongkhapa Lobzang Drakpa (tsong kha pa blo bzang grags pa, 1357-1419), who had recently completed his examination debates (grwa skor) at Nartang Monastery (snar thang) and had begun to accept his own students. Ngawang Drakpa became his chief attendant.^[1] Tibetan historians such as Paṇchen Sonam Drakpa (P101 paṇ chen bsod nams grags pa, 1478-1554) and Desi Sanggye Gyatso (sde srid sangs rgyas rgya mtsho, 1653-1705) list him as one of the first four disciples of Tsongkhapa (sras snga tshar bzhi'i nang tshan), the other three being Drakpa Lodro (grags pa blo gros) from Kham, Dongton Yeshe Pel (rong ston ye shes dpal), and Geshe Tonpa (dge bshes ston pa).^[2]

Around 1388 Ngawang Drakpa accompanied Tsongkhapa to Lhasa where they prayed together in front of the Śākyamuni Buddha image in the Jokhang (jo khang). Later that night, Tsongkhapa instructed Ngawang Drakpa to examine any dreams he might have. Ngawang Drakpa reportedly dreamed of a pair of conch shells that fell from the sky into his laps and merged into one, which he blew like a trumpet. Tsongkhapa declared that the dream "was an auspicious sign that Tsakho Ngawang Drakpa would spread Buddhism to the land of Gyelmorong."^[3]

It is not clear when Tsakho Ngawang Drakpa returned to Gyarong to spread Tsongkhapa's teaching there. It appears likely that he remained in central Tibet for roughly a decade. While the biography of the First Kirti, Rongchen Gendun Gyeltsen (kirti 01 rong chen dge 'dun rgyal mtshan,1374-1450), indicates that Tsakho Ngawang Drakpa had left for Gyarong by 1410, the founding dates of his monasteries suggests that he was already there in the last decade of the fourteenth century. Gendun Gyaltsen and Tsakho Ngawang Drakpa, as disciples of Tsongkhapa, collaborated in their missionary work in Ngawa and Gyarong regions by performing consecration rituals for each other’s monasteries.

Tsongkhapa and Ngawang Drakpa corresponded with each other after Ngawang Drakpa returned to Gyarong. In a letter Tsongkhapa sent in 1402 in response to gifts, he wrote that he admired Ngawang Drakpa for spreading Buddhism in the "dark borderlands" (mtha' 'khob mun gling) and thanked him for the set of robes and the pair of boots.^[4] This theme of bringing the light of Buddhism to the dark lands of Gyarong is repeated in a eulogy to Ngawang Drakpa that Khedrubje Gelek Pelzang (mkhas grub rje dge legs dpal bzang, 1385-1448), a later disciple of Tsongkhapa, composed at the request of a Gyarong ruler named Lama Pelden Chokyi Drakpa. (bla ma dpal ldan chos kyi grags pa). In it Khedrubje commends Ngawang Drakpa for spreading the teachings of Tsongkhapa far and wide and for his victory in converting the "enemy lands."^[5]

When Tsongkhapa completed his Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path (lam rim chen mo) and Great Treatise on Tantra (sngags rim chen mo), he sent copies to Ngawang Drakpa.^[6] We know that one of Tsongkhapa's most popular works, The Three Principal Aspects of the Path (lam gtso rnam gsum), was written specifically for Ngawang Drakpa. The last verse of the text states:

Like that, the principal elements of the path, when it is understood as it is, take refuge to solitude and make effort, and quickly achieve your goal, my son.

The text ends with: "Thus, this is instructed to Tsakho Wonpo Ngawang Drakpa by the widely known Lobsang Drakpa."^[7] The text was written in 1398, when Ngawang Drakpa had already returned to Gyarong, suggesting that Ngawang Drakpa had requested the teaching via correspondence. In 1415, at Ngawang Drakpa's request, Tsongkhapa composed a sādhana of the thirteen-deity Vajrabhaivara entitled Jewel Casket (rin po che'i za ma tog).

Tsakho Ngawang Drakpa was arguably the first of Tsongkhapa's disciples to spread his lama's teachings in eastern Tibet, and thereby lay the foundation there for what came to be known as the Geluk tradition. He is said to have established 108 monasteries in the Gyarong and Ngawa regions.^[8] The first of these was Adu Yakgo Monastery (a 'dus yag mgo dgon), believed to have been founded in 1394 in Ngawa. He is also considered to have established Muge Monastery (dmu dge bkra shis 'khor lo'i dgon) around the year 1400, in Gyarong, and another, Tsakho Ganden Dargye Ling (tsha kho dga' ldan dar rgyas gling), which served as his seat. The final monastery was Datsang (da tshang dgon), founded in 1414, in Japuk (ja phug), Gyarong. The name of the first suggests the beginning of a large project, while the name of the final reflects its completion. Only a few additional names of monasteries are known, much less a complete list of 108 that he is said to have founded, but it is possible that Ngawang Drakpa succeeded in establishing additional hermitages and temples. While Desi Sanggye Gyatso included Tsakho Ngawang Drakpa as one of Tsongkhapa's earliest disciples, he failed to name any monastery founded by him.^[9]

The extant written works of Tsakho Ngawang Drakpa include the Twenty-Eight Blessings of the Teacher (byin rlabs nyer brgyud kyi bla ma'i bstod pa) and Biography of Jetsun Lodro Tenpa (rje btsun blo gros bstan pa'i rnam thar gsol 'debs). The authorship of some of his works may have been mistakenly attributed to Dakpo Ngawang Drakpa (dwags po ngag dbang grags pa), and vice-versa. Most recently, in 2017, a two-volume Collected Works of Tsakho Ngawang Drakpa was published by Gansu Nationalities Publishing House as part of the series Collection of Tibetan Buddhist Masters in Aba Prefecture.

Ngawang Drakpa died at Tsakho Ganden Dargye Ling, where his remains were enshrined. The year of his passing is not known. In 1934, the temple that contained his remains was partially destroyed in a fire, and Gyarong Choktse Gyelpo (rgyal rong mchog rtse rgyal po) had it renovated and a new stūpa constructed to house Ngawang Drakpa's remains. This was demolished during the Cultural Revolution.^[10] In 1982, the Tenth Paṇchen Lama, Trinle Lhundrub Chokyi Gyeltsen (paN chen bla ma 10 phrin las lhun grub chos kyi rgyal mtshan, 1938-1989), during his tour to Barkham, donated funds and the monastery was subsequently renovated.