The Treasury of Lives

Bangowa Tsondru Gyatso (sbra mgo ba brtson 'grus rgya mtsho) was born in Horpo (hor po), the village at the base of the mountain upon which Katok is situated, presumably during the last quarter of seventeenth century.

As a youth he studied the treasure revelations of Dundul Dorje (bdud 'dul rdo rje, 1615-1672) and Longsel Nyingpo (klong gsal snying po, 1625-1692) with their lineage-holding relatives (and perhaps Longsel Nyingpo himself).

At some point he built a hermitage at the outlying retreat (yang dben) of Bango (sbra mgo), on a peak above Katok. He spent most of his life there and was even known as the Lama of Bango (Bangowa). After he passed the Getse line of lamas established their household at Bango. Tsondru Gyatso's chief disciples were Katok's two most highly-ranked incarnate lamas: the First Drime Zhingkyong, Drime Zhingkyong Gonpo (dri med zhing skyong 01 dri med zhing skyong mgon po, b. 1724); and the First Moktsa, Namkha Chowang (rmog rtsa 01, nam mkha' chos dbang, d. 1784).

Bangowa's nephew Yeshe Puntsok (ye shes phun tshogs, d.u.) was the reincarnation of Gyagar Tashi (rgya gar bkra shis, d.u.) and lived at the holy site of Drodung (bro rdung) in Dege. He founded a monastery there at which he instituted the study and practice of the Kama and Terma. The abbot of this monastery was another of Tsondru Gyatso's nephews, Tsewang Trinle (dbon tshe dbang phrin las, d.u.). During the early years of the monastery, Tsondru Gyatso, Drungpa Namkha Gyatso, (kaH thog pa drung pa nam mkha’ rgya mtsho d.u.), and Tashi Puntsok (v, d.u.) taught there for varying lengths of time.

Tsondru Gyatso died in the eighteenth century. While not considered to have been an incarnate lama himself, Tsondru Gyatso spawned a line of incarnate lamas called the Chaktsa lamas.