The Treasury of Lives

Wara Zhabdrung Jamyang Namkha Gyeltsen (wa ra zhabs drung nam mkha' rgyal mtshan) was likely born in the 1830s. He was assigned the position of Tartse Zhabdrung (thar rtse zhabs drung), an abbatial candidate of Ngor Monastery from the Tartse Labrang (thar rtse bla brang). He is known to have received the Hevajra transmission from the forty-seventh Ngor abbot Jampa Kunga Tenzin (byams pa kun dga' bstan 'dzin, 1776–1862). He also received the Hevajra transmission from the forty-ninth Ngor abbot, Pelden Chokyi Gyeltsen (dpal ldan chos kyi rgyal mtshan, circa 1784–circa 1854).[1]

He went to Kham at some point in the second half of the nineteenth century, as Ngor abbatial candidates were expected to do, to teach, raise money for his labrang, and cultivate disciples. He was based at Wara Monastery (wa ra dgon) and so became known as Wara Zhabdrung (wa ra zhabs drung). He transmitted the Hevajra teachings he had received from the forty-seventh Ngor abbot to Jamyang Loter Wangpo ('jam dbyang blo gter dbang po, 1847-1914), and also those he had received from the forty-ninth Ngor abbot to Dampa Rinpoche Ngawang Lodro Zhenpen Nyingpo, (dam pa rin po che ngag dbang blo gros gzhan phan snying po, 1876–1952), the sixty-fifth Ngor abbot .

According to Jamgon Kongtrul (byam mngon kong sprul, 1813–1899), in Kham, Jamyang Namkha Gyeltsen was also a teacher to Jamyang Rinchen Dorje ('jam dbyangs rin chen rdo rje, 1837–1901), who would later serve as the fifty-eighth Ngor abbot, and to Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo ('jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse'i dbang po, 1820–1892). Kongtrul also notes that Khyentse Wangpo transmitted to Wara Zhabdrung the Compendium of Sādhanas (sgrub thabs kun btus) and supplementary materials.^[2]

Jackson states that Wara Zhabdrung did not return to Ngor to take up the abbacy because his manager (phyag mdzod) insisted he remain in Kham to continue teaching. Jackson also speculates that this individual may have been the Wara Zhabdrung whom Katok Situ Chokyi Gyatso (kaH thog si tu chos kyi rgya mtsho, 1880–1923/1925) credited with building a reliquary for Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo at the Tartse Labrang of Ngor. If so, he either returned to Ngor at some point or sponsored the installation from afar.^[3]

He passed away at Wara. The year of his death must have been before 1919. This is because in 1925 or 1926 the sixty-third Ngor abbot, Jamyang Kunzang Tenpai Gyeltsen ('jam dbyangs kun bzang bstan pa'i rgyal mtshan, died circa 1929), attempted to designate his nephew, Chogye Trichen (bco brgyad khri chen, 1920–2007), as Wara Zhabdrung's reincarnation in an vain attempt to keep the child at the Khangsar Labrang (khang gsar bla brang) of Ngor Monastery.^[4]

 

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