The Treasury of Lives

Tokden Yeshe Tendzin (rtogs ldan ye shes bstan 'dzin) was born in Tromdzong (khrom rdzongs) in the Shardza (shar rdza) region of Kham some time in the eighteenth century. He was the second of four brothers.

He is said to have manifested devotion and a great intelligence from an early age. He learned to read and write with his uncle Tokden Yungdrung Tsultrim (rtogs ldan g.yung drung tshul khrims), a teacher at Tokden Monastery (rtogs ldan dgon) and later received ordination from Trotsang Tendzin Norbu (khro tshang bstan 'dzin nor bu) who gave him the monastic name Yeshe Tendzin (ye shes bstan 'dzin).

Acting as his first root-master, Tendzin Norbu gradually gave him many exoteric and esoteric teachings, with all their empowerments (dbang) and reading authorizations (lung). In particular, the young Yeshe Tendzin received the Mother and Son preliminaries of A khrid (A khrid ma bu'i sngon 'gro) composed by Rigdzin Kundrol Drakpa (rig 'dzin kun grol grags pa), as well as all the secret oral instructions associated with the main practice (dngos gzhi) of this cycle. Kundrol Drakpa, the twenty-sixth lineage holder of the Atri teachings, is considered his main teacher.

He then left his home and resolved to meditate without any distractions. In the solitude of his hermitage, he intensively trained in the practice of tummo (gtum mo), in the yoga based on channels and winds (rtsa rlung), and more specifically in the clear-light practice of Togel and its Four Visions (thod rgal snang bzhi). During that time he received the help of his elder brother named Kura (ku ra) who provided him with tsampa and tea.

He is said to have rid himself of all potential obstacles, such as worldly concerns, distractions, laziness, etc., and to have practiced day and night with zeal and resilience. It is further said that during his practice, he apprehended all erroneous appearances ('khrul snang) as being naturally purified in and by themselves within the utterly pure state of Reality (bon nyid). According to tradition, from that time onwards, he was able to let all his activities manifest as natural expressions of the dynamism of his own Awareness (rig pa'i rtsal). It is said that due to his former training, Self-Arisen Wisdom (rang byung ye shes) dawned in his continuum, liberating him from all dualities such as those of Saṃsāra and Nirvāṇa. He is also said to have been able to convert beings according to their dispositions, always in appropriate manners.

The later tradition reports that Yeshe Tendzin was able to display wonders as well as incredible signs of spiritual accomplishment, and to have taught innumerable disciples. Throughout his life, he however maintained a very low profile and never kept anything from the offerings presented to him, using them instead for rituals feasts (tshogs).

At the end of his life, he is said to have simply dissolved into Space, within an extraordinary display of sounds, lights and rays. Relics and seed syllables were found in his ashes. These were later placed in a stūpa, which was razed during the Cultural Revolution.

He had numerous disciples coming from Kham and Amdo. The most important ones were Trotrul Tenpai Gyeltsen (khro sprul bstan pa'i rgyal mtshan) and his younger brother Trowo Gyeltsen (khro bo rgyal mtshan), and Drubwang Yungdrung Puntsok (grub dbang g.yung drung phun tshogs) who was to become his main heir in this lineage of transmission.