The Treasury of Lives

Samten Gyatso (bsam gtan rgya mtsho) was born in 1616, the fire-dragon year of the tenth sexagenary cycle, in Rebkong (reb kong), Amdo. His family belonged to the Yungok (g.yu rngog) clan.

He was given lay vows by Shar Kelden Gyatso (shar skal ldan rgya mtsho, 1607-1677) at age eleven. When he was fifteen he was part of the first group of monks to receive monastic ordination at Tosam Namgyel Ling (thos bsam rnam rgyal gling), the dialectical school at Rongwo Monastery (rong bo dgon chen) that Shar Kelden Gyatso had established in 1630.

He studied under Likya Sherab Sengge (li kya shes rab seng+ge, d.u.), the First Amdron Khetsun Gyatso (a mgron 01 mkhas btsun rgya mtsho, 1604-1679) and Chokyi Gyatso (chos kyi rgya mtsho, 1571-1635), the second throne holder of Kumbum Monastery (sku 'bum). He toured the Geluk monasteries of Amdo for additional instruction. Later he spent time in retreat at the instruction of Shar Kelden Gyatso at retreat centers such as Lhundrub Dzong (lhun grub rdzong), Yugu Tongtse (dbyu gu mthong rtse), Gengya Drakkar (rgan gya brag dkar), Wenne Tashikhyil (dben gnas bkra shis 'khyil), and Wenne Samdrub Deden Ling (dben gnas bsam grub bde ldan gling).

He received full monastic ordination from Kelden Gyatso at age twenty-eight.

At age thirty-one, at the suggestion of Lobzang Tenpai Gyeltsen (blo bzang bstan pa'i rgyal mtshan, 1581-1659), he went to Lhasa to study for twelve years. He studied under Gyelrong Tenpa Dargye (rgyal rong bstan pa dar rgyas, d.u.) at Jangtse College (byang rtse grwa tshang) at Ganden (dga' ldan) monastic university, and under Ngawang Peljor (ngag dbang dpal 'byor, d.1669) at Gomang College (sgo mang grwa tshang) in Drepung ('bras spung) monastic university. He also pursued tantric studies and practices at Gyume College (rgyud smad) under instructions from Damcho Namgyel (dam chos rnam rgyal, d.u.), and ultimately earned the title of Rabjampa (rab 'byams pa).

While in Lhasa he had an audience with the Fourth Paṇchen, Lobzang Chokyi Gyeltsen (paN chen 04 blo bzang chos kyi rgyal mtshan, 1570-1662) and the Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobzang Gyatso (tA la'i bla ma 05 ngag dbang blo bzang rgya mtsho, 1617-1682). According to his hagiography, he received various teachings from twenty-three masters.

He later retuned back in Amdo at the request of Kelden Gyatso, and, in 1666, founded the hermitage Dedzom Gatsel (bde 'dzoms dga' tshal) in Shukshar (shug shar), and devoted himself to meditation retreat.

In 1670 he ascended to the abbatial throne of Rongwo monastery. In addition to his teaching duties, he promoted the recitation of mantra in over eighty-one villages. For this he was known as Yungok Maṇipa (g.yu rngog ma Ni pa), the mantra-reciter of the Yungok clan.

He passed away in 1678, at the age sixty-three, in Dedzom Gatsel.