The Treasury of Lives



The Fifth Riwoche Jedrung Rinchen Lekdrub (ri bo che 05 rje drung rin chen legs grub) was born in 1745, in Pashodrak Druka (dpa' shod brag gru kha). The Second Pakchok Rinpoche, Tashi Drakpa Gyeltsen ('phags mchog rin po che bkra shis grags pa rgyal mtshan, 1724-1785), who was the fifteenth abbot of Riwoche Monastery (ri bo che dgon), recognized him as the rebirth of the Fourth Riwoche Jedrung, Drakpa Rinchen Sherab (ri bo che rje drung 04 grags pa rin chen shes rab, 1715-1743).

When Rinchen Lekdrub was thirteen, in 1757, he was brought to Riwoche for education. Pakchok Rinpoche ordained him and gave him the transmissions and empowerments of the Taklung Kagyu tradition. He was said to have been exceedingly intelligent and an excellent painter.

He served as abbot of Yanggon Monastery (yang dgon), a branch of Riwoche, for many years, through to 1804. That year the monastery split into opposing factions and Rinchen Lekdrub was forced to leave, at the age of sixty, and he installed his disciple, Pakchok Yishi Wangpo ('phags mchog yid bzhin dbang po, d.u.) on the throne of Yanggon. Rinchen Lekdrub went to a hermitage, Drukpaka ('brug pa kha), where he meditated for the remainder of his life. He passed away in 1829.

Alexander Gardner is Director and Chief Editor of the Treasury of Lives. He completed his PhD in Buddhist Studies at the University of Michigan in 2007. He is the author of The Life of Jamgon Kongtrul The Great.

Published November 2009

参考书目

Ngag dbang bstan pa'i nyi ma. 1830. Stag lung pa'i chos srid kyi byung tshul. Unpublished manuscript.

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