Gendun Tashi

Jedrung Ngakrampa Gendun Tashi (rje drung sngags ram pa dge 'dun bkra shis) was born in the village of Drongtse in the Nyangto region of Tsang (gtsang nyang stod 'brong rtse) in the fire-horse year of the eighth sexagenary cycle, the year 1486.

Gendun Tashi studied under thirty-seven eminent masters in the great monasteries in U and Tsang. Some highly distinguished and popular among his masters were Gendun Gyatso (dge 'dun rgya tsho, 1475-1542), who was posthumously given the title of second Dalai Lama; Marton Tsultrim Rinchen (mar ston tshul khrims rin chen, d.u.), and Panchen Ngotsar Gyatso (pAn chen ngo mtshar rgya mtsho, d.u.). From them he received transmissions, empowerments, and instructions, particularly in the tantric tradition, and became a great master of tantra.

Gendun Tashi continued his tantric studies in the Gyuto Dratsang (rgyud stod grwa tshang), one of the two tantric colleges in Lhasa. There he studied root tantra (rtsa rgyud) and trained in both generation and completion stage practice (bskyed rdzogs). Upon becoming a highly distinguished master of tantra, earning the epithet of “sangdak (gsang bdag)”, meaning “master of secret,” he served as a reference-scholar to Gendun Gyatso, and is found in the lineage for several essoteric instruction.

At the invitation of Longpo Depa (long po sde pa), a local leader of Kongpo, Gendun Tashi went to Kongpo to perform a rituals. There he met the second Pagpa Lha Sanggye Pel ('phags pa lha 02 sangs rgyas dpal, 1507-1566) and went with him to Garchen (sgar chen) in Kham to serve as abbot of the Goyul (mgo yul) monastery.

Thereafter Gendun Tashi served as abbot in Lho Chotritang (lho chos khri thang) where he built the temple of the dharma protectors and had magnificent statues made. Moreover, he introduced the annual prayer festival of Guyasamaja. Because of his great scholarship and excellent performance in dharma activities, he developed a considerable reputation, respected by local  leaders and heads of the other monasteries in the region.

At the age of sixty-one, in fire-horse year of the ninth sexagenary cycle, the year 1546, Gendun Tashi was invited to Chamdo Jampel Ling and enthroned to the seat of abbot. Soon after taking charge of monastery he settled a dispute between Chamdo and neighboring towns, restoring good relations. With considerable administrative skill he reviewed and tightened monastic conduct. He gave teachings and empowerments not only to the monks but to the lay people of Chamdo and the surrounding region, and was greatly loved and respected. Because of his great success in overseeing the welfare of the region and his dharma activities, Gendun Tashi was highly regarded by the heads of the region's Nyingma, Sakya, and Kagyu monasteries. He also received a great deal of material offerings from the public.

In the year 1550, the iron-dog year of the ninth sexagenary cycle, Gendun Tashi commenced work on the construction of the great statue of Buddha called “Tubchen Dzamling Gyanchik Tashi Wobar” (thub bstan 'dzam gling rgyan gcig bkra shis 'o bar; the Auspiciously Glittering Sole Ornament of the Word). The statue was completed in 1553, when Gendun Tashi was sixty-eight years old. Pagpa Lha Sanggye Pel was invited to Chamdo to oversee its  consecration, which was arranged to coincide with the enthronement ceremony of Choje Miyo Nyingpo (chos rje mi gyo snying po), who succeed him as abbot of the monastery. He is said to have announced at the ceremony, “I have appointed a great kind lama to the seat, but you know the way you treat your lama.”

Gendun Tashi followed his eight years of serving the monastery as abbot with a journey to the southern region of Kham, where he widely performed empowerments on the Vajramala, Guyasamaja, Heruka, Yamantaka, and Kalacakra. He then went West and resided in Gyal Metok Tang (rgyal me tog thang) in Lhoka, a monastery founded by Gendun Gyatso. He also spent time in Drepung monastery giving transmissions and teachings to Sonam Gyatso (bsod nams rgya mtsho, 1543-1588), the Third Dalai Lama. He gave the Dalai Lama the full transmission of the four sections of tantra (rgyud sde bzhi). Gendun Tashi invited Sonam Gyatso to visit Chamdo monastery, and, strongly impressed by his scholarship and in consideration of his kindness in teachings, Sonam Gyatso accepted the invitation, agreeing to visit at the earliest possible time.

An outstanding master of tantra, Gendun Tashi wrote several liturgical texts relating to the Vajramala and other tantric systems.

At the age of seventy-two, in the fire-snake year of the ninth sexagenary cycle, the year 1557, he passed away. The third Dalai Lama took the personal responsibility for his funeral and cremation. His relics were interred at Gyal Metok Tang.

Gendun Tashi was identified as the reincarnation of the fourteenth-century Kadampa master Grubchen Lekyi Dorje (grub chen las kyi rdo rje). His own reincarnation was Dejung Gonpo (bde byung mgon po), initiating a line of incarnations known as the Sangdak Jedrung Tulku (gsang bdag rje drung sprul sku).

Source

Byams pa chos grags. N.d. Chab mdo byams pa gling gi gdan rabs. Chamdo: Chab mdo par 'debs bzo grwa par btab, pp. 85-88, 516-517.

Samten Chhosphel
April 2010