Lhodrak Sengge Zangpo

Lhodrak Sengge Zangpo (lho brag seng ge bzang po) was born into the Shupu (shud phu) clan in Lhodrak the late thirteenth or early fourteenth century. He studied reading and writing as a child, and at the age of twenty-eight he received preliminary ordination and teachings on the Vinaya from his fellow clan member Lhodrak Namkha Gyelpo (lho brag nam mkha' rgyal po, d.u.). He also studied Vinaya with Zhang Yeshe (zhang ye shes, d.u.).

Sengge Zangpo later studied Lamrim with Namkha Gyelpo, and, after his teacher passed away, he transferred to his clan's monastic seat (gdan sa), Drowa Gon (sgro ba dgon), where he trained in the Three Roots (gzhi gsum gyi phyag len) and other ritual systems. He became a close disciple of Tsonawa Sherab Zangpo (mtsho sna ba shes rab bzang po, 13th c.) and moved to the newly build college at Lawa (gla ba) monastery.

Lhodrak Sengge Zangpo is counted as the twenty-eighth holder of the Lamrim teachings.

Of his disciples, the most prominent was Khenchen Gyelse Zangpo (mkhan chen rgyal sras bzang po, d. 1356) who is counted as the thirtieth holder of the Lamrim teachings.

Sources

Grags pa 'byung gnas and Rgyal ba blo bzang mkhas grub. 1992. Gangs can mkhas grub rim byon ming mdzod. Lanzhou: Kan su'u mi rigs dpe skrun khang, pp. 1888-1889.

Yongs 'dzin ye shes rgyal mtshan. 1980. 'Dul ba'i sde snod kun 'dzin thag mar pa'i rnam thar. In Lam rim bla ma brgyud pa'i rnam thar, vol. 1, pp. 407-408. 'Bar khams: Rnga khul bod yig rtsom sgyur cus. Also published in Lam rim bla ma brgyud pa'i rnam thar, vol. 1, pp. 301-302. Lhasa: Bod ljongs mi dmangs dpe skrun khang.

Alexander Gardner
September 2010