The Sixteenth Ganden Tripa, Chokyong Gyatso

The Sixteenth Ganden Tripa, Chokyong Gyatso (dga' ldan khri pa 16 chos skyong rgya mtsho) was born in Uto Gyara Gur (dbu stod rgya ra mgur) in 1473, the water-snake year of the eighth sexagenary cycle. At a young age he received monastic vows at Drakwar (brag dbar) where he studied both sutra and tantra. In addition to the regular courses in sutra and tantra he also studied grammar, poetry, composition, and other topics. Chokyong Gyatso then enrolled and studied advanced tantra in the Lower Tantric College (rgyud smad grwa tshang) in Lhasa, and among the teachings he was said to have mastered was the six yogas of Naropa (nA ro chos drug). Gyuchen Sherab Zangpo (rgyud chen shes rab bzang po, d.u.) was his teacher there. Later Chokyong Gyatso served as lama and master of the college. Subsequently, he served as the master of Ganden Jangtse Monastery (dga' ldan byang rtse grwa tshang) and taught for long time.

Chokyong Gyatso was enthroned as the Sixteenth Gaden Tripa at the age of sixty-two, in 1535, the wood-sheep year of the ninth sexagenary cycle, and served for five years. Among his contributions to the monastery was the creation of a giant applique thanka (gos sku chen po) of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

During the tenure of Trichen Chokyong Gyatso, most of the dharma centers located in the upper U region were controlled by the Drigung Kagyu, who, in an move to further dominate the region,  attempted forcibly convert Geluk monasteries there such as Wona ('od sna). According to the hagiographies, Chokyong Gyatso was somehow involved in a victorious in a mystical war of tormas (gtor ma 'phen res mdzad) with Drigungpas, thus saving his monasteries.

Chokyong Gyatso's disciples included Ngawang Drakpa (ngag dbang grags pa, d.u.) an abbot of Dakpo Monastery; the Ninth Segyupa, Tsondru Pakpa (srad bgyud pa 09 brtson 'grus 'phags pa d.u.); Dakpo Namkha Tashi (dwags po nam mkha' bkra shis, d.u.); and Gyeltsen Zangpo (rgyal mtshan bzang po, 1497-1548), was was later the Eighteenth Ganden Tripa.

At the age of sixty-seven, in 1539, on the twenty-eighth day of the second month of the earth-pig year of the ninth sexagenary cycle, Trichen Chokyong Gyatso passed into nirvana. A victory stupa (rnam rgyal mchod rten) was built in silver and erected in his memory.

Sources

Anon. 1997. Mal gro gung dkar rdzong. Lhasa: Lha sa grong khyer khul, p. 94.

Anon. 1994. Dga' ldan dgon pa dang brag yer pa'i lo rgyus. Lhasa: Grong khyer lha sa'i khul, p. 61.

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. 373-374.

Sde srid sangs rgyas rgya mtsho. 1989 (1698). Dga' ldan chos 'byung baiDU r+ya ser po. Beijing: Krung go bod kyi shes rig dpe skrun khang, p. 82.

Samten Chhosphel
September 2010