The Seventy-First Ganden Tripa, Yeshe Tardo

The Seventy-first Ganden Tripa, Yeshe Tardo (dga' ldan khri pa 71 ye shes thar 'dod) was born at Sewagang (se ba sgang) in Draksum Drula in Kongpo (kong po brag gsum 'bru la) in 1756, the iron-mouse year of the thirteenth sexagenary cycle. His father was called Dolma Dargye (sgron ma dar rgyas) and name of his mother was Sonam Peldzom (bsod nams dpal 'dzom).

At the age of ten he got his crown-hair cut by Geshe Jampa Rinchen (dge bshes byams pa rin chen d.u.) who named him Yeshe Tardo by drawing a part of the name of a previous Drula Lama named Yeshe Tenpai Dronme (ye shes bstan pa'i sgron me, d.u.) rather than from his own name, as was customary. Subsequently he was admitted in the Drula Hermitage ('bru la ri khrod) and learned reading, spelling, and memorization of prayer texts under the guidance of Gelong Kelzang Tashi (dge bshes skal bzang bkra shis, d.u.).

At the age of thirteen Yeshe Tardo received the vows of upāsaka (dge bsnyen), primary monk (rab byung), and novice monk (śrāmaṇera) from Duldzin Peljor Zangpo ('dul 'dzin dpal 'byor bzang po, d.u.) and Gelong Pakpa Samten (dge slong 'phags pa bsam gtan, d.u.). The following year he travelled to Lhasa and matriculated in the Kongpo House of Serame College of the Sera Monastic University (ser smad kong po khang tshan) and studied under a number of scholars, including Ngawang Tsultrim, the Sixty-first Ganden Tripa (dga' ldan khri pa 61 ngag dbang tshul khrims 1721-1791); Lobpon Jinpa Chozang (slob dpon sbyin pa chos bzang, d.u.); Kongpo Yeshe Rabpel (kong po ye shes rab 'phel, d.u); Gyere Zhabdrung Kelzang Tsoknyi (gye re zhabs drung skal bzang tshogs gnyis, d.u.); and Pobor Kelzang Namgyel (spo 'bor ba skal bzang rnam rgyal, d.u.). He commenced his study with logic and epistemology then gradually Abhisamayālaṅkāra, Mādhyamaka, Abhidharmakośa, Pramāṇavārtika, and Vinaya, the five major subjects of the Geluk monastic curriculum.

In the meantime, at the age of twenty-six, Yeshe Tardo received the vows of full ordination (bhikṣu) from the Eighth Dalai Lama, Jampel Gyatso (ta la'i bla ma 08 'jam dpal rgya mtsho, 1758-1804) and Ngawang Tsultrim. Having become an expert in the system of debating after his years of study in Sera, at the age of thirty-five he stood for the examination for the Geshe Lharampa degree during the Lhasa Monlam Chenmo (lha sa smon lam chen mo), finishing first in rank.

Short after the examination Geshe Yeshe Tardo enrolled in Gyuto College and studied the major tantric texts as per the tradition of Gyuto. In addition to his courses, he also learned rites and rituals, and received training in every aspect of tantric performances such as building maṇḍalas of various tantric deities and the chanting of prayers under a number of tantric scholars in the monastery. He stood for the examination at Drakyerpa (brag yer pa). He served as the disciplinarian during the winter session of studies. After successfully completing the courses, Yeshe Tardo was appointed as the chant leader (bla ma dbu mdzad), the educational head of Gyuto, at the age of forty-one, and then served as the abbot from the following year, giving comprehensive teachings on various topics as per their tradition. After he retired from Gyuto he stayed at Pakmo Chode (phag mo chos sde) and Drula Hermitage where engaged in retreat.

At the age of sixty-one, Yeshe Tardo was appointed as the abbot of Ganden Shartse (dga' ldan shar rtse) and taught both sutra and tantra and maintained the tradition of studies for many years, during which he also improved the feast-offerings and other ceremonial offerings at the monastery. Thereafter he ascended to the Golden Throne as the Seventy-first Ganden Tripa on the fourth day of the sixth month of the earth-mouse year of the fourteenth sexagenary cycle, in July 1828. (Some sources have it that he ascended to the throne in 1829.) He participated in the summer retreat (vārṣika), gave a teaching on Lamrim, and led the poṣadha ceremony, the bi-monthly confession; the following year he led the Lhasa Monlam Festival (lha sa smon lam chen mo).

At the age of seventy-four or five, in February 1830, on the thirteenth of the twelfth month of the iron-tiger year of the fourteenth sexagenary cycle, about a couple of weeks before the Tibetan New Year, Trichen Yeshe Tardo passed into nirvana. Some sources have it that he passed away in 1829, the earth-ox year at the age of seventy-four. The confusion may have caused by the differences in time of changing the year as Tibetan year changes normally in the late February or early March.

Sharpa Choje Lho Drakpa (shar pa chos rje lho brags pa) arranged for the tukdam (thugs dam) and lighted one-hundred butter lamps continuously in front of his body for a week. Monks from Serame and Gyuto performed rituals of the Yamāntaka, Cakrasaṃvara, and Guhyasamāja as part of the nirvana-prayer. Later his body was taken to Pabongkhapa Hermitage above Sera and cremated with traditional rites and rituals led by the Sharpa Choje. Prayers and offerings were made for five days at the cremation spot. Pieces of bones were collected from the ashes and later grinded into powder and used for making statues of buddhas and bodhisattvas. Abundant offerings and extensive prayers were done at the monasteries. A reliquary made of silver was built to contain the remains from his cremation and installed in the Lama Lhakhang (bla ma lha khang) of Ganden Monastery. A life-size statute of the Trichen was made later and installed in the Kongpo Dratsang of Serame Monastery.

Jampel Tsultrim (khri chen'jam dpal tshul khrims) born in Tsang Tobgyal was his successor to the Golden Throne.

Sources

Bstan pa bstan 'dzin. 1992. 'Jam mgon rgyal wa'i rgyal tshab gser khri rim byon rnams kyi khri rabs yongs 'du'i ljon bzang. Mundgod: Drepung Gomang Library, pp. 105-106.

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. 56-57.

Grong khyer lha sa srid gros lo rgyus rig gnas dpyad yig rgyu cha rtsom 'bri au yon lhan khang. 1994. Dga' ldan dgon pa dang brag yer pa'i lo rgyus, grong khyer lha sa'i lo rgyus rig gnas deb 02. Lhasa: Bod ljongs shin hwa par 'debs bzo grwa khang, p. 75.

Ye shes thub bstan rgya mtsho. N.d. Dga' ldan gser khri rin po cher dbang bsgyur ba'i skye mchog dam pa khri chen rim byon gyi rnams thar rmad byung nor bu'i phreng ba las: Khri thog don gcig pa khri chen shar rtse ba ye shes thar 'dod kyi rnam thar. pp. Ra 1-14a (original text folio number).

Samten Chhosphel
January 2011