Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen
Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen, the previous life of Dorje Shugden. Behind him is his Ladrang in Drepung Monastery known as Zimkhang Gomang. Click to enlarge.
b.1619 – d.1656
Tradition: Geluk དགེ་ལུགས།
Geography: Lhasa ལྷ་ས།
Historical Period: 17th Century ༡༧ དུས་རབས།
Institution: Drepung Monastery འབྲས་སྤུངས་།; Olkha Cholung འོལ་ཁ་ཆོས་ལུང་།; Trode Khangsar སྤྲོ་བདེ་ཁང་གསར།
Name Variants: Zimkhang Gongma 04 Sonam Drakpa Gyeltsen གཟིམས་ཁང་གོང་མ ༠༤ གྲགས་པ་རྒྱལ་མཚན།
Drakpa Gyeltsen, better known as Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen, was born in 1619 in Tolung Gekhasa (stod lung gad kha sa) into a noble family by the same name as the village. His family had previously produced the Twenty-fifth Ganden Tripa, Peljor Gyatso (dga’ ldan khri pa 25 dpal ‘byor rgya mtsho, 1526-1599). His mother was called La Agyel. He was a candidate for the recognition of the rebirth of the Fourth Dalai Lama, Yonten Gyatso (ta la’i bla ma 04 yon tan rgya mtsho, 1589-1616), but was passed over. The Fourth Panchen Lama, Lobzang Chokyi Gyeltsen (paN chen 04 blo bzang chos kyi rgyal mtshan, 1570-1662) instead recognized him, at the age of six, as the reincarnation of the Fifteenth Ganden Tripa, Panchen Sonam Drakpa (dga’ ldan khri pa 15 paN chen bsod nams grags pa, 1478-1554). Panchen Sonam Drakpa himself was the reincarnation of Duldzin Drakpa Gyeltsen (‘dul ‘dzin grags pa rgyal mtshan, 1374-1434), a close disciple of Tsongkhapa Lobzang Drakpa (tsong kha pa blo bzang grags pa, 1357-1419). With the recognition the Panchen Lama gave him his novice vows and the name Drakpa Gyeltsen.
The Fourth Panchen Lama, Lobzang Chokyi Gyeltsen. Click to enlarge. Image credit: himalayanart.org
Drakpa Gyeltsen studied with the Panchen Lama at Drepung Monastery, living beside the Panchen Lama’s other disciple, Ngawang Lobzang Gyatso, who had been chosen as the Fifth Dalai Lama (ta la’i bla ma 05 ngag dbang blo bzang rgya mtsho, 1617-1682). He lived in the Upper House, and so carried the title “Zimkhang Gongma” (gzims khang gong ma).
He studied with notable lamas of Kyormolung (skyor mo lung), Rawato (rwa ba stod) and other monasteries as well, and practiced at Olkha Cholung (‘ol dga’ chos lung) and Ribo Gephel (ri bo dge ‘phel). Sources on his life contend that in his youth Drakpa Gyeltsen was as sought-after as the young Fifth Dalai Lama, the two of them together presiding over the Lhasa Monlam, their thrones placed side by side.
The circumstances around his death are a large part of the legend of the deity Dorje Shugden (rdo rje zhugs ldan). Although causes and motives for his death — he was reportedly discovered in his quarters with a kata stuffed down his throat — vary considerably, it does appear that Drakpa Gyeltsen’s reputation inspired considerable jealousy among the Dalai Lama’s supporters, and there were several highly-placed officials who wished him ill.
Lhasa Cityscape. At the center of the composition is the Potala Palace built in the mid 17th century. At the top left is Drepung Monastery and on the right is Sera Monastery. At the bottom right is the town of Lhasa with the Lhasa Tsuglakang Cathedral at the center. At the bottom left is Sangpu Neutog (gsang phu ne’u thog dgon pa). At the middle left side is the small image of the stupa gate, the entrance to Lhasa from the west side. On the hill to the left of the gate is Chakpori with the Lhasa medical college situated at the very top. Image credit: himalayanart.org. Click on image to enlarge.
According to Dungkar and his sources, Drakpa Gyeltsen was murdered by Nangso Norbu (nang so nor bu), the brother (sku mched) of the regent of Tibet, Sonam Chopel (sde srid / zhal ngo bsod nams chos ‘phel, 1595-1658). The deed took place on the thirteenth day of the fifth month of the fire-snake year, 1656, a year after the Fifth Dalai Lama returned from Beijing with considerable new authority in the control of Tibet.
Following his death a silver reliquary was constructed and installed in the residence at Drepung, but this was destroyed following the claims that Drakpa Gyeltsen had been reborn as an evil spirit. This part of the story appears to have been initiated by the Sakya Lama Morchen Kunga Lhundrub (rmor chen kun dga’ lhun grub, 1654-1726), who wrote a small ritual manual to the deity.
In other tellings, Drakpa Gyeltsen killed himself via the same method, weary of foiling attempts on his life by the Fifth Dalai Lama’s faction. He instructed his disciples to burn his body, and predicted that the smoke from his funeral pyre – if he was innocent of all accusations made against him by his enemies were false – would rise straight into the sky and form a menacing black cloud in the form of an open hand. When this occurred, the disciples prayed to their deceased teacher that he not leave the world but remain and take revenge on the Dalai Lama and his supporters.
Dorje Shugden seated on a throne surrounded by a retinue of four emanations. Image credit: himalayanart.org. Click on image to enlarge
Soon after, the story goes – and there are many stories, most of which, based on the art-historical evidence, seem to be quite late, possibly even early twentieth-century – all sorts of calamities befell the residents of Lhasa and the region: diseases, deaths, and crop failures. The Fifth Dalai Lama was unable to eat his noon meal in peace, as dishes would mysteriously overturn. The Tibetan government enlisted the aid of either a Sakya or a Mindroling hierarch, who attempted to destroy the evil spirit that was identified as being causing the disruptions by means of a fire ritual (sbyin sreg). The attempt was unsuccessful, and the Tibetan government instead beseeched the spirit to protect, rather than harm, the Geluk tradition.
Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen. Click to enlarge.
Alternately, having taken his own life, Drakpa Gyeltsen was reborn in a god realm and came out of his own benevolence to protect the Geluk tradition as the deity Dorje Shugden (rdo rje shugs ldan), also known as Dogyel Shugden (dol rgyal shugs ldan), a deity around whom considerable controversy has raged in recent decades.
གྲགས་པ་རྒྱལ་མཚན།
གྲགས་པ་རྒྱལ་མཚན་ནི་པཎ་ཆེན་སྐུ་ཕྲེང་བཞི་པའི་བུ་སློབ་དང་ཕྱོགས་གཏོགས་ཡིན་ལ། ཕལ་ཆེར་ཁོ་རང་འོས་སྤྲུལ་དུ་བབས་མྱོང་བའི་རྒྱལ་དབང་ལྔ་པའི་ཁ་གཏད་དུ་ལངས་མཁན་ཞིག་ཡིན་ངེས། ཁོང་ནི་ལྕེབས་པའམ་ལྐོག་གསོད་བྱས་པས། ཁོང་གི་གཤེགས་རྐྱེན་དེ་རྡོ་རྗེ་ཤུགས་ལྡན་སྐོར་གྱི་ངག་རྒྱུན་མང་པོ་དེའི་འབྱུང་རྐྱེན་དུ་གྱུར་པ་རེད།
Teachers
- The Fourth Panchen Lama, Lobzang Chokyi Gyeltsen པཎ་ཆེན་བླ་མ ༠༤ བློ་བཟང་ཆོས་ཀྱི་རྒྱལ་མཚན། b.1570 – d.1662
Students
- blo bzang ngag dbang བློ་བཟང་ངག་དབང། b.1591
Previous Incarnations
- Duldzin Drakpa Gyeltsen འདུལ་འཛིན་གྲགས་པ་རྒྱལ་མཚན། b.1374 – d.1434
- Paṇchen Sonam Drakpa པཎ་ཆེན་བསོད་ནམས་གྲགས་པ། b.1478 – d.1554
- bsod nams ye shes dbang po བསོད་ནམས་ཡེ་ཤེས་དབང་པོ། b.1556 – d.1592
Bibliography
- Batchelor, Stephen. 1998. “Letting Light into Magic: The Life and Times of Dorje Shugden.” Tricycle, vol 7, no. 3, pp. 60-66.
- Blo bzang chos kyi rgyal mtshan. N.d. Sprul sku grags pa rgyal mtshan gyi skyes rabs gsol ‘debs. In Gsung ‘bum blo bzang chos kyi rgyal mtshan, vol. 5, p. 83. Tashilhunpo? TBRC W9848.
- Blo bzang rta mgrin. 1975-1976. Sprul sku grags pa rgyal mtshan gyi bka’ ‘bum dza la’i dpe mdzod kyi phugs nas rnyed de gsar bzhengs pa’i zhal bayang snyan gong me tog bzhugs. In Gsung ‘bum blo bzang rta mgrin, vol. 14, pp. 429-432. New Delhi: Mongolian Lama Gurudeva. TBRC W13536.
- Bstan pa bstan ‘dzin. 2003. Chos sde chen po dpal ldan ‘bras spungs bkra shis sgo mang grwa tshang gi chos ‘byung dung g.yas su ‘khyil ba’i sgra dbyangs. Mondgod: Dpal ldan ‘bras spungs bkra shis sgo mang dpe mdzod khang, vol. 1, p. 55. TBRC W28810.
- Chab spel tshe brtan phun tshogs and Mi ‘gyur rdo rje, eds. 1991. Bod kyi gal che’i lo rgyus yig cha bdams bsgrigs. Lhasa: Bod ljongs mi dmangs dpe skrun khang, p. 293. TBRC 19220.
- Dung dkar blo bzang ‘phrin las. 2002. Dung dkar tshig mdzod chen mo. Beijing: Krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang, pp. 1820-1821.
- Dreyfus, George. 1998. “The Shuk-den affair: History and nature of a quarrel.” Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 227-269.
- Jackson, David P. 2001. “The ‘Bhutan Abbot’ of Ngor: Stubborn Idealist with a Grudge against Shugs-ldan.” Lungta 14.
- Lopez, Donald. 1998. Prisoners of Shangri-La. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, pp. 188-196.
- McCune, Lindsay G. 2007. “Tales of Intrigue from Tibet’s Holy City: The Historical Underpinning of a Modern Buddhist Crisis.” Unpublished M.A. Thesis, Florida State University.
- Nebesky-Wojkowitz, René de. 1996 (1956). Oracles and Demons of Tibet. Delhi: Book Faith, pp. 134-144.
- Ngag dbang blo bzang rgya mtsho. 2009. Sprul sku grags pa rgyal mtshan gyi sku skye myur byon gyi smon lam tshigs bcad. In Gsung ‘bum ngag dbang blo bzang rgya mtsho, p. 28. Beijing: Krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang. TBRC W1PD107937.
- von Brück, Michael. 2001. “Canonicity and Divine Interference.” In Charisma and Canon: Essays on the Religious History of the Indian Subcontinent. Dalmia, V, et al., eds. Delhi: Oxford University Press, pp. 328-49.
Source: Alexander Gardner, “Drakpa Gyeltsen,” Treasury of Lives, accessed July 12, 2018, http://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Drakpa-Gyeltsen/3040.
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.
Published December 2010
Disclaimer: All rights are reserved by the author. The article is reproduced here for educational purposes only.
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Click to enlarge.
Addendum: Oklha Cholung Monastery
Olkha Cholung Monastery
Olkha Cholung Monastery, located near the town of Olkha in Zangri County, was intitally founded as a hermitage in 1393 by Tsongkhapa, who meditated in the nearby Ozerpuk cave with followers who came to be known as the Eight Disciples of Olkha. Tradition holds that Tsongkhapa’s footprints can still be seen in this cave. The reconstructed assembly hall has images of Tsongkhapa and the eight disciples, as well a protector deity.
Source: https://treasuryoflives.org/institution/Olkha-Cholung. Click to enlarge.
Click here to see more beautiful and updated photographs of Trode Khangsar, the Dorje Shugden chapel in Lhasa, Tibet which was built by His Holiness the 5th Dalai Lama: https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/?p=92148
For more interesting information:
- The Dorje Shugden category on my blog
- The Tsongkhapa category on my blog
- The Great Lamas and Masters category on my blog
- Who is Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen
- Reincarnation Lineage Prayer to Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen by Dorje Shugden
- Reincarnation Lineage Prayer to Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen by 4th Panchen Lama
- Panchen Lama’s Dorje Shugden Puja text
- The 14th Dalai Lama’s prayer to Dorje Shugden
- Glenn Mullin on Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen
- Dorje Shugden Illustrated Story and Graphic Novel
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Drakpa Gyeltsen, better known as Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen, was born in 1619 in Tolung Gekhasa (stod lung gad kha sa) into a noble family by the same name as the village.Drakpa Gyeltsen studied with the Panchen Lama at Drepung Monastery, living beside the Panchen Lama’s other disciple, Ngawang Lobzang Gyatso, who had been chosen as the Fifth Dalai Lama. Sources on his life contend that in his youth Drakpa Gyeltsen was as sought-after as the young Fifth Dalai Lama, the two of them together presiding over the Lhasa Monlam, their thrones placed side by side. The circumstances around his death are a large part of the legend of the deity Dorje Shugden (rdo rje zhugs ldan). Although causes and motives for his death — he was reportedly discovered in his quarters with a kata stuffed down his throat — vary considerably, it does appear that Drakpa Gyeltsen’s reputation inspired considerable jealousy among the Dalai Lama’s supporters, and there were several highly-placed officials who wished him ill. Following his death a silver reliquary was constructed and installed in the residence at Drepung, but this was destroyed following the claims that Drakpa Gyeltsen had been reborn as an evil spirit. This part of the story appears to have been initiated by the Sakya Lama Morchen Kunga Lhundrub. Alternately, having taken his own life, Drakpa Gyeltsen was reborn in a god realm and came out of his own benevolence to protect the Geluk tradition as the deity Dorje Shugden, a deity around whom considerable controversy has raged in recent decades. Thank you Rinpoche and blog team for sharing this interesting background of Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen ??
Reincarnation Lineage Prayer of the Incarnate Master Dragpa Gyaltsan
This prayer also, to the incarnate master Dragpa Gyaltsan through his reincarnations, has been spoken for the benefit of all migratory beings by the Vajra Shugden who protects the holy Dharma, at the sacred abode Choling in response to requests from many devout monks and nuns and householders. Gedun Choejor was the scribe. May this serve as cause for all migratory beings swiftly attaining in one lifespan the state of Vajradhara.
May there be auspiciousness!
Lord Manjushri, the sole father of all kindhearted Victors,
Lord Tsongkhapa, whose renown fills this world,
Lord Yamantaka who has arisen to subdue the intractable:
Bless us supplicants with common and uncommon attainments!
Lord Sambhota, the best of scholars,
Loden Sherab, the savant in all classics,
Lords Naropa and Khyungpo Naljor:
Bless us supplicants with common and uncommon attainments!
Ralo Dorjedrag and master Khutoen,
Masters Sakya Shri and Choeku Woezer,
And to the Omniscient Lord Buton:
Bless us supplicants with common and uncommon attainments!
The all-pervading Tsarchen, and Sonam Dragpa;
Sonam Yeshe, prominent among saviors of beings;
Sonam Geleg, in whom merit and virtues shone like the sun:
Bless us supplicants with common and uncommon attainments!
Dragpa Gyaltsan, the master leading nyig-dhue1 beings to liberation,
Whose very name, just hearing, frees from the lower migrations,
Who leads to liberation any who supplicates single-mindedly:
To this protector of teachings and beings of three worlds we pray.
Ngawang Jinpa the emanation in saffron robes, and
Ngawang Tenzin, upholder of the victory banner of the teaching,
And Jetsun Losang Geleg, the great master:
Bless us supplicants with common and uncommon attainments!
Losang Tenzin, the victory banner of Dharma who comes
As kings, ministers and monks for beings and dharma’s sake,
In successions endless as ripple in water:
To such past and future emanations we pray.
By the truth power of the Three Jewels,
By the enlightened actions of oceanic dharmapalas
Such as the Four-faced Lord and the Dorje Shugden,
May all beings live well and in happiness.
As you embody all Three Roots2,
For us all migratory beings here, in the future, and in bardho3,
In all happy and bad times we have none but you:
Hold us, without separation, with parental love.
When in future you enact the enlightened deeds,
As attaining Enlightenment as Buddha Rabsal among others,
May we and all other beings connected with us,
Be the first to taste the nectar of your vast and profound words.
May we, and all sentient beings, in all lifetimes,
Come into contact with the Second Buddha’s teachings,
May we all take on the going forth, and take
All sentient beings across the ocean of samsara.
Footnotes
[1] ‘Degenerate times’ that is characterized by “five dregs in terms of lifespan, times, delusions, views and sentient beings.” Source: Commentary on the Abhidharmakosh by Chim Namkha Drag, also known as ‘Chim Jampalyang’ (1210-1285); folio 181 (p. 371) ); Woodblock edition, 1893; No. of folios 430 (pp. 869)
[2] The spiritual mentor, the meditational deity, and the dakas and dakinis.
[3] The intermediate state between death and next rebirth.
————————
Reincarnation Lineage Prayer of Tulku Dragpa Gyaltsan
This praise to the reincarnation lineage of the supreme incarnation Dragpa Gyaltsan has been composed by the monk Losang Choekyi Gyaltsan (The 4th Panchen Lama) at the prayer hall of Tashi Lhunpo on account of fervent requests from Legpa Gyaltsan and many other attendants of the master.
May there be auspiciousness!
The one whose renown permeates the world;
The great being holding aloft the banner,
Of the Second Buddha, happiness and wellbeing’s source:
At that great master’s feet we pray.
At the feet of the World Teacher with the ten powers,
You invoked the power of truth with pure superior intent,
Causing flowers to fall like rains.
We pray at the feet of that great master.
The Guide of all migratory beings both man and god;
The treasury of all knowledge and attainments in dharma;
The great hero who strove for the supreme liberation:
We pray at the feet of Choekyi Jhangchub.
The one whose greatness, on account of pure prayer,
Was like that of a second Buddha;
And was supreme Guide to fortunate ones of India and Tibet:
We pray at the feet of that great being.
In the sky of the great bliss of Dharmakaya,
The radiant orb of the three bodies of the Buddha is full circle,
Radiating a million rays of enlightened activities: We pray at the feet
Of that opener of a million lotuses of benefit and wellbeing.
We pray at the feet of Master Buton, the unrivalled
Amongst all those who are scholars and realized ones,
In upholding and spreading the Buddha’s teaching,
By example in teaching and practice.
With an intellect superbly trained from the past,
Your mind joyously bloomed in all profound paths.
With single-minded effort you attained supreme realization.
We pray at the feet of that supreme and realized master.
From the vast lotus gardens of phuntsog* merit,
Myriad lotuses, with hundreds of petals, of learning and practice, bloom.
The fragrant scents of good name and deed dispel the ancient sicknesses
Of migrant beings: At the feet of that master we pray.
By the wish-granting jewel of merit and wisdom,
You became a crown jewel of both man and gods,
Its hundred rays of good deed dispelling the dark ignorance
Of all migrant beings: At your feet we pray.
The vast celestial mansion of virtuous accumulation of merits,
Overflows with jewels of the good path of the three trainings.
We pray at the feet, of its dweller─a guide of all beings─
Attired in the magnificence of enlightened deeds.
In holding aloft the victory banner
Of the sutra and tantra teachings of the Second Buddha:
In this you are unrivalled in all three worlds.
We pray at the feet of this noble tutor.
The source of renown and wellbeing and happiness,
Is the Buddha’s teachings. May the chief of all who uphold this banner
Live for long for the sake of innumerable beings to be tamed!
May his phuntsog* enlightened deeds spread to the ten directions!
By the merit of praising in this manner, may we never be
Separated from the protection of noble spiritual mentors!
Progressing swiftly in the supreme vehicle’s path,
May we swiftly attain the state of the three kayas!
Footnotes
From Panchen Losang Chogyan, Collected Works, Vol Ca (5), folio 34a-35a (p. 83-85), Tashi Lhunpo woodblock print, Tibet.
*phuntsog: a compound word in Tibetan (of phun sum tsog) meaning the ideal combination of the three i.e. a good cause, its result and enjoyment of that result.