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Gyeltsap Darma Rinchen (rgyal tshab dar ma rin chen 1364-1432)

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Apple, James B. 2004. “Gyeltsap Darma Rinchen (Tibetan: rgyal tshab dar ma rin chen)” Pp. 334-5 in Phyllis G. Jestice, ed., Holy People of the World: A Cross-cultural Encyclopedia. Volume 1, Entries A to G. Santa Barbara, CACA:ABCCLIO.

རྒྱལ་ཚབ་དར་མ་རིན་ཆེན་

[[Gyeltsap[Darma Rinchen]] (rgyal tshab dar ma rin chen [1364-1432])

Important philosopher-saint in the Gelukpa (dge lugs pa) school of Tibetan Buddhism who was the immediate successor to Tsong-kha-pa and first throne holder of Ganden monastery (dga’ ldan khri pa).

According to traditional biographical sources, Gyeltsap Darma rinchen was born in 1364. At the age of ten he took the vows of a novice monk and received the name Dar-ma rin-chen. He studied primary texts on Mahayana Buddhist epistemology (tshad ma), soteriology, and higher knowledge with different masters but particularly with the great Sa-skya-pa master Ren-da-wa (red mda’ ba).

Traditional stories stress Gyeltsap’s pride and arrogance in meeting Tsong-kha-pa for the first time. On one occasion where Tsong-kha-pa was teaching, Gyeltsap entered the assembly while the discourse was in progress without removing his pandit’s hat in the customary way.


Tsong-kha-pa noticed him but continued to teach. Gyeltsap strode up to the throne on which Tsong-kha-pa was seated and began to mount it. Tsong-kha-pa, without halting his teaching simply moved over to make room for him and continued. As he listened, Gyel-tsap began to realize that he was in the presence of an enlightened master and his arrogance began to subside. First, he removed his hat, then he got down from the throne and seated himself among the listeners. Rather than challenge Tsong-kha-pa, he now aspired to become his student.


Apple_2004 Gyeltsap Darma Rinchen རྒྱལ་ཚབ་དར་མ་རིན་ཆེན་.doc

When Tsong-kha-pa was establishing Gan-den (dga’ ldan) Monastery, Gyel-tsap assumed responsibility for its construction and participated personally in the administrative work. When Tsong-kha-pa was near death he gave his pandit’s hat, his yellow robes and his cape to Gyel-tsap as a sign that he was to succeed him. In retrospect it was said that early encounter was an auspicious indication that he would be

Tsong-kha-pa’s successor as holder of the Gan-den throne. He took on this responsibility at the age of fifty-six when Tsong-kha-pa died and held the position for thirteen years. At the age of sixty-eight he installed Kay-drub Ge-lek bel-sang-bo (mkhas sgrub dge legs dpal bzang po), Tsong-kha-pa’s other closest disciple, as the next holder of the Gan-den throne. Gyel-tsap was also a great scholar and wrote a number of important commentaries to Buddhist philosophical works that are utilized by scholars in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

James B. Apple

References and further reading

Jackson, Roger R. 1993. Is Enlightenment Possible?: Dharmakīrti and rGyal tshab rje on Knowledge, Rebirth, No-self and Liberation. Ithaca, N.Y.: Snow Lion Publications. Sonam, Ruth. 1993. The Yogic Deeds of Bodhisattvas: Gyeltsap on Āryadeva’s Four hundred. Commentary by Geshe Sonam Rinchen. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion Publications.



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