The Tsakho Phonpo Lineage and Geluk Heritage in Eastern Tibet

The Tsokho Ngawang Drakpa Lineage, originating with Tsakho Ngawang Drakpa, played a crucial in establishing and maintaining the Geluk school in Kham and Amdo region including Gyalmo Tsawarong (Gyarong). 

 The Great Ngawang Drakpa Lineage:

The Ngawang Drakpa Lineage (tsha kho sprul sku) form the unbroken line of reincarnate lamas who succeeded Tsakho Ngawang Drakpa and served as the primary spiritual authority of 108 monasteries.

• • Function: His lineage and successors ensured the institutional continuity of the Geluk order in Tibet and beyond. Their role went beyond spiritual guidance; they were responsible for managing the large monastic estate, maintaining the scholastic curriculum based on the Central Tibetan model, and mediating between the monastic community and the 18 kingdoms of Gyarong Region. 

• • Significance: As the direct reincarnation line of Tsongkhapa’s most active eastern disciple, they held immense prestige. They served as a spiritual anchor, ensuring that the Geluk tradition, founded far from its Central Tibetan birthplace, remained philosophically rigorous and politically stable.

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 The Geluk Heritage: Role in Preserving Tradition

The Ngawang Drakpa Lineage acted as a vital custodian of the Geluk tradition in Eastern Tibet, facing significant political and sectarian challenges over the centuries.

• • Scholastic Preservation: The Ngawang Drakpa Lineage and successors ensured that 108 Monasteries and the associated network of monasteries adhered strictly to the Geluk curriculum, emphasizing texts like Tsongkhapa’s Lam Rim Chenmo and the five major treatises. This prevented the tradition from diluting or being subsumed by older, locally dominant sects.

• • Cultural Bridge: The lineage holders and successors maintained direct, regular contact with the great Geluk centers in Central Tibet (Ganden, Drepung, Sera) and the Dalai Lamas. This connection ensured doctrinal purity and brought continuous recognition and patronage from Lhasa, reinforcing the Tsakho Tulkus’ authority against local rivals.

• • Sectoral Buffer: Tsakho Ngawang Drakpa and his successors had to navigate intense regional sectarian rivalry, particularly with the powerful local Bön groups and other established Buddhist schools. By founding 108 strong monastic centers, the lineage created a dense network that successfully established the Geluk school as a permanent and leading tradition in the region. The Tsakho Tulkus were thus key in providing the institutional framework for the Geluk school’s initial and lasting triumph in Gyarong.

Lineage Tree / Timeline to His Eminence Sungjang Rinpoche

The timeline below outlines the key figures and the continuity leading up to the current lineage holder His Eminence Sungjang Rinpoche.

Successive Figure	Title / Role	Key Contribution (Contextual)	Approximate Era
I. Ngawang Drakpa (ngag dbang grags pa)	Founder	Established Dhe-Tsang and the network of 108 monasteries; direct disciple of Tsongkhapa.	1365 – c. 1431
II. Lodrö Tenpa (blo gros bstan pa)	Successor	Secured and institutionalized the monastic tradition; continued expansion in the region.	15th Century
III. Third Tsakho Tulku	Successor	Maintained the scholastic tradition during a period of local consolidation.	16th Century
(Intervening Tulkus)	Continuing Abbots	Ensured the Geluk presence survived political shifts and regional conflicts; maintained Lhasa connection.	17th–19th Centuries
Predecessor Rinpoche	Previous Incarnation	Presided over the monastery during periods of major change (e.g., Republican Era/Sino-Tibetan conflicts).	Early 20th Century
Sungjang Rinpoche	Current Incarnation / Lineage Holder	Presides over the lineage today; responsible for the modern restoration and global outreach efforts.	Present Day

The lineage demonstrates a pattern of founder-figure stability, and scholastic rigor maintained over six centuries, allowing the legacy of Ngawang Drakpa to endure as a significant cultural and religious force in Eastern Tibet.

Lineage of the Tsakho Ngawang Drakpa

The Tsakho Ngawang Drakpa lineage served as the spiritual heads and abbots of Tatsang Monastery, the great monastic seat established by the founder.

Incarnation Number	Name (Wylie Transliteration)	Role and Historical Context
The Founder	Tsakho Ngawang Drakpa	The original master (1365–c. 1431). Direct disciple of Tsongkhapa. Established Dhe-Tsang as the 108th Geluk center in Gyarong, fulfilling his vow.
Successor	Lodrö Tenpa	The immediate successor, whose life and teachings are sometimes referenced in the founder’s own extant works (like Biography of Jetsun Lodro Tenpa). He was crucial in institutionalizing the Geluk presence.
onwards	[Subsequent Incarnations]	This line continued the spiritual and administrative oversight of the Tsakho Geluk network. They maintained the rigorous scholastic standards of the Geluk tradition in the remote eastern regions, ensuring the unbroken transmission of Tsongkhapa’s teachings, particularly the Lam Rim.
Current Incarnation	Sungjang Rinpoche	The current or most recent recognized incarnation in the Tsakho Tulku lineage. He is responsible for the modern preservation, restoration efforts, and global dissemination of the lineage’s teachings.

Lineage Tree / Timeline to Sungjang Rinpoche

The timeline is marked by the central continuity of the Tsakho Ngawang Drakpa Lineage serving as the abbot or spiritual authority over Tatsang Monastery, connecting the 15th-century founder to the present-day master.

Era	Key Event / Function of the Tulku	Preservation Aspect
15th Century	Ngawang Drakpa establishes the tradition and the first monasteries, ensuring the Geluk philosophical tradition (Lam Rim, Madhyamaka) takes root.	The Foundation of the tradition in Eastern Tibet.
16th–17th Centuries	The successive incarnation solidify the network, defending against sectarian rivals and expanding Geluk influence with the support of the local Tsakho Ponpo aristocracy.	Institutionalization and geographical expansion.
18th–19th Centuries	The incarnation maintain strong ties with Lhasa (Drepung/Ganden) to ensure doctrinal purity and scholastic rigor, often sending monks to Central Tibet for higher studies.	Doctrinal Preservation and academic standardisation.
20th Century	The lineage survives major political turbulence, including regional conflicts and the Cultural Revolution, with the successor and their disciples playing a crucial role in safeguarding texts and traditions.	Survival and hidden continuity during periods of destruction.
Present Day	Sungjang Rinpoche is active in restoring the physical and spiritual heritage, transmitting the Geluk teachings globally, and overseeing the revival of monastic life at Tatsang monasteries	Revitalization and global transmission.

The Geluk Heritage: Role in Preservation

The Tsakho Lineage’s function was to act as the primary custodian of the Geluk school in the border area of Gyarong/Amdo, specifically by:

1. 1. Systematic Instruction: Enforcing Tsongkhapa’s systematic method of study, the Lam Rim, which provided a clear, step-by-step path that was easily implemented across the 108 affiliated centers.

1. 1. Vajrabhairava Transmission: Maintaining the special Tantric lineage of Vajrabhairava (Rdo rje ‘jigs byed), which Tsongkhapa personally instructed Ngawang Drakpa to propagate, making it a distinctive and powerful practice tradition in the region.

1. 1. Local Patronage Integration: Unlike Geluk centers established solely on religious conversion, the Tsakho Tulkus were intrinsically linked to the local aristocracy (Tsakho Ponpo). This dual secular and religious authority provided the stability and funding necessary to build and sustain a large monastic network far from the central political power of Lh