In Tibet, a boy from the faraway provinces would normally enter into one of the hundreds of wayside monasteries in order to receive their novice ordination vows. In these smaller provincial monasteries, the young monks received their initial education on reading the Tibetan script, memorisation of the scriptures and so forth. Once these young monks came of age and received their full ordination vows, they would travel great distances to the larger monastic universities such as Gaden (3,300 monks), Sera (6,000 monks), Drepung (10,000 monks), Tashi Lhunpo (4,000 monks) and Amdo Tashikyil (4,000 monks)in order to further their monastic education on the great treatises and so on. Some of these boys from humble beginnings in the provinces would end up becoming great scholars and masters.
This was what happened to Kensur Jampa Yeshe Rinpoche and the 103rd Gaden Tripa Lobsang Tenzin. Both of these lamas were originally from Tsem Monastery in the Yara valley of Kham, Tibet. When Kensur Rinpoche was just a young monk entering into Gaden Monastery, Tsem Rinpoche’s previous life was the abbot at that time. On the other hand, the Gaden Tripa was the nephew of Rinpoche’s previous life, Kentrul Thubten Lamsang. Such was the close connection that Tsem Rinpoche had with these two lamas, going back into previous lives. In this life in fact, Tsem Rinpoche offered his own ladrang in Gaden Shartse Monastery to Kensur Jampa Yeshe Rinpoche. Furthermore, the Gaden Tripa Lobsang Tenzin’s ladrang (house) in Drepung Loseling Monastery was fully sponsored by Tsem Rinpoche and his students, and Tsem Rinpoche also fully sponsored on a monthly basis some of the students in the Gaden Tripa’s house. Tsem Rinpoche also found personal sponsorship for the Gaden Tripa himself.
