| Zhang ston chos kyi rgyal bo (1825-1897) was one of two uncles, one older and one younger, a very famous person from Bla brang bkra shis ’khyil. He was born in Kho tshe Village, Bsang chu County, Gansu province. In Bla brang bkra shis ’khyil, he studied with Kun mkhyen’jigs med rgya mtsho, dbal mang panTi ta dkon mchog rgyal mtshan, Mkhan po ngag dbang thub bstan rgya mtsho and Rje shes rab rgya mtsho, and he was a very famous, knowledgeable person. He went to Beijing and Dgon lung Monastery to offer Buddhist teachings to the great disciples lcang skya mchog sprul rin po che, thu’u bkwan rin po che, sum b+ha mkhan chen sku phring snga phyi, zhwa dmar paNTi ta dge’dun bstan’dzin rgya mtsho, thereby turning the great dharma wheel. Kun mkhyen sku phring bzhi pa skal bzang thub bstan dbang phyug served him for seven years while studying mantra and sutra. During those seven years, Zhang ston chos kyi rgyal bo raised Chas pus shis blo bzang rgya mtsho, Bla kho rdo rje’chang ’jigs med’phrin las rgya mtsho, Sgo mang blo bzang tshul khrims, and another 100 students of excellent intellect. His four volumes of written work include "bslab bya nor bu’i phreng ba" and "sgrol ma’i lha chos kyi lo rgyus g.yu lo bkod pa’i dga’ tshal." His works cover many themes and are accessible to the audience, eloquent, and explicit. Although he is a relatively modern scholar, not many people have studied his works. There is even controversy about his true place of birth, and some writings are missing from the published anthology of his works. This paper will attempt to address these things.This dissertation has an introduction, three interior sections, and two appendices. In the introduction, the author provides a brief biography of Zhang ston chos kyi rgyal bo, a statement of his purpose in writing the dissertation, a literature review, a research methodology, and a statement of the significance of the paper. In the first interior section, the author traces and identifies the true birthplace of Zhang ston chos kyi rgyal bo. In the second interior section, the author analyzes Zhang ston chos kyi rgyal bo’s magnum opus, "sgrol ma’i lha chos kyi lo rgyus g.yu lo bkod pa’i dga’ tshal." In the third section, the author analyzes his other renowned work, "bslab bya nor bu’i phreng ba." In the first appendix, the author provides some works by Zhang ston chos kyi rgyal bo that are missing from the published anthology. The second appendix includes a collection of pictures related to Zhang ston chos kyi rgyal bo. |
