Ngawang Lekpa was a revered Tibetan lama, highly regarded for his profound spiritual insight, dedication to meditation, and significant impact on the Sakya and Ngor traditions. He was born in 1864, in the wood-mouse year, in Ga Medzinda, Yushu, Kham. His parents, Kunga Trakpa and Lhamo Dronma, played an essential role in his early spiritual journey. His mother had prophetic visions even before his birth, including one in which her body transformed into a monastery, foreshadowing his future spiritual significance. She also envisioned the protector Citipati, who revealed that her child would be the reincarnation of the revered Ngor Ewam Ponlob.
From a young age, Ngawang Lekpa was drawn to spiritual practices. He began his religious education under Lama Ngawang Shedrub, who introduced him to reading and meditation. His early experiences were marked by a strong desire to visit Sakya monasteries, especially the Tharlam Monastery, despite the challenges of travel. At the age of seven, Ngawang Lekpa received his monastic vows from the Fifty-third Ngor Khenchen, Dorje Chang Kunga Tenpa’i Lodro, who gave him the name Tsultrim Gyeltsen. During this time, he also received teachings on Lamdre, Hevajra, and white Sarasvati, laying the foundation for his intensive spiritual training.
Ngawang Lekpa’s commitment to spiritual practice was unwavering. By the age of nine, he completed retreats on White Tārā and Bhūtaḍāmara Vajrapāṇi. At the age of ten, he received the full initiation and teachings of Vajrayoginī from Ngawang Shedrub in the tradition of Naropa. His spiritual journey continued to deepen as he received further profound teachings, including the Four Lineages of Mahākāla and Naro Vajrayoginī at the age of sixteen from Khenpo Tutob Wangchuk Jamyang Tenzin Trinle.
In his early twenties, Ngawang Lekpa traveled to meet the great scholar and spiritual master, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo. Along the way, he stopped at the Dolma Lhakang temple in Denkok to offer prayers and seek guidance for his spiritual path. Although he could not meet Khyentse Wangpo directly, he received teachings from other masters, including Dzongsar Khenpo Yonten Dondrub and Minyak Khenpo Norbu Tendzin, who recognized his exceptional potential. These teachings further strengthened his resolve to continue his spiritual practice.
At the age of thirty-seven, Ngawang Lekpa entered 18-year solitary retreat, focusing on intense meditation, prayer, and accumulation of merit. His retreat was marked by his devotion to Vajrasattva, Mahākāla, Green Tārā, and other sacred practices. He spent a year meditating on impermanence and completed numerous recitations of Mahākāla’s mantra, Green Tārā, and Avalokiteśvara. His retreat was filled with auspicious signs, including vivid dreams of sacred figures such as Mañjuśrī and Sakya Paṇḍita, and visions of light emanating from his paintings.
During this time, he received several spiritual revelations, including a golden statue of Mañjuśrī from Jamyang Khyentse, symbolizing his mastery of the Lamdre teachings. His meditation practice reached remarkable levels, including the rare achievement of visualizing the Hevajra internal body maṇḍala. At the end of his retreat, he emerged as a master with profound wisdom and realizations.
After completing his retreat at the age of fifty-five, Ngawang Lekpa resumed his teaching duties, spreading the Lamdre teachings and other key practices throughout Tibet. He passed on the Lamdre transmission to many disciples, including Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro, Dezhung Kunga Tenpai Nyima, and Pende Zhabdrung. His teachings also included the initiations of Mahākāla, Vajra Bhairava, and other essential practices, preserving the spiritual legacy of the Sakya and Ngor traditions.
Ngawang Lekpa was instrumental in the restoration of Tharlam Monastery, commissioning a monumental gold statue of the Buddha along with statues of Sakya Paṇḍita and Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo. His contributions to the Sakya tradition were profound, and his reputation as both a scholar and practitioner grew throughout Tibet.
At the age of 78, Ngawang Lekpa expressed his wish to be reborn as a lama in one of the four Ngor Labrangs, continuing his service to Sakya and Ngor. However, sensing that Sakya and Ngor lamas might not remain in Tibet, he chose to be reborn in the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī instead.
Ngawang Lekpa’s life was not marked by wealth or high social standing; in fact, he was often referred to as "Gabenma" or "the stray from Ga" due to his humble and unkempt appearance. Despite this, his devotion to the teachings of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo was unwavering. Though rejected five times by the great master, his persistence eventually earned him the privileged of receiving the full path and fruit teachings of the Sakya lineage. Remarkably, it was Ngawang Lekpa who later imparted these teachings to Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo's incarnation, Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö.
Ngawang Lekpa passed away peacefully at the age of seventy-eight. Before his death, he took special pills from various renowned masters and recited the Avalokiteśvara mantra. After his passing, his body was kept for three days, as per tradition, before being cremated. A stupa was constructed for his ashes, and his belongings were offered to monks, with his personal religious items given to Dezhung Rinpoche Lungrik Nyima, who had been with him for two decades.
Ngawang Lekpa's life was a testament to deep spiritual commitment, profound teachings, and the preservation of the sacred practices of the Sakya and Ngor traditions. His legacy continues to influence Tibetan Buddhism, and his spiritual impact resonates within the community to this day.
