Item: Teacher (Lama) - Nyamme Sherab Gyaltsen

Nyamme Sherab Gyaltsen (1356-1415): founder of Menri monastery (1405), with six Celestial Lords at the top, and various lineage lamas at the sides and below.

Elegantly attired with the hands placed at the heart he holds the stems of two lotus flowers blossoming above the shoulders. At the right, standing atop the open blossom and pointing upward is a sword of wisdom and on the left is a holy book - both symbols of the deity Mawe Sengge. The head is crowned with the traditional Bon lama hat with red lappets falling across the shoulders. Attired in orange and red patchwork robes he sits with the legs folded together atop a moon disc and multi-coloured lotus seat surrounded by a blue-orange nimbus and aureola. Pink lotus blossoms and billowing clouds decorate the sides and below.

At the top, six figures in the appearance of Enlightened Conquerors sit in a row. At the sides and below are 69 lamas all wearing the same attire, seated, and but for one, wear the traditional Bon lama hat.

Jeff Watt & Lee Hartline 1-2000

Abbots of Menri
1. Nyamme Sherab Gyaltsen 1405
2. Rinchen Gyaltsen 1415
3. Namkha Yeshe 1446
4. Kunzang Gyaltsen 1464
5. Rinchen Gyaltsen 1485
6. Tsultrim Gyaltsen 1511
7. Sonam Yeshe 1532
8. Sonam Yungdrung 1575
9. Shechu Drungmu 1610
10. Sherab Ozer 1647
11. Yungdrung Gyaltsen 1662
12. Sherab Lodro 1677
13. Sherab Ozer (Prajna Khi Khar) 1686
14. Chugpu Ozer 1697
15. Yungdrung Tsultrim 1706
16. Rinchen Ozer 1722
17. Rinchen Lhundrub 1735
18. Sherab Tendzin 1760
19. Sherab Wang Gyal 1776
20. Yungdrung Wang Gyal 1789
21. Puntsog Namgyal 1805
22. Sonam Lodro (b.1784) 1810

Abbot of Yungdrung Ling
23. Dawa Gyaltsen (Sonam Gyaltsen) (b.1796) 1834

Abbot of Menri
24. Nyima Tendzin (b.1813) 1836

After the death of Nyima Tendzin the lineage coninued through the Yungdrung Ling Abbots.

(25. Yungdrung Ten Wang)
26. Kalzang Nyima (b.1841)
27. Puntsog Wang Gyal
(28. Tsultrim Wang Gyal)
29. Sherab Lodan (b.1882)
(30. Sherab Nyima)
(31. Lodro Gyaltsen)
32. Tenpai Nyima
33. Tenpai Gyaltsen (b.1912, d.1969)
34. Sanggye Tendzin Jong Dong (b.1928) 1968

The succession of Abbots following Nyima Tendzin #24 at Menri but not included in the spiritual succession of Nyamme Sherab Gyaltsen.

Sonam Puntsog
Sherab Yungdrung (b.1838)
Sanggye Tendzin
Tendzin Tsultrim
Puntsog Lodro (b.1876)
Gyalwa lodro
Tenpa Lodro
Nyima Wangyal (b.1910)
Sherab Lodro (b.1935, d.1963)
Sanggye Tendzin Jong Dong (b.1928) 1968

(Extracted and edited from Acta Orientalia XXXIII (1971)
A Chronological Table of the Bon Po, The bsTan rCis of Ni Ma bsTan 'Jin by Per Kvaerne, Mag. art. Lector at the University of Bergen).