Item: Teacher (Lama) - Sakya Tridzin 28, Kunga Sonam

28th Sakya Tridzin, Ngagwang Sonam Wangchug (1635/38-1685 [p795]).

His father gave him empowerments and teachings, along with the rituals and dances that go along with those practices and tantras. By the age of twelve he is said to have become well-versed in drawing maṇḍalas and perform the related rituals. When he was thirteen his father gave him Lamdre (lam 'bras) teachings. He also studied with Sonam Wangpo (bsod nams dbang po, 1559-1621), the seventeenth abbot of Zhalu Monastery (zhwa lu dgon), and Ngawang Namgyel (ngag dbang rnam rgyal).

At the age of nineteen he married the daughter of a Sakya throne holder of one of the Sakya palaces whose name was Machik Pekar Butri (ma gcig pe dkar 'bu 'khrid). They had a son, Ngawang Kunga Tashi, who served as the Twenty-ninth Sakya Tridzin (sa skya khri 'dzin 29 ngag dbang kun dga' bkra shis, 1656-1711) from 1685 to 1711. Three other sons are mentioned in sources but not named.

Following the death of his father in 1669, at the age of thirty-one he was enthroned as the Twenty-eighth Sakya Tridzin, and office he held until his death. Six years later, at the age of thirty-seven, he traveled to Lhasa and had an audience with the Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobzang Gyatso (tA la'i bla ma 05 ngag dbang blo bzang rgya mtsho, 1617-1682), and the two developed a friendship. Sakya sources state that the Fifth Dalai Lama encouraged him to teach that Sakya tantric traditions, and twice the Dalai Lama's government sent him on teaching tours in Southern Tibet.

After leaving Lhasa he went to Samye Monastery (bsam yas) and Mindroling (smin grol gling). There he gave empowerments and teachings to Terdak Lingpa (gter bdag gling pa, 1646-1714), such as the Hevajra Tantra. He traveled from village to village in southern Tibet giving teachings and empowerments. Returning to Tsang he spent some time at Ngor Ewaṃ Choden (ngor e waM chos ldan).

In addition to his four sons, his disciples included Jampa Ngawang Namgyel (byams pa ngag dbang rnam rgyal), the Second Dorje Drak Rigdzin, Pema Trinle (pad+ma 'phrin las, 1641-1717), and Kunga Lhundrub (kun dga' lhun grub, 1654-1726).

He passed away in 1685, the wood ox year, at the age of forty-seven.

Dirk Schmidt is Ph.D. student in Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. www.dirkpschmidt.com

Published November 2015

Translation Front Inscription Om svasti! I bow to the feet of the sublime [or: late?] root guru, whose kindness is incomparable, the great and glorious Sakyapa, the mantra-holding master, the omniscient Ngag dbang bsod nams dbang phyug bkra shis grags pa rgyal mtshan dpal bzang po. Mangalam!

Translation Back Inscription, Upper Plate (lines 1–4) Om svasti! This is the renowned Venerable Dharma Lord [Ngawang Sonam Wangchuk], the protector of all, the glorious master, who extends his loving kindness to all beings like a mother cares for her only child, who rejoices in them, who leads them in the three realms, and who is the incomparable crown jewel among those who wear the saffron robes. As his inner reliquary and as a means to fulfil his wishes, we, headed by Depön Tenpa Dargye, have faithfully erected this most excellent statue of the supreme one bearing the name Sonam. May through this [act of erecting this statue] our impurities and mistakes that we have repeatedly accumulated all be completely purified. May through this [virtuous] power the happiness and wellbeing of all mother-like sentient beings be all-pervasive, just like the supreme taste of sweet honey, and may it serve as the cause so that all their wishes are effortlessly accomplished in accordance with the Dharma. Mangalam.

Translation Back Inscription, Upper Plate (lines 4–5) A multiplying bone relic of the tathagata; a Khecari pill [blessed by] the Mantra Holder [i.e., Ngawang Sonam Wangchuk?]; a consecrated substance of Sonam Wangchuk, a gyado; a consecrated substance of a seven birthed [Brahmin] that produces many relics. As for the manner in which the fillings of the bone relics of Sonam Wangchuk abide [in this statue]: they are kept in its upper, lower, and middle parts.

Translation Back Inscription, Lower Plate (lines 1–3) [In this sculpture] are present an image of Vajrabhairava; various blessing bestowing objects of the previous lords [of Sakya] together with [pieces of their] garments; in particular, a large [piece of] garment of Sakya Pandita; the relic body salt of the Venerable Lord Kunga Drakpa [i.e., Ngawang Sonam Wangchuk?]; one hundred and thirty-one [small] images [i.e., tsha tshas?] of Amitayus; a large amount of [Ngawang Sonam Wangchuk's] dunglok, garment, and piece of tooth. Furthermore, necessary things like medicinal substances, grains, and brocade. May it thus become a cause for the welfare of the doctrine and sentient beings.

Thematic Sets
Collection: Bonhams, Paris (June 11, 2025)
Teacher: Sakya (Masterworks)