| LABEL | DATA |
|---|---|
| TBRC ID | P2557 |
| Wylie name | brom ston rgyal bai byung gnas |
| Name etymology | autumn, indicate, teach, demonstrate, reveal; conquest, victory; to arise, occur, arisen, come forth, occur, emerge, appear |
| Naming history | |
| Person type | human: historical, religious, scholar |
| Ethnicity | |
| Clan | Drom |
| Gender | Male |
| Summary | Drömton Gyélwe Jungné founded Retreng Monastery, translated many tantras with his primary teacher, Atiśa, and is generally considered to be one of the founders of the Kadampa sect. |
| Birth date (Tibetan) | |
| Birth date (international) | 1004/1005 |
| Birth place (Tibetan) | dbu ra byang phyogs stod lung phu rtse sgye mo |
| Death date | |
| Death date (international) | 1064 |
| Death place | |
| Spheres of activity | Kadampa, Retreng |
| Sect | Kadampa |
TBRC ID: P2557
Name (ming gzhan dag/): Drömton Gyélwe Jungné
Etymology: Type
Sentient being type (sems can rigs mi 'dra/):
Gender (pho mo/):
Ethnicity (mi rigs): *
Birth International date ('khrungs dus/ _spyi 'o'i lo zla tshes grangs/): 1004/1005
Birth Tibetan date ('khrungs dus/ _spyi lo'i lo zla tshes grangs/):
Death date ('das dus/ _spyi 'o'i lo zla tshes grangs/): 1064
Death date Tibetan ('khrungs dus/ _spyi lo'i lo zla tshes grangs/):
Birth place ('khrung yul/): dbu ra byang phyogs stod lung phu rtse sgye mo
Death place ('das yul/):
Principal sphere(s) of activity (spyod yul/): Kadampa sect, Retreng Monastery
Paternal clan (a pha'i rus pa'i ming/): Drom
Related individuals:
Types:
Emanations of:
Religious sectarian affilialtion (chos lugs): Kadmapa
Institutional base(s): Retreng Monastery
Summary of career activities__: Drömton Gyélwe Jungné founded Retreng Monastery, translated many tantras with his primary teacher, Atiśa, and is generally considered to be one of the founders of the Kadampa sect.
Drömton Gyélwe Jungné, who is considered to be the most important disciple of Atiśa, founded Retreng Monastery (ra sgreng or rwa sgreng ) in 1056-7 in central Tibet, northeast of Lhasa. Drömton, who was a layman, translated tantric ritual manuals such as Cakrasamvara and Yamataka with Atiśa. In contrast his Kadampa contemporaries at Solnak Thanpöché and Sangpu Néütok, Drömton translated more philosophical, non-tantric materials.
Although Retreng was atypical for a Kadampa monastery in the 11th century in that it was not in the Eastern Vinaya lineage, it has the unique reputation of being the monastery which housed the Kadampa leaders who successfully popularized Tibetan Buddhism, which was a critical aspect of the Tibetanization of Buddhism in the Renaissance period. Drömton was said to have 60-80 disciples at this time. Three of his disciples at Retreng stand out: Punchungwa Zhönu Gyeltsen (1031-1109), Chenga Tsultrim-bar (1038-1103) and Potaba Rinchen-sel (1027-1105). It was at this time that the Kadampa sect became known as “Kadampa,” as these disciples were referred to as “Kadampa” or “Jowo Kadampa.” These three monastic brothers were dedicated to protecting Kadampa teachings. These three brothers each played their own role in the popularization of Buddhism, and their teacher Drömton Gyélwe Jungné is remembered as one of the founders of the Kadam sect.
Retreng was absorbed into the Gelukpa sect and is still an active Gelukpa community, in spite of being partially destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.
Drömton is an example of the flowering of the Drom clan in the Renaissance period, which up until this time has been a clan of relatively minor importance. Drömton is also an example of the somewhat odd but not uncommon system of a layman controlling or founding a monastery. Furthermore Drömton is an example of the growing emphasis on the ethical substance of religious practice, an emphasis that has far-reaching influence, well outside of the Kadampa sect.
TBRC
Blue Annals, Roerich Translation
Ronald Davison’s Tibetan Renaissance
Michael Kapstein’s The Tibetans