Dulzin (Dulwa-pa) Drags-pa Gyeltsen

Dulwa-pa, whose name means Holder of the Vinaya, took birth at the period of the sixth rabjam (1327-1386). He caused the birth for this time so that he would be involved in helping the development and spread of Tsong Khapa's teachings. As a child there were many symbols surrounding him showing his quality. He studied with many teachers but his main one was Tsong Khapa. Drags-pa Gyeltsen mastered Lam Rim, realised Bodhicitta, three levels of meditation, four levels of Tantra, mandala realizations, kept pure morality regarding the vinaya, Bodhicitta and tantric vows. His morality was so pure his body gave off a beautiful scent and his perfection was equal to Tsong Khapa.

Tsong Khapa placed him in charge of the building Gaden monastery and did so according to the rules of the vinaya, regarding requesting land from local gods, blessing the area, and determining correct measurements of the monks houses. But as the years past by, the monks made larger living quarters but at the start, things were done properly and only the shrine was large to accommodate assemblies of monks. Tsong Khapa had three main students; Khedrup-je, Gyeltsab-Je and Dulzen Drags-pa the oldest.

Lama Je Tsong Khapa's protector is Yama Dharma-Raja. The attendant of Tsong Khapa is this protector. At Gaden monastery, Je Rinpoche made a statue of Yama Dharma-Raja out of clay. Each piece of clay had many mantras blown into it by Je Rinpoche. Just before completion he asked his attendant to go inside and inspect the statue. So, through a tiny hole in the navel he entered. Tsong Khapa quickly sealed up the statue, and it started to shake with power. This statue was kept in one of the basement rooms of Gaden behind an iron grate. When one went to pay respects and do offerings, one became affected. Nowadays (1984), only the original water buffalo that Yama Dharma-Raja rode remains, while a new image of Yama stands upon it, but it does not have the same quality as before.

Tsong Khapa made Drags-pa Gyeltsen responsible for the monasteries and teachings and when Je Rinpoche died, he took care of his relics and constructed a stupa to house them. In Jamba-Ling he made a monastery with retreat houses for 800 monks.

Before Gaden, Sera and Drepung rose in reputation, there was a very famous monastery called Goton, but due to negative potential it became weak. Dulzin went there and did teachings to strengthen the vinaya rules and again it rose in glory. (do-ten sta-ma good and do-ten sta-ma re no good). Now if in the monastery rules are kept with good morality then patrons will have faith and if not then no patrons, less faith, new monks won't come here. In this way, he helped Goton.

Tsong Khapa made him responsible for his monastery and teachings. He wrote vinaya rules regarding retreats, preliminaries, during the retreats and the conclusion of the retreats (Eg. borrowed things before retreat), commentaries on Guyhasamaja, Heruka, Great Wheel of Vajrapani. He also wrote commentaries of the three kinds of Yamantaka.

When Tsong Khapa gave teachings, there was a protector named Na-chung (Pehar), who would come to the teachings in the form of a young man. Pehar was requested by an old lama to be the protector of Tsong Khapa's teachings. Due to a previous commitment that he had made to Padmasambhava, Pehar felt that he could not fulfill this request. However, Pehar resolved to find a guardian for Tson Khapa's teachings. So when Pehar went to Tsong Khapa's teachins in the aspect of a young man, he always asked to make request. Kedrup-Je and Gyaltsab-Je knew what he wanted and they also knew that Dulzin would be the answer to his request, but they did not say anything. Finally, Dulzin Drags-pa asked him what he wanted. Pehar spoke, "I am only a general protector and I want a protector specially for the Dharma of Je Tsong Khapa". The only person to answer him was Dulzin Drags-pa. He said "I will be the guardian of Tsong Khapa's teachings". Na-chung said, "Very good. So, I will meet you again, and don't forget your promise". Suddenly he disappeared.

Drags-pa Gyeltsen's biography was written by Abbot Lowda Namka Gyeltsen. He spoke to Vajrapani and requested his history. Vajrapani explained to Lama Geltsen that Dulzen did much for the Dharma and when he died, he went to Tusita to see Tsong Khapa, Maitreya, Atisha.

The First Dalai Lama Gedun Drub-pa (1371-1474) is another famous student of Je Tsong Khapa.