Background
Rinchen Gyaltsen was born in 1238 as the son of Zangtsa Sonam Gyaltsen and his wife Jomo Dro. His father belonged to the Khon family, members of which were hereditary abbot-rulers of the Sakya Monastery in Tsang in western Tibet.
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Rinchen Gyaltsen
Edit Profilepolitician Imperial Preceptor Sakya Trizin
Career
His tenure lasted from 1274 to his death in either 1279 or 1282. Rinchen Gyaltsen"s elder half-brother Phagpa enjoyed a close relationship with Kublai Khan and was appointed to the title Imperial Preceptor (Dishi) in 1270. As such he was a standing institution in the Yuan government, enjoying extraordinary honours and resources.
Meanwhile another brother, Chakna Dorje, was the viceroy of Tibet from 1264 to 1267.
Rinchen Gyaltsen served for a time as chaplain (lacho) to Kublai Khan. Instead, Rinchen Gyaltsen was summoned the court to fill the post in the same year.
There he gathered a community of clerics. They were:
Shakya Zangpo (c 1264-1270)
Kunga Zangpo (c 1270-1275)
Zhangtsun (c 1275-?)
Chukpo Gangkarwa (?-1280)
Rinchen Gyaltsen died in Shingkun (Lintao) at an uncertain date, most probably 24 March 1279.
According to another chronicle he died as late as 1282, which seems to be incorrect.
