He was the first of the Rongwo Drubchen tulku lineage,[1] and an important figure for Buddhism in Amdo, a region of north-eastern Tibet.
The founder of a religious college and a seminary for tantric studies in Rebgong, throughout his life Kelden struggled between his desire to become a recluse hermit and his responsibility to these institutions.
[2] The information that survives about Kelden comes from a biography by Jangchup Mila Ngawang Sönam (1636-1716), and from his poetry and songs, both written down and performed today by monks in Amdo.
At age twenty, Kelden received full ordination from the Fourth Panchen Lama, Lobsang Chökyi Gyaltsen, in Lhasa.
Amdo is described by Kelden Gyatso in his mgur as having once been a spiritually awakened place, but having since fallen to disrepair.
[2] Gyatso thus likens the Dalai Lama to the legendary Padmasambhava, the master who first tamed the local deities of Tibet during the first transmission of Buddhism.
"[2]Mongol dominance to the Tibetans escalated cultural tensions, especially in regards to Buddhist practice, which Kelden always prioritized.
[3] Along with the larger Gelug rise to power, Kelden Gyatso is seen as instrumental in the revival of Buddhism in Amdo in the 17th century.