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'Gendun Drup' (1391 – 1474) is retrospectively considered to be the first in the line of Dalai Lamas of Tibet, who are believed to be reincarnations. Gendun Drup was a student of Tsongkhapa. His birth name was 'Pema Dorje' ().
Gendun Drup was born in a cowshed as the son of nomadic tribespeople, and raised as a shepherd until the age of seven. After this he was placed in Nartang (Nar-thang) monastery, and by the middle of his life he had become one of the most esteemed scholar-saints in the country.
Some of the most famous texts Gendun Drup wrote were:

★ ''Sunlight on the Path to Freedom'', a commentary on Abhidharma-kosha

★ ''Crushing the Forces of Evil to Dust'', an epic poem on the life and liberating deeds of Buddha Shakyamuni

★ ''Song of the Eastern Snow Mountain'', a poem dedicated to Je Tsongkhapa (Btsong-ka-pa)

★ ''Praise of the Venerable Lady Khadiravani Tara'', an homage to the Goddess Tara
Glenn Mullin's collection of translations of Gendun Drup's commentaries is a good start to learning more about the writings and teachings of this prolific and important Tibetan Buddhist teacher.