Tag: Buddhism

Windhorse

The Windhorse (དར་ལྕོག) is a legendary Tibetan creature, considered to carry prayers from the earth to the heavenly gods using the strength and speed of the wind. This basic symbol is thought to possess powerful energy—an energy that carries colossal power to the lives of all beings who come into contact with the wind.

Prayer Flags in front of Mt. Everest

Windhorse Prayer Flags

Also known as Lung-ta in Tibetan, the Windhorse coupled with the “Wish Fulfilling Jewel of Enlightenment” is an important symbol inscribed onto Tibetan prayer flags. Although they represent good fortune and luck, Tibetans believe they actually have the power to influence events in nature and society.

Windhorse prayer flags are the most common prayer flags among Buddhists. The image of the Windhorse is drawn on the center of the prayer flag while the outside corners are guarded by the four great animals (Four Dignities): garuda (wisdom), dragon (gentle power), tiger (confidence) and snow lion (fearless joy). These guardian animals can be represented in either pictorial form or as a written word. There are also inscriptions of sutras or mantras on the flag. It is said that when the Windhorse prayer flags flap in the wind, the spiritual powers of the sacred images and scriptures benefit all those in the area.

Hanging Windhorse prayer flags is considered an act of merit that increases positive opportunities. Prayer flags are hung from high points such as trees, eaves, or on wooden poles.

Prayer Flags over the road in the Everest region.

History and Significance of Prayer Flags

The history of prayer flags can be traced back to the Bon traditions in pre-Buddhist Tibet when Bonpo priests used colored flags in healing ceremonies. Each color represents a primary element: earth (yellow), fire (red), space (blue), water (green), and air (white). According to the tradition, when set up around the sick, these prayer flags created a balance of these five elements in the body producing high levels of mental and physical health. These colored flags were also hung in mountains, valleys, and lakes to please local gods and to receive their blessings. If the gods and spirits became unhappy, disease and natural disasters were believed to spread.

The Rise and Fall and Rise Again of Prayer Flags in China

When Buddhism first came to Tibet, Guru Rinpoche himself wrote scriptures and drew images on prayer flags. In the 15^thcentury, printing by wooden blocks was introduced. Famous Buddhist masters created prayer flag designs while lay craftsmen engaged in making copies. During the Cultural Revolution in Tibet, the hanging of prayer flags was discouraged, but today the tradition lives on.

Fallen Flags in the Mt. Kailash Region

May 27, 2016
Tibetan Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism (བོད་བརྒྱུད་ནང་བསྟན། ) is the major religion of Tibetans around the world. It covers the teachings of Mahayana Buddhism along with Tantric and Shamanic rituals, and is in some part influenced by Bon, the ancient, indigenous religion of Tibet. Apart from the traditions of koras, prayer flags, mantras, and sutras, Tibetan Buddhism is also known for the presence of several deities and reincarnation of Lamas.
History of Tibetan Buddhism

The Bon were exposed to Buddhism in the 7^th century when King Songtsen Gampo married two Buddhist women, Princess Wencheng from China, and Princess Bhrikuti Devi from Nepal. He tried to enforce Buddhism in the region, but faced a lot of opposition from the followers of the native Bon religion. Towards the end of the 8^th century, King Trisong Detsen invited two Buddhist masters from India to Tibet, the mystic Padmasambhava and Shantarakshita.

Master Shantarakshita built the first monastery in Tibet, while master Padmasambhava used his power to dispel the evil forces preventing the spread of Buddhism. Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) combined the teachings of tantric Buddhism with the local Bon religion and founded Tibetan Buddhism. He translated numerous Buddhist scriptures into Tibetan. This lead to the establishment of the first school of Tibetan Buddhism – Nyingma.

One of the Tibetan Buddhism Temples teaches the religion created a thousand years ago.

Four Sects of Tibetan Buddhism

1.     Nyingmapa Sect

The Nyingmapa Sect also known as the Red Hat sect is the oldest and first school of Tibetan Buddhism. Founded by Padmasambhava towards the end of the 8^th century, the Nyingma School emphasizes tantric practices, local theologies used from the local Bon religion, teachings attributed to Padmasambhava and Dzogchen (Great Perfection) doctrines. It was widely practiced in the region until the 11^th century when other schools of thought arose.

2.     Kagyupa Sect

The Kagyupa Sect is the third largest school in Tibetan Buddhism and is known as the White Hats sect. in the 11^th century, a Tibetan named Marpa went to India to learn Buddhism under Master Yogin Naropa. He then spread his teachings to his student, Milarepa after putting him under harsh trial. In 12^th century, Milarepa’s student Gampopa fouded the Kagyu Sect. This school stresses on the communication of knowledge from teacher to the student, and hence, is also referred as Oral Transmission School. Kagyupa’s central teachings revolve around Mahamudra system of meditation and Six Doctrines of Naropa, also known as Naro Chödrug.

3.     Sakyapa Sect

The smallest among the four total schools of Tibetan Buddhism, Sakyapa Sect was founded by Sakya Kunga Nyingpo with its main monastery, Sagya Monastery in southern Tibet. The central teachings of the Sakyapa School are based on Lamdrey (the Path and its Fruit), systematic tantrism and Buddhist logic. It creates a balance between study and meditation.

4.     Gelugpa Sect

The Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) Sect is the newest, largest and most important school of Tibetan Buddhism. The Gelugpa (Gelug) sect was founded by Tsongkhapa, a reformist monk and great Tibetan scholar. It is headed by the Dalai Lama. Its practices revolve around Lamrim, from the teachings of Atisha, which focuses on the journey to enlightenment as taught by Buddha.

May 27, 2016
Sertar (Seda)

Seda (色达) is located at an elevation of about 4,000 meters in a remote valley on the Tibetan Plateau, in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the western part of Sichuan province in China. The Tibetans know Seda by the name of Sertar (གསེར་ཐར།), which means Golden Horse.

Though Sertar is located in the historical Kham region of the Garze Prefecture, it is traditionally part of the Golok region where natives speak Amdo Tibetan language. This is why Sertar is referred by to by Tibetans as Golok Sertar. The Setar region, a treeless remote valley, has gained immense popularity because it is home to the largest Tibetan Buddhist school in the world.

Seda Larung Wuming Tibetan Buddhist Monastery

At a distance of about 780 kilometers from Chengdu, this monastery in Larung Gar, Sertar, is home to 40,000 Tibetan monks who have devoted their lives to studying Buddhism. The institute, belonging to the Nyingma sect (red sect) of Tibetan Buddhism, is where tens of thousands of Lamas (local male Buddhists) and Juemus (local female Buddhists) practice monastic study. They practice in red houses, thousands of which look like red dots scattered around this spiritual valley.

The surrounding hills of the monastery are also sprinkled with tiny, red, wooden houses built close together. The monks and nuns are separated by a massive wall right across the middle of Larung Gar. Monks and nuns are required to stay in their designated area. Only the area in front of the main monastery assembly hall is open to both.

View of both the Monestary and the population of monks coming to live and study in Seda

Establishment of the Buddhist Academy

The living Buddha, Jinmei Pengcuo, founded this Buddhist Academy in Larong, Seda in 1980. Back then, this Bhuddism sect had only 32 followers and was approved by the Seda government in 1985. The academy received its official name of Seda Larung Wuming Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in 1997. Since then it has developed into the largest Buddhist institute in the world.

The Larung Buddhist Monastery in the highest grassland plateau is open to all devotees from various sects of Tibetan Buddhism: Gelug, Nyingma, Kagyu and Sakya unlike other monasteries. Buddhism is taught at the Monastery in both Tibetan and Mandarin languages because students come here not only from Tibetan areas but also from across the rest of China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan and Singapore. It takes six years of study to complete formal training while higher levels of Monastic study require up to thirteen years. Apart from monks, nuns and students, the Monastery attracts thousands of pilgrims across Tibet. Visitors to the institute can watch readings in the morning and student debates in the evening.

Note

As of 2017 Sertar Monastery is not open to western travellers. We don’t have exact information of an opening date. But we will update once we know the opening date.

May 25, 2016
Saka Dawa
Saka Dawa (also known as Saga Dawa) (ས་ག་ཟླ་བ།) represents the holiest and most sacred days in Tibetan Buddhism. Falling on the fourth month of the Tibetan Calendar, the religious festivities of Saka Dawa peak on the 15^th Lunar Day when there is a full moon. This day is associated with three major events in the life of Shakyamuni Buddha – his birth, his enlightenment on a full moon night, and his parinirvana. In Tibetan, Dawa means “month” while Saka means the “name of the closet star to the earth” during the lunar month which is prominently visible. In Tibetan astrological calculations, Saka is one of the 28 known major stars.
On the main Saka Dawa day, a special puja is carried out by monks in the monasteries early in the morning. Additionally, sutras are recited and Cham dances are also performed at the monastery. After this, Tibetans take an oath of the Eight Mahayana precepts to be observed during the day.

Saka Dawa – A Meritorious Month

Saka Dawa is regarded as a great time to earn merits and attain spirituality, purification and enlightenment by Tibetans. This meritorious month carries a special aspect whereby any good deeds performed during the month are rewarded with one hundred million times greater good karma. These meritorious activities revolve around early teachings of sila (morality), dana (generosity) and bhavana (meditation).

The meritorious worthy acts include:
- Pilgrimages to sacred Tibetan places such as mountains, lakes and caves, notable monasteries, and temples.
- Performing koras in a clockwise direction around a shrine or other holy places. Pilgrims pray, prostrate themselves, and chant mantras such as the “Om Mani Padme Hum, Buddha Shakyamuni” mantra or White or Green Tara mantras.
- Giving donations to monasteries, monks and nuns.
- Giving charity to the poor.
- Eradicating the dark forces by lighting butter lamps.
- Refraining from eating meat.
- Setting animals free into their habitat.
Observing Mahayana Precepts

During Saka Dawa, Tibetans observe eight major precepts on holy days such as the full moon and new moon days of the month. Since the full moon is the holiest of days, the devotees engage in observing these actions with much fervor.
1. Avoid killing and taking life
2. Shunning from acts of stealing
3. Avoiding sexual contact
4. Staying away from lying and deceiving others
5. Not taking alcohol, tobacco and recreation drugs
6. Eating one meal a day before noon which should not include onions, garlic, radishes, meat or eggs.
7. Not sleeping on a high-raised bed or sitting on chair with pride
8. Not participating in singing and dancing, nor wearing jewelry and other adornments, such as makeup or perfume.
Among the several schools of Tibetan Buddhism, a range of rituals and ceremonies are performed during Saka Dawa.
May 25, 2016
Sertar Larung Gar (school & monastery)

Population Explosion at Sertar Larung Gar

Known around the world as the largest school for Tibetan Buddhism, Sertar Larung Gar Tibetan Buddhist Institute and Monastery (གསེར་རྟ་བླ་རུང་དགོན་པ།) has caused the population of its surrounding town to grow exponentially in recent years. This monastic community is located in a remote and treeless valley of Garze Tibetan Autonomous Region, in Sichuan Province. The dormitories nearby house over 10,000 monks from all schools of Tibetan Buddhism including Gelug, Kagyu, Sakya, and Nyingma. At the center of the academy you can find the main Monastery, surrounded by living quarters, elaborately decorated Buddhists statues, and large halls for the 5:00 p.m. debates on scripture, which are open to the public.

Wide view of the city, one can see the compacted housing inside Larung Gar

History

Sertar Larung Gar first began in 1980 after the Cultural Revolution and has been growing ever since, starting with small numbers and an even smaller community. It was founded by Master Jin Mei Pengcuo with only 32 followers. It took nearly five years for the Seda government to approve of the Buddhist’s teachings at the academy and two more years before a committee was put together to even nominate its pending name, the Seda Larung Wuming Buddhist Academy. It wasn’t until 1997 however, that the school finally received its official name and the population explosion began.

Community Today

Today, people have flocked to the area, known to the Tibetans as Serthar, building homes that place the monastery at the center of the town, with some simply travelling from far away just to pray here. In fact, it is one of the most popular locations today as a final destination for those ending their pilgrimage. Many of the monks who come here to learn will stay with two or three other monks, living in small quarters for periods upwards of three years at a time.

Monastery stands tall, with the movement of many monks coming to study the religion.

A Unique School

In contrast to many Monasteries today, Wuming Buddhist Academy is open to practically anyone wishing to learn. In fact, students can be taught in Mandarin as well as the Tibetan language and currently there are over a thousand mandarin speaking students in the community. These students mostly come from Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. Also surprising is the fact that almost half of the students here are women, a number not often heard around other Monastic academies.

May 25, 2016
Rongwu Monastery

History of Rongwu Monastery

Named for the Rongwu River, which it is located alongside, the Rongwu Monastery (རོང་པོ་དགོན་པ།)rests in Tongren County, Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and is less than 200 km from Xining, the capital of Qinghai Province. The Monastery first began as a site for three temples in 1341. Initially established by Rongwu Samten Rinpoche, his younger brother was the designer and architect for the compound. The Temple of Three Buddhas was the first to be built, followed by the Golden Temple. It wasn’t until the first reincarnation of Rongwu Samten Rinpoche was recognized however, that the monastery was founded at the site of the three temples. Interestingly enough, the Monastery initially began under the Sakya Sect Monastery, however, over the years it became part of the Gelugpa Sect of Buddhism.

Expansion

Over the centuries, Rongwu Monastery has been expanded and updated and in 1991, when the eighth incarnation of Rongwu Samten Rinpoche was recognized, Yarba Chogyi, the Monastery received its newest building and further expansions. Yarba Chogyi built stupas at the four corners of the Monastery as well as a Victory Stupa. He had sayings of Buddha written in gold in various locations and even commissioned statues of Tsong Kapa. His greatest addition however, was the large prayer hall within the compound. Today, there are several significant buildings at Rongwu Monastery including The Great Sutra Hall, The Manjushri Hall, and the Main Assembly Hall.

Monastic Colleges

The first monastic college was established by Shartsang Gyatso in 1630, in which multiple Buddhist dialects were taught. Following several re-incarnations of Shartsang Lobsang Trinley Longtok Gyatso, the college was expanded and new halls were built to host the new colleges that were to come. The Gyamat Tratsang, or The Lower Tantric College, was established next, focusing on the study of the scriptures. This was followed by The Duikor Tratsang, or the college of Kalachakra, the study of the wheel of time.

Cham Dance

Performed during the Monlam Prayer Festival, the Cham Dance is a common sight at the Rongwu Monastery. The dance consists of traditional Tibetan instruments played by the monks and is meant to be a form of meditation and offering to the Gods. While it is not found in all sects of Buddhism, the monks at Rongwu Monastery are known for their impressive displays.

May 25, 2016
Nyingma Sect

The Nyingma sect (རྙིང་མ་པ། ) of Tibetan Buddhism is the oldest amongst the four schools and the second largest after Gelugpa sect. Nyingma in Tibetan means “ancient” and has roots going back to the 8^th century when the indigenous Bon religion was strongly adhered to by Tibetans. The Nyingma sect is also known as the Red Hat sect because its Lamas wear red robes and hats. Its teachings are mainly based on those of Padmasambhava, called Guru Rinpoche and Shantarakshita who were brought to Tibet through the rule of the Emperor Trisong Detsen from 742 to 797 CE.
History of Nyingma School

In the 7^th century, Buddhism found its way to Tibet when the Tibetan King, Songtsen Gampo, married the Chinese Princess, Wen Cheng. The Princess had brought along her Buddha statue which is today preserved at Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. Later on in the 8th century, when Tibetans preferred their Bon religion, the King, on advice of the scholar-monk Master Shantarakshita, brought the great Padmasambhava to drive away the demons hampering the introduction of Buddhism in Tibet. By the middle of the 9^th century, Buddhism was widely spread in the region. A large collection of Buddhist scriptures were translated into Tibetan and the Samye Monastery was built around 779 CE. Up to the 11^th century, Nyingma was the sole sect of Buddhism in Tibet. It is the only sect In Tibetan Buddhism that did not assume political power.

Six Mother Monasteries of Nyingma

Between the 9^th and 11^th centuries, many Nyingma monasteries were built across Tibet. The six mother monasteries include Ugyen Mindrolling Monastery, Thupten Dorje Drak Monastery, and Zhechen Tenyi Dhargye Ling Monastery in Upper Tibet and Palyul Namgyal Jangchup Ling Monastery, Kathok Monastery, and Dzogchen Ugyen Samten Chooling Monastery in Lower Tibet. Many subsidiary monasteries were also built from these main temples across Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan.

Teachings of the Nyingma Sect

Buddhist teachings are classified into nine yanas with ‘Dzogchen’ being most important. Dzogchen (Great Perfection) philosophy revolves around pure awareness which can be achieved through meditation and learned from a Dzogchen master. This Vajrayana tradition involves use of ritual, symbols and tantric practices to achieve nirvana. Therefore Nyingma stresses on teachings attributed to Padmasambhava, the Dzogchen doctrines as well as Tantric practices.

The Nyingma School is also associated with Termas (hidden treasures). When Buddhism was declining during the rule of king Langdarma, Padmasambhava and his disciples hid numerous scriptures, ritual objects and relics in caves and rocks on mountains. Over time, when they were discovered by Tertons (treasure revealers) either physically or revealed to their mind (Mind Terma), the teachings were compiled into Rinchen Terdzo, a multi-volume book.

May 25, 2016
Gelugpa Sect

The Gelugpa Sect (དགེ་ལུགས་པ།)of Tibetan Buddhism, despite being the youngest, is the largest and most important school of thought. Having emerged in the 15^th Century through the reforming efforts of Tsongkhapa, adherance to the Gelugpa sect is considered to be purest form of Tibetan Buddhism. The sect achieved its peak in the 17^th Century with huge support from Mongols and Tibetans inspired by the enigmatic 5^th Dalai Lama. The Gelugpa Sect remained in power in the Central Tibetan Plateau until Chinese invasions of Tibet in the 1950s.

Creation of the Gelugpa Sect

The Gelugpa (Gelug) Sect was founded by Tsongkhapa, a reformist monk and a great Tibetan scholar, and headed by the Dalai Lama. Tsongkhapa (1357-1419) began studying with a local Sakya lama at a very young age. He travelled to central Tibet and studied in all the major monasteries acquiring knowledge about philosophy, Tibetan medicine, Mahamurda practices, and Atisha’s tantric yoga.

Tsongkhapa was particularly inspired by Madhyamika teachings of Nagarjuna. He preached monastic discipline and encouraged return to the conservative doctrines of Buddhism. Regarded as the manifestation of Bodhisattva of Wisdom, Jampelyan (Manjushri), Tsongkhapa’s followers built him the Ganden Monastery in Netang near Lhasa in 1409. After his death, Tsongkhapa’s students built a new school of Tibetan Buddhism based on his teachings and named it ‘Gelug’ which means virtuous tradition.

Among his known disciples were Gyaltsab (1364-1431), Jamchen Chojey (1355-1435), Khedrub (1385-1438), and Gendun Drupa (1391-1474). His disciples founded the great monasteries of the Gelug Sect such as Sera monastery of Lhasa, Drepung and Tashillhunpo monasteries, and introduced the tradition of wearing yellow hats to differentiate between sects.

Introduction of Dalai Lama and Boom of Gelug Sect

During the 16^th century, the then powerful Mongol leader, Altan Khan, gave the title of Dalai Lama to Gendun Gyatso, the first tulku or reincarnation of Tsongkhapa’s last major disciple, Gendun Drupa. Down the line, the 5^th Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (1617- 1682,) became instrumental in forming a favorable alliance with the Mongol leaders. He thus became the spiritual and political leader of the entire Tibetan region and the Gelugpa Sect reached its highest peak during the 17^th century.

Teachings of Gelugpa (Yellow Hats)

Gelugpa practices revolve around Lamrim, from the teachings of Atisha, which focuses on the journey to enlightenment as taught by Buddha. Concentration can be achieved by meditation and sparking the bodhisattva within. The Gelug School of Buddhism is based on the Kadam tradition which was established by Atisha in the 11th Century. It teaches following the traditional monastic code as a means of achieving the state of nirvana.

May 25, 2016
Chorten (Stupa)

Chorten or Stupa (མཆོད་རྟེན་དཀར་པོ།) is an important religious monument in Buddhism, symbolizing Buddha’s presence. It also holds precious Buddhist relics and sometimes even preserved bodies of renowned lamas. Tibetans believe that performing Koras of the monument is an act of high merit.
Structure of Chorten

The shape of the Stupa represents Buddha with a crown who is seated in a posture of meditation on a lion throne. The top of the spire, with the well-known ‘twin-symbol’ uniting the sun and moon, is the crown, the square at the spire’s base is his head, the vase shape symbolizes his body, the steps (four) of the lower terrace are his legs while the square foundation base is his throne.

A stupa is seen in front of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Central Tibet.

Types of Chortens

In Tibetan Buddhism, there are eight different kinds of chortens, each signifying a major event in the life of Buddha Shakyamuni.

1.    Lotus Blossom Stupa

The Lotus Blossom Stupa, also known as Stupa of Heaped Lotuses, represents the birth of Buddha. It is said that at the time of his birth, he took seven steps in all four directions signifying love, joy, compassion, and equality. This chorten generally has four circular steps at the base and is decorated with designs of lotus petals.

2.    Enlightenment Stupa

Also termed as Stupa of the Conquest of Mara, this stupa signifies the time when Buddha under the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya attained enlightenment. It is said that the demon Mara tried to tempt and attack him, but Buddha come out the conqueror.

3.    Stupa of Many Doors or Gates

Buddha then preached his teachings to his followers near Sarnath. The doors on this monument signify the opening of the doors to Dharma and point to the teachings: Four Noble Truths, Noble Eightfold Path, Twelve Links in the Chain of Dependent Origination, and Six Perfections.

4.    Stupa Of Descent From The God Realm

When Bhudda’s mother was reincarnated in another realm, he went there to teach her Dharma. This chorten consists of a ladder on each side and commemorates the return of Bhudda back to earth.

5.    Stupa of Great Miracles or Stupa of Conquest of the Tirthikas

When Buddha was 50 years old, he performed various miracles to prove his spirituality and even overpowered several demons.

6.    Stupa of Reconciliation

This octagonal chorten honours Buddha’s efforts in solving a conflict among his monastic followers. It was built in the kingdom of Magadha where the conflict resolution took place.

7.    Stupa of Complete Victory

This chorten has only three circular steps which are undecorated. It honors Buddha’s extension of his life by three months when his followers pleaded him to stay.

8.    Stupa of Nirvana

The Nirvana chorten represents Buddha’s death and him achieving a state of true peace. This monument is undecorated and appears to be bell-shaped.

A stupa with prayer flags flapping in the wind.

May 25, 2016