Tibetpedia

Tag: Monastery

  • Bön (Tibet’s Ancient Religion)

    Bön (Tibet’s Ancient Religion)

    Bön (བོན་པོ། )is the indigenous religion of the Tibetans of the ancient Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. As a shamanistic religion, it is characterized by mystic rituals, spells, sacrifices, and spirit manipulation. This religion involves much emphasis on meditative practice. It was the major religion of the people of Tibet before Buddhism found its way in the 7th century and has significant influence on Tibetan Buddhism. The current traditions of Buddhism such as prayer wheels, sky burials, prayer flags, spirit traps, festival dances, and rubbing holy stones have all come from the Bon religion.

    Origins of the Religion

    The followers of Bön, or Bönpo, recognize different types of the religion. The original Bön was the native religion of Tibet based on animistic and shamanistic beliefs. The first forms of the religion are known as Black Bön or Bön of the Sprits/Devils. This is because it widely relied on magic to control the malevolent spirits.

    The second stage of the religion, Yungdrung Bön, was founded by Shenrab Miwoche. He is regarded as having achieved enlightenment like Buddha. Believed to have originated in the land of Olmo Lungring, it was spread by Tonpa Shenrab Miwo to the ancient Shang Shung Kingdom. Religious devotees believed the deities who controlled the world – Shepa, Dagpa and Salba- resided in ‘Sridpa Yesang’ (heaven). Tonpa Shenrab Miwo was considered as their earthly manifestation with powers to control the present.

    The Bön which is followed now (known as Bönpo) is the ‘New Bon’ which evolved in the 14th Century when it took influences from Tibetan Buddhism. The Bönpo has structured doctrines unlike the original religion. This form is now practiced in the remote areas of northern and western Tibet, including in the Tashi Menri Ling Monastery in India.

    Bön Religion Monasteries

    Before the Cultural Revolution in China, there were more than 300 monasteries in the region belonging to this religion. The major ones included Menri and Yungdrung monasteries, which were the center of study of Bön practices.

    Practices of Bön Religion

    The original religion relied heavily on shaman magical practices, mudras, yantras, and mantras. New Bön features include making a kora of religious monuments and mountains and turning prayer wheels counter-clockwise (in contrast to Tibetan Buddhism), reciting the mantra ‘om matri muye sale du’, speaking customary salutations, and performing water offerings. The religion has a number unique gods, and its own a sacred text, ‘Nine Ways of Bön’. For the religion, the holiest mountains include Mount Kailash and Mount Bonri where pilgrims are frequent.

     

    authentic tibet
  • Labrang Monastery

    Labrang Monastery

    In the Tibetan area of Amdo, the Xiahe County, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu, the Labrang Monastery(བླ་བྲང་དགོན་པ།) houses the largest population of monks outside of the Tibetan Autonomous Region. The site is a popular tourist destination and only a four-hour drive from the provincial capital of Lanzhou.

    History

    To Tibetan Buddhists this is one of the most important monasteries today and sits at a very strategic location between the two cultures of Mongolians and Tibetans. In the early years of the 20th century, it was the most influential and largest monastery in the Amdo region. It not only housed several thousand monks, but was also home to the largest Buddhist monastic university at the time.

    First founded in 1709, through the centuries it has been near the center of many gruesome conflicts and changes in the political landscape. Many of these conflicts, which have continued well into the 1950’s and beyond, have left their mark on the monastery’s legacy. Between 1917 and 1949, several riots and attacks took place against Labrang Monastery from the Chinese Muslim Ma clique, who even occupied the monastery at one point.

    The Assembly hall of the monastery was burned to the ground in early 1985, along with many of its religious and cultural artifacts. It was eventually replaced five years later with a new building.

    Visiting Labrang Monastery

    The monastery combines multiple architectural styles including traditional Indian Vihara and Tibetan styles, to create a beautiful and unique compound. The monastery is so large in fact, that you may need more than a day to see all it has to offer. The compound is made up of six learning institutes, a Sutra debate hall, eighteen separate halls and an abundance of Sutra housed here. Within the halls and Buddhist museum located inside, you can find a massive collection of Buddha statues, murals, and religious artifacts on display.

    During certain times of the year you may come across one of the many Buddhist ceremonies held here and due to its significance and size, many Buddhist festivals are celebrated here with debates, praying and huge ceremonies.

    Notable Stops

    There are several notable locations for visitors to see while in Labrang Monastery that have become popular with tourists over the years, including some new locations. The Thangka Sunning Terrace located on a hillside over a river, is a flat slope made of stone where you can get one of the best views of the Monastery and its surrounding landscape. During the Tibetan New Year, this is where the massive Thangka is unrolled for all to see.

    Many visitors make sure to stop and view the beautifully colored prayer wheels inside. These are continuously spun by pilgrims hoping for rewards in the next life; many also visit the newly built Gongtang Chorten, with its golden top and beautiful views. The most popular stop however, is the Man Jus’ri Temple located towards the rear of the main courtyard. Many pilgrims stop near the yak butter sculptures to make offering and pray to the living Buddhas contained in the silver Chortens nearby. The Temple also houses many extravagant Buddha statues and artifacts along its walls and often time the monks chanting can be heard echoing through the halls.

  • Dzongsar Monastery

    Dzongsar Monastery

    History of Dzongsar Monastery

    Throughout its dozen or so centuries of history, the Dzongsar Monastery (རྫོང་སར་དགོན།) has seen expansion, transformation, utter destruction and ultimately, rebirth. While it may not have been restored to its former glory, what the monastery has seen and accomplished over the years is nonetheless remarkable.

    Located in Dege County, in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan, the Dzongsar Monastery was founded in 746. From Dege town, it is roughly a 100km drive that takes a couple of hours due to a poor road. The first structure built here was the small Jowo-Lha-Chig-Kar-Chig temple along and shrine by a Bonpo Lama. Sometime between this event and 1275, the temple was changed into a Nyingma temple and then a Kadampa temple. In 1275 however, on a return trip from China, Drogön Chögyal Phagpa founded a new Sakya monastery on the site and has remained a part of that sect until this day.

    Until its destruction in 1958, Dzongsar Monastery housed nearly 500 monks and numerous other visitors who came to the monastery to speak with the monks there. The monastery had expanded to twenty-three temples and dozens more sacred and religious halls and rooms, several of which were retreat centers.

    Dzongzar monastery
    Dwellings for the Dzongsar monastic community

    Flexible Teachings

    Having changed sects on numerous occasions, the teachings here over the years have become very flexible with eight different sects being taught at the school currently. Prior to 1958, in conjuncture with its openness to different sects, Dzongsar Monastery housed a rare collection of Rime teachings and scriptures assembled by advocates of the Rime movement over the course of many years.

    1958 and Beyond

    Due to the violent nature of the rebellion in the late 1950’s in Tibet, all the temples at Dzongsar Monastery were destroyed including the only original structure from 746, the Bonpo Shrine. Starting from nothing, reconstruction on the monastery began in 1983 and today the monastery is only a fraction of its former glory with six temples being built since that time.

    A fair amount of construction was reserved for the rebuilding of residences to house the monastic population. Because of the reconstruction, there are more than two hundred monks housed on site today and the main temples cover an area of roughly 12 acres. After years of sitting without use, the monastic school continues with its policy of openness and flexibility in its teachings.

    Dzongsar valley
    View of the valley from the ridge above Dzongsar monastery

    Incense

    In addition to being known for its history, reconstruction and openness, Dzongsar Monastery is also known for its incense. Dzongsar Tibetan Incense Sticks and Dzongsar Tibetan Incense Powder are the two commercially sold brands from the monastery. The incense has grown popular over the years and is even said to have a kind of healing effect on the mind, body and soul. Created from the natural herbs of the Eastern Tibetan highlands, many say the powerful incense can even prevent infectious diseases.

  • Palyul (Baiyu) Monastery

    Palyul (Baiyu) Monastery

    Location

    Initially built in 1665,  Palyul Monastery (དཔལ་ཡུལ་དགོན།), also known as Baiyu Monastery( 白玉寺） in Chinese  sits above the many homes along the hillside, at the center of a small village in the Ganzi Prefecture in the western part of Sichuan province. The monastery overlooks the town and valley below with an elevation around 3,150 meters. Sticking with the traditional style of Tibetan architecture and planning, the monastery and surrounding homes are built on the slope of the nearby mountain. At its peak, Baiyu Monastery housed hundreds of monks from all over, many of whom travelled great distances from affiliated branch monasteries.

    The Temples

    Baiyu Monastery is one of the six “Mother Monasteries” that follow the Nyingma school of thought, or the Ancient Translation Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery was founded by Kunzang Sherab, who was the first throne holder as well. In addition to establishing the monastery, he also built several temples that hold enormous significance to the Tibetan monks today.

    One of those important temples, The Chagrakhang, contains a gilded image made of copper depicting Jowo Shakyamuni in the form of Jowo Yeshin Norbu. The Temple also includes frescoes of the Namcho deities and in addition to other extravagant temples and halls, Baiyu Monastery contains an incredible library as well as the Dorsem Lhakhang.

    Life in Baiyu Monastery

    Just past the main halls, the monastery houses its own printing press. Although a small system, it is a very common sight on the second floor of the main hall to see carvers work diligently at crafting delicate scripts here in reverse for printing. Wandering the temples, halls and town nearby, you may also run into some of the 200 monks who are housed at the Baiyu Monastery. While the village has amenities for the monks and villagers to live here, there really isn’t much else to offer for visitors. Other than the Jixiang Hotel, the town itself has no restaurants or guesthouses for tourists to stay and eat at, although if you are lucky, you may find a welcoming villager or monk who will offer you room and board and the possibility of a home-cooked meal. The stupa is a popular gathering area where striking up a conversation with the villagers isn’t uncommon.

     

  • Drepung Monastery

    Drepung Monastery

    Historically, the most significant monastery in Tibetan Buddhism, Drepung Monastery(འབྲས་སྤུངས་དགོན་པ།) used to be the seat of political and religious power in Tibet (before the Potala Palace was built). This significance came in part due to its location just outside of Lhasa, and in part due to it being the primary seat of the Gelugpa sect. The Gelugpa sect practices celibacy, and an aesthetic lifestyle approach to breaking “attachment” with the world. Every Dalai Lama has been of this sect, and it is also known as the “Yellow Hat Sect.”

    Drepung was founded in 1416 by a monk by the name of Jamyang Chöje, who was a disciple of Tsongkhapa (a reformer and the founder of the Gelugpa sect). Jamyang Chöje was a very charismatic monk, and within one year of completing the monastery, Drepung already had over 2000 monks living there. At its peak, Drepung Monastery used to be home to over 15,000 monks and was one of the most prestigious Buddhist institutions in the land. Now, there is a meager 300 monks living in Drepung and its sheer size makes the place feel almost like a ghost town.

    Today the monastery holds seven colleges – Gomang, Loseling, Deyang, Shagkor, Gyelwa, Tosamling, Dulwa, and Ngagpa – and each teach different aspects of Tibetan Buddhism.

    Visiting Drepung Monastery

    Approximately 8kms west of Central Lhasa, and placed high on a steep mountainside, travellers will find Drepung Monastery. The alleyways are walled and narrow, and feel labyrinthine. The main meeting hall is massive and it is said it can fit up to 7,000 monks at a time. It is the largest meeting hall I have ever seen in a monastery. Adjacent to it is the kitchen, which is also said to be the largest kitchen in Tibet. It is easy to believe as the pots they use for cooking look like small swimming pools … for elephants.

    drepung_monastery_kitchen

    Surrounding the monastery one will see a great number of residences with white roofs. Due to it’s location on Mount Gephel, and the number of white roofs that were required to house 15,000 monks, Drepung garnered the name of “rice heap” monastery.

    Everywhere you look in Drepung is an opportunity for a photo, so keep your finger on the trigger. Be aware though about taking photos inside the temple areas and meeting halls. Usually there is a 20 to 50 yuan charge for photography inside these rooms.

    drepung_monastery_kora

  • Samye Monastery

    Samye Monastery

    History of Samye Monastery

    Two hours drive southeast of Lhasa sits Samye Monastery(བསམ་ཡས་དགོན་པ།) – the oldest Buddhist training institution in Tibet, established in the lifetime of Padmasambhava in the eight century. The temple monastery compound is enclosed by a circular brick wall. It is said that from above, the circular wall and its contents resemble a Mandala – a Hindu and Buddhist representation of the universe. Mandalas are typically balanced uniformly with circle, square and triangle shapes throughout. Legend has it that Samye was constructed as a joint partnership between humans and demons – humans worked on it through the day and demons worked through the night.

    Visiting Samye

    Travelers can purchase an entrance ticket and enjoy access to the temple. There are three main levels to the temple in the center. The main level is stylistically Tibetan; the second level has a Chinese influence; and the third level, Indian. Though Samye Monastery now belongs to the majority Gelugpa sect, it still leans heavily toward its Nyingma sect origins, which is Tantric in nature. All around the typical cast of idols, there are offerings of tsampa and butter in overtly phallic molds. There are four identical stupas, apart from their color, outside the four corners of the temple. If you enjoy photography, a decent photo can be got of the whole compound from a hill nearby.

    There is a convenience store oddly placed within the temple grounds. Surprisingly, the store has many import foods and drinks that are difficult to find in other areas in China. If you’re thirsting for a vanilla Coke, you have come to the right place!

    Transportation

    Visiting Samye is a day trip from either Lhasa or nearby Tsedang. Some people prefer to head directly to Tsedang after arriving at Lhasa Gonggar Airport and begin their trip by visiting the cradle of Tibet’s civilization (including Samye). As with travel throughout all of Central Tibet, you must pre-arrange transportation through the travel company that arranged your Tibet Travel Permit (TTP).

  • Ganden Monastery

    Ganden Monastery

    Located 50 km northeast of Lhasa, Ganden Monastery (དགའ་ལྡན་དགོན་པ།)is a relatively quick trip outside of Lhasa for visitors who wish to see the monastery, and enjoy the beautiful view of the valley below. Ganden Monastery is the biggest of the Gelugpa Monasteries, and was the first founded in the sect.

    Tsongkhapa was the founder of the Gelugpa sect (also known as Geluk), and through his work, he is revered as a reformer of Tibetan Buddhism. With the support of the local authorities and the people, Tsongkhapa founded Ganden Monastery in the 15 century. In order to enlarge the influence of the Gelugpa sect, and to help Tibetan Buddhism with the chaotic and disordered situation, Tsongkhapa performed the first Monlam Prayer Festival in Lhasa. This festival gathered more than 10,000 local people, monks, and nuns to pray, and even today the Gelugpa sect still keeps the tradition of the Monlam Festival alive. Starting after the Tibetan New Year, the festival lasts for 15 days and many come together around the community to perform rituals, pronounce blessings, and of course, to pray.

    Kedrub Je and Gyatsab Je were the most influential of Tsonkhapa’ students, and when Tsonkhapa passed away in 1411, the abbotship of the monastery passed to these two students. These students were also the next in line to hold the post that came to be known as the Ganden Tripa – a position earned through merit, and is the title given to the leader of the Gelugpa sect. Thus, the Ganden Tripa transmission system was established, and today over 100 scholars have held the position.

    Currently there are a couple hundred monks living in the Ganden Monastery, and guests are welcome to watch and observe as monks debate, chant their prayers, and go about their daily life. Some visitors take a few minutes to meditate and pray themselves, although there is no expectation placed on guests to do so if they do not feel comfortable. As with any monastery, the primary expectation is that guests would be respectful in their observation, and that they would not be disruptive of those who are there to worship.

  • Sera Monastery

    Sera Monastery

    Sera Monastery (སེ་ར་དགོན་པ།) is one of the most beautiful monastery compounds you will see in Tibet, and one of Lhasa’s several great religious institutes. Built on the gentle slope of a mountain overlooking Lhasa, its white stone roads and walkways feel almost Mediterranean. The roads are lined with beautiful trees and the debating courtyard looks like a private garden for kings. It appears cleaner and better maintained than most of the other monasteries. As you walk into the main meeting hall, look to your left before you enter the door. On the wall is the Tibetan Buddhist Circle of Life. Make sure your tour guide explains to you all of the parts of the image, as it will help you better understand the Tibetan worldview. If you have time, also stop by the bookstore, which has all of the Buddhist scriptures in paperback form, including some volumes in English.

    Sera Monastery
    Entrance to the main meeting hall at Sera Monastery.

    Sera Monk Debates

    Don’t linger too long at the bookstore and miss the main attraction at Sera Monastery: the debates. Between 3 and 5 pm (Mon-Fri), young monks can be found scattered in groups of two to four all throughout the courtyard practicing their philosophy through debating one another. It is an interesting form of debate, as the speaker makes each of his points with his whole body. The thrust of his argument climaxing with raised voice and an enthusiastic clap of the hands downward toward his “opponent.” Some of them add their own flavor to the gesture, which makes things quite entertaining. Some of the monks can’t keep from laughing, and you won’t either!

    About Sera Monastery

    Sera Monastery is part of the Gelgupa sect of Tibetan Buddhism, and was founded in 1419 by Sakya Yeshe. Sakya Yeshe was a disciple of Tsongkhapa, a revered reformer of Tibetan Buddhism, and the founder of the Gelgupa sect.

    The monastery sits in a northern suburb of Lhasa at the base of Pubuchok Mountain (or Tatipu Hill). The monastery is still said to include 28 acres, or 11 hectares, of land. At it’s prime, Sera Monastery held 5 separate colleges of instruction and 5000 monks, but the monastery today is significantly smaller in size. Unlike a lot of others, this monastery managed to escape complete destruction during the Cultural Revolution, primarily losing some of the buildings related to the smaller of its five colleges. As a result, Sera has undergone restorations, and guests today can still visit the three remaining functioning educational institutes.

    Sera Me College

    This college was founded with the monastery. It is known for teaching the fundamental precepts of Tibetan Buddhism.

    Sera Ngagpa College

    This is also one of the oldest structures at Sera Monastery. The college itself specializes in Tantric studies.

    Sera Je College

    Sera Je teaches itinerant monks from outside of the TAR, and is the largest of the three functioning educational institutes at the monastery.