Tashilhunpo Monastery

The monastery Trashilhünpo ( Tib: bkra shis lhun po) is situated in the west of the city of Shigatse in Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. It is the traditional seat of the Penchen Lama.

History

The monastery was founded in 1447 by Gendun Drup. Gendun Drup was one of the two most important disciple of Tsongkhapa, the great reformer who founded the Gelug tradition. Gedün Drup was later ( retrospectively ) classified as the first Dalai Lama. Trashilhünpo is one of the great monastic universities of the Gelug school for the training of Buddhist scholars ( Geshe ).

Lobsang Chokyi Penchen Gyeltshen in 1601 Abbot of Trashilhünpo. He was the first, entitled " Penchen Lama " - one of the main authorities of Tibetan Buddhism - contributed, although he later became known as the fourth incarnation. Since then Trashilhünpo is the seat of Penchen Lama. Lobsang Chokyi Gyeltshen was the main investigator of the 5th Dalai Lama and had enlarge the monastery.

During the Cultural Revolution parts of the monastery were destroyed, including the Grabstupas of 5 to 9 Penchen Lama. From 5000-7000 monks originally most were imprisoned or killed, about 250 fled abroad, where they built the monastery in exile again. Only in the 80s the limitations of religion were loosened and built the monastery again.

In 1982, the Chinese central government several tons of gold, silver and bronze for the restoration are available. With donations from the government of Tibet and the governmental district of Shigatse as well as personal donation of 10 Penchen Lama and many believers, the monastery was rebuilt by the end of the 80s.

The Great Maitreya statue of Trashilhünpo in 1904, 1957 and 1985 respectively ritually new clothes with a Kasaya.

On 30 January 1989 Li Peng signed the order to establish a Grabstupas for the 10th Penchen Lama, which was completed in August 1993.

The recognized by the Chinese government 11 Penchen Lama Norbu Gyeltshen is recognized by the current 14th Dalai Lama as the legitimate reincarnation.

Trashilhünpo 1939

Trashilhünpo 1939

Monks in Trashilhünpo 1939

Architecture

The monastery Tashilhunpo covers an area of 18.5 hectares. The largest building in the center of the monastery complex is the Maitreya hall and the hall with the Grabstupas the Penchen Lamas.

In the Maitreya Hall is a 26.2 meter high statue of a seated Buddha ( it is the second highest seated in a hall Buddha in the world - after the Daibutsu of Todai -ji Nara ) of gold and bronze, decorated with precious stones and corals, said to have been built in 1914 under the 9th Penchen Lama Lobsang Thubten Chokyi Nyima of 900 workers in nine years.

Some stupas in the Hall of Grabstupas contain the mortal remains of several Penchen llamas and other relics (Tib. ring gsal ​​). Also the 10th Penchen Lama Chokyi Thrinle Lhundrub Gyeltshen is entombed here. His stupa is decorated with 614 kg of gold, 868 precious stones and 246,794 jewels. The stupa was built in 1993 is the most valuable monument in China since 1950.

Besides still numerous other statues, the monastery also houses numerous paintings, masterpieces of Buddhist art.

Cham

The religious dance cham (Ch qiangmu ) of the monastery is on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the People's Republic of China ( III -22 ( 125) Rikaze Zhashilunbu si qiangmu日喀则 扎什伦布寺 羌 姆).

Monument

The monastery stands since 1961 on the list of monuments of the People's Republic of China ( 1-109 ).