Manri Gonpa

Its full name is “Tashi Manri Gonpa”, Located in Thobgyal Township, Nanmlin County. It is one of the ancestral monasteries of Bon religion, and also the largest Bon’s monastery in Shigatse

Manri Gonpa is 4,700 meters above sea level. Historically, it was divided into four sub-monasteries, upper, middle, lower and side, as well as several Kangzan

History

The Bon religion master from Jinchuan County Nyame·Sherab Gyaltsan(1356 AD – 1415 AD) came here in 1405 AD to rebuild Wensa Monaster and renamed it “Tashi Manri Gonpa”. So far, there have been 33 generations of Khenqen (meaning “Great Khenpo”, the abbot of the monastery).

It is a place for Bon believers to be ordained, and study.

According to the biography of “Master Nyame” that Master Nyame is the incarnation of Manjushri.

The main Buddha of Manri Gonpa is Master Nyame. At its peak, there were nearly 1,000 monks, and most of the religious people were in Tibet, and the eastern Tibet of Kham and Amdo

In 1834 AD, Lawa Gyeltsen, a monk who had studied at Meiri Temple, founded Yungdrung Ling Monastery nearby as a branch of Manri Gonpa, which later became one of the important monasteries of Bon religion.

During the Cultural Revolution of the 20th century, Manri Gonpa was destroyed, the monks disbanded and returned to their hometowns. The cultural relics in the monastery, including the famous “Nyame Pagoda”, were buried.

After the Cultural Revolution, the rebuilt of Manri Gonpa was begun from 1984, and the buried cultural relics were returned to the monastery, and the monks began to return

Teaching

There are four major colleges and twelve major Kangzans in Manri Gonpa. There are more than 500 monks living in this monastery, and most of the monks are from all over Tibetan Cultural Area (Amdo, Kham, and Tibet)

Their learning includes,
–The Exoteric Buddhism method represented by the five theories,
–The Tantric (Esoteric) method represented by the four theories,
–Dzogchen with semde, Longde and Menngagde as the main body.

In this sense: The monastery is fully equipped with the parallel practice of Exoteric Buddhism, Tantric, and Dzogchen, as well as the traditional culture of Tibetan people.

Learning to first understand the meanings of Sutra and Tantra through listening and contemplation, and then practise it by cultivating wisdom. After mastering the five theories of the Sutra, the four theories of Tantras, the three parts of Dzogchen, and the Five Science, the monks will get a “Geshe degree”