The name “Datzang monastery” in Tibetan means “complete faith,” and in Chinese it carries the meaning of “merit.” Its full name is “Ganden Datsang Lhündrup Ling,” which means “the Land of Accomplishment of the Joyous Doctrine.” It is a Gelugpa monastery. The term “Ganden” means “joyous” and is the transliteration of the Tibetan name for the pure land of Maitreya Buddha, also conveying the meaning of the Gelug Pa.
Brief
Datzang monastery was built by the eminent monk Tsako·Ngawang Drakpa in 1414 AD, covering an area of over 200 acres. It received support and patronage from the local 18 chieftains, becoming the authoritative center for Gelug Pa in the northwest of Sichuan. It is frequently mentioned in the biographies of Tsongkhapa, the “Political and Religious History of Amdo,” and historical records from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The monastery is also depicted in a mural titled “Important Tibetan Monasteries” in the Potala Palace in Lhasa.
Naming
There are various explanations for the naming of Datzang monastery in both historical and oral traditions. One explanation is that Tsongkhapa named it ” Datzang” to signify “complete faith,” (In recorded literature, Tsongkhapa sometimes refers to Ngawang Drakpa as “ Datzang·Ngawang Drakpa“). Another explanation suggests that Tsako·Ngawang Drakpa named the monastery “Datzang” as the final of the 108 temples he vowed to build, signifying “complete fulfillment.” There is also a belief that Tsongkhapa slightly modified the original name given by Tsako·Ngawang Drakpa, changing the meaning from “complete fulfillment” to “complete faith,” while keeping the pronunciation as “Datzang.” Due to its long history and scale, Datzang monastery has been revered as the “2nd Dratsang” (meaning the second Buddhist college), second only to the ancestral monastery of the Gelugpa, the Ganden Monastery.
Location & surroundings
Datzang monastery is located at an altitude of 3530 meters, directly north of the town of Barkam, belonging to the Chun Kou village of Datzang Township. It is situated on the west side, 54 kilometers from the Lin-chang road, which runs from Da-lang-zu Gully to Sha-er-zong Township. It is approximately 500 kilometers from Chengdu.
Dazang Monastery is located on the slope of Qukeer Mountain, with the monastery complex built on the hillside and descending along the mountain ridge. Qukeer Mountain means “eternal wheel of dharma.” Ga-er-zu Snow Mountain stands behind it. To the west lies the Gen-da-er Snow Mountain. The nearby peaks seem to encircle the mountain where Datsang Monastery is located, forming a natural arrangement resembling the thirteen Vajra citadels.
Qukeer Mountain where Datsang Monastery is situated is at an altitude of over 3500 meters, and its shape resembles that of an elephant. The monastery is built on the neck of the elephant. From the center of the monastery, one can see a peak in each of the four directions – east, south, west, and north – known as the guardians of the four directions.
To the south of Qukeer Mountain lies the Qukeer Village, inhabited by generations of people who serve the monastery. The village is surrounded by fertile farmland producing crops such as barley, peas, and potatoes. To the north of Qukeer Mountain, there are steep pine forests and shrubs. On the opposite side, at the foot of the Gen-da-er Mountain, are the villages of Duerba and Kalgeng, both historically associated with Datsang Monastery. Flowing at the foot of the southern and northern slopes of Qukeer Mountain are lively, meandering streams, resembling silver ribbons hanging from the ears of Qukeer. According to local villagers, below the snow line of the Gajue and Gen-da-er mountains, there is an abundance of caterpillar fungus, fritillary bulbs, musk, and rhubarb. The forests also harbor a variety of nationally protected animals such as musk deer, roe deer, and golden monkeys.
Architecture
Datzang monastery has developed into hundreds of buildings over the years, resembling a small city. At its peak, the temple housed over eight hundred monks, but in historical records, it is generally recorded as five hundred, taking inspiration from the five hundred arhats in Buddhist history.
When Datzang monastery was completed in 1414 AD, it included several halls and eight monk dormitories, including the Sutra Hall, the Dharmapala Hall, and a four-story building where Ngawang Drakpa resided. Of these three buildings, the Dharmapala Hall still retains its original state, with Ming Dynasty murals preserved in good condition.
Before the 1950s, Datzang monastery had 3 Maitreya Halls, Tsongkhapa Hall, Sutra Hall, and the Dharmapala Hall, as well as the Qi-zhu Tower and the Kankang Tower, where the two abbots resided. Each hall housed numerous sacred objects and precious scriptures, with the Maitreya Hall containing a statue of the future Buddha several meters high.
Even the ordinary monk dormitories each had a complete set of the Kangyur and Tengyur, the two parts of the Tibetan Buddhist canon, with murals on the walls and ceilings depicting the life stories of the Buddha and the ancestral masters.
The roof of the main hall is covered with gilded copper tiles, given by the Emperor of China. There is also a retreat house on the mountain behind the monastery for monks to meditate. In front of the monastery, there is a thirty-meter-high pagoda containing numerous precious sacred objects.
The Sutra Hall was destroyed in the late 1950s and was rebuilt from 1993 to 1997. The new hall was built next to the original residence of Ngawang Drakpa. There is a two-story reception hall in front of the Sutra Hall. The reconstruction, which began in 1993, was supported by disciples of the abbot “Qi-zhu Rinpoche” from various countries, with some disciples from Singapore leading the construction efforts. The rebuilt Sutra Hall is much larger than before, with the addition of the Maitreya Hall with a 13-meter-high Maitreya statue, the Tsongkhapa Hall with an 8-meter-high Tsongkhapa statue, and the Avalokiteshvara Hall with a 5-meter-high, thousand-arms and thousand-eyes statue of Avalokiteshvara, as well as large monk dormitories, a Vairocana Hall, a layperson accommodation building, a retreat room, a large monk dining hall, and the abbot’s residence. The rebuilt Datzang monastery also includes a magnificent debating courtyard.
The Qizhu Tower of Datzang monastery is a grand building located at the highest point of the monastery complex, behind the main hall. It is painted golden yellow, along with the outer walls of the famous Dharmapala Hall, while the other buildings in the monastery are painted white. The Qizhu Tower enshrines a protector, a manifestation of the Mahakala protector, which is the wrathful manifestation of the compassion of Avalokiteshvara. In the late 1950s, the Datzang monastery was destroyed, and the Qizhu Tower did not survive. After several years of reconstruction starting in 1993, the monastery and the Qizhu Tower have been mostly restored and are now larger than before.
To the right of Datzang monastery, there is a small stone tablet with the image of Avalokiteshvara, commemorating the visit of the 6th Dalai Lama. The 6th Dalai Lama led a legendary life, often disguising himself as an ordinary monk or even a beggar, wandering through Tibet and even reportedly visiting Mount Wutai in China. In his autobiography, he mentioned visiting Datzang monastery and praised the scale of the monastery and the diligence of the monks in their studies.
During his time at Datzang monastery, the revered figure secretly practiced in the Dharmapala Hall, unknown to others. On one occasion, he was recognized by an old monk who had previously met him in Lhasa. The revered figure instructed the old monk to keep his presence a secret, but the old monk insisted on leaving a memorial of his visit to Datzang monastery. The revered figure then said, “After I leave, you should erect a stone tablet of Avalokiteshvara at the place where we met. Whoever sees the tablet will be as if they have seen me!” The old monk then erected the stone tablet, which is still standing today, and Tibetans pay their respects to it when circumambulating the monastery. Additionally, the revered figure wrote some words on the outer wall of the Dharmapala Hall, which were preserved by taking photos of the original inscriptions before the wall was removed during recent renovations.
Ngawang Drakpa Master – Legend
Awang Zhaba Master was born in the mid-14th century in the Gyarong region and was initially a follower of the indigenous Tibetan religion, Bön. Due to his intelligence and learning abilities, he gained fame at a young age. Around 1381 AD, he went to central Tibet to study Buddhism, receiving ordination and studying various aspects of Buddhist teachings, including the Vinaya, Prajñāpāramitā, Abhidharma, Madhyamaka, and Vinaya, as well as receiving empowerments and practicing various esoteric teachings. He was given the title “Khenchen,” meaning “Great Abbot,” by Tsongkhapa.
In a notable incident, Ngawang Drakpa displayed his miraculous powers by passing through a closed door to join a group of monks reciting scriptures in a temple in Lhasa. In the early 15th century, he made significant contributions to the development of the Gelug pa. He played a major role in two of Tsongkhapa’s major undertakings – the establishment of Ganden Monastery and the founding of the Great Prayer Festival in Lhasa. (Since 1409, an annual event has been held, gathering tens of thousands of monks and tens of thousands of laypeople to pray together, with a grand scene). Ngawang Drakpa was one of the main responsible persons for this event.
In 1409 AD, Tsongkhapa and his disciple Ngawang Drakpa practiced a strict fasting retreat (Nyung-lay) in front of the Avalokiteshvara statue at the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, known as the “Five Statues of the Heavenly Made Avalokiteshvara.” Tsongkhapa instructed Ngawang Drakpa to observe his dreams during this time. That night, Ngawang Drakpa dreamt of a pair of white conch shells descending from the sky, merging into one and falling into his arms. He instinctively blew into it towards the east, and the sound of the conch resonated throughout the entire east.
The next day, Ngawang Drakpa described the dream to Tsongkhapa, who replied, “This is an auspicious omen, prophesying that your Dharma propagation will take place in your hometown – the eastern part of Tibet. Furthermore, your Dharma activities will be extensive and will benefit many local beings! Dreaming of blowing the conch indicates that you will propagate the Dharma; blowing it towards the east signifies that you should propagate the Dharma in the eastern part of Tibet; and the loud sound of the conch predicts that your Dharma activities will be extensive and successful.” At this point, Ngawang Drakpa’s Dharma propagation conditions had matured, so he bid farewell to his teacher and returned to his hometown.
In the oral history of Tibet, when Zongkapa bid farewell to Ngawang Drakpa, he gave his own prayer beads to him. Ngawang Drakpa then made a great vow: “For every bead on this prayer beads, I will build a temple to repay the kindness of my teacher!” Although this story is not found in official history, it is widely circulated.
After leaving Zongkapa, Ngawang Drakpa first went to the area of the present-day Ta’er Monastery in Qinghai. This monastery is the birthplace of Zongkapa, but Ta’er Monastery was not yet established at the time. Then, Ngawang Drakpa extensively spread the teachings of Zongkapa in his hometown, first establishing a place called “Andou Monastery” (also known as “Yage Monastery,” meaning “the first monastery,” according to oral tradition, this monastery was the first of the 108 temples established by Ngawang Drakpa), and then built build another 107 monasteries
Connections with other monasteries
Datsang Monastery has close ties with the Sera Monastery, Lower Tantric College in Lhasa, as monks from Datsang Monastery who leave to study higher Buddhist teachings in Lhasa often become students at Sera Monastery.
The Labrang Monastery, on the other hand, has had a close relationship with Datsang Monastery since protecting it from the influence of the Bon religion at a certain time in history. The two abbots, “Gongtang Rinpoche” and “Jamyang Rinpoche,” both served as abbots of Datsang Monastery.
Therefore, Datsang Monastery is part of the Sera Monastery system in terms of Buddhist education, but also has close ties with Labrang Monastery due to the protection and care it received. In terms of history, Datsang Monastery was established before both Sera Monastery and Labrang Monastery. At its peak, Datsang Monastery itself had several subordinate monasteries.
Although the monks of Datsang Monastery have traditionally gone to Sera Monastery to study advanced Buddhist courses, Datsang Monastery itself has its own comprehensive system of Buddhist education, including the five major subjects of Madhyamaka, Prajnaparamita, Abhidharma, Vinaya, and precepts, as well as a complete system of esoteric practice, focusing on the three highest levels of esoteric practice: Mahamudra, Chakrasamvara, and Vajrayogini.
The diligent and scholarly nature of the monks of Datsang Monastery has long been well-known, and throughout history, many monks from Datsang Monastery have achieved the highest degree of Ge-she at the three major monasteries in Lhasa, including Sera Monastery.
In the 1930s, Dazang Monastery had approximately three hundred resident monks.
By the late 1950s, all the monks were expelled, and the monastery was completely destroyed, with its halls, scriptures, and Buddha statues being completely ruined.
From 1993 to 1997, Datsang Monastery was rebuilt.
Collections
Dazang Monastery still preserves an ivory seal presented by Emperor Qianlong of Qing Dynasty, brocade fabrics offered by Qianlong, imperial robes, and scattered pieces of the Five Buddha Crowns (there were as many as fifty sets at the time), along with numerous imperial edicts and decrees, as well as a bronze gong presented by a Ming Dynasty general. This bronze gong is a treasure of Datsang Monastery, renowned for its exceptionally loud and melodious sound.
During the Ming (1368 AD – 1644 AD) and Qing (1616 AD – 1912 AD) dynasties, the monastery was highly respected by successive emperors and the imperial court, receiving long-term offerings from them, including Buddhist relics, seals, gold, treasures, fabrics, and daily necessities for the monks.
After the passing of Ngawang Drakpa, a natural Tibetan character “ཨོ” was found on the skull bone, which is now retrieved and enshrined within Datsang Monastery.
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