Hezuo Monastery, also known as “Tso gonpa,” is called “Gaden Choling” in Tibetan, meaning “Land of Virtuous Dharma,” and it is a Gelug Pa monastery of Tibetan Buddhism.
It is located approximately 1 kilometer east of the town of Hezuo, the capital of today’s Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.
Brief
The monastery was founded in 1673 (the 12th year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty) by the eminent monk “Sherab Chodan.” He was from Ganjia county and was a disciple of the venerable “Rongpo Drubchen Gadan Gyatso.” After studying Buddhism in Tibet, he received the title “La-rang-ba Gaxi” and gained the support of local leaders in Hezuo to establish the “Hezuo Monastery”; It is the seat of the Tsokhri sprul incarnations
History
In 1749, the first Tsokhri · Samucha — “Jantsan Senge” established the “Regulations for Listening to the Dharma” at Hezuo Monastery, and since then, both the political and religious authority has been under the jurisdiction of the Sertse Renpoche system.
The 2nd Tsokhri·Losang Jantsan Senge (1757 AD – 1850 AD) went to Tibet at the age of 26 to seek the Dharma, extensively studied the “Five Great Treatises,” and achieved great success in his studies. The local Hezuo government conferred upon him the title of “Chan Yang Ganden Sangye Erdini Bantida.” After returning to Amdo, he served as the abbot of the Longwu Monastery in Qinghai, Tongren county, where he oversaw the construction of the Great Golden Roof Hall, the Shakyamuni Hall, and the Printing House of Hezuo monastery. He left behind a collection of 8 volumes of writings.
The 3rd Tsokhri·Losang Dentsen Senge organized the construction of the Great Sutra Hall and the Great Angqian (abbot’s residence), and passed away at the age of 50.
The 4th Tsokhri·Losang Boden Senge passed away at the age of 69.
The 5th Tsokhri·Losang Tuden Senge.
Through the efforts of the successive Sertse incarnations, Hezuo Monastery became one of the largest monasteries in the Gannan region.
By early 1949, Hezuo Monastery had two sutra halls, ten temples, and a nine-story pagoda (Milarepa pagoda). It had a community of over 500 monks and approximately ten thousand followers, and also had schools, clinics, a police station, and a security team stationed there, making it essentially a self-governing entity within the county.
In 1955, the Milarepa Pagoda was restored within the Hezuo Monastery, rising nine stories high and commonly known as the “Nine-Story Building.” It currently houses over a hundred monks.
In 1958, Hezuo Monastery was preserved, but during the Cultural Revolution in the mid-20th century, it was completely demolished.
In 1981, Hezuo Monastery was restored and new halls, including the Great Sutra Hall, were built.
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