Weilin Temple

Weilin Temple, also known as “Tshal·Weilin Temple“, is located in Cai Er Village, on the south bank of the Lhasa River, about 10 kilometers away from the Central District of Lhasa City

The temple is said to have been built during the reign of King Songtsen Gampo, and the main shrined deity is the Buddha statue of “Vairocana“, on the right side of this Buddha statue is the statue of Avalokitasvara, and on the left side is the statue of White Tara cast by the fourth concubine of Songtsen Gampo, “Rugyongsag`Gyamutsun”, that is, the princess of “Minyag (a Tibetan tribe Kangding)”.

There is a cypress tree in front of the temple, which was planted by the Tibetan minister Lu Tongtsan (also known as “Gar·Tongtsan Yulsung “) for the purpose of procreating his descendants and prospering Buddhism.

In 1168 (or 1159) AD, “Tshal ba Kagyu”, a branch of the “Kagyu Pa“, was founded by “Shang·Dzunzhui Drakpa” in this temple;

Origin of name

The “Tshal” in the name of the temple means “forest garden”; it is said that Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo, ministers and common people each planted a cypress tree here, forming a large forest, which grew lush, and gradually turned into a forest garden for leisure, so the place was named “Tshal”;

“Weilin” in the name of the temple means “middle”; because the temple is located in the “Gye-shod” area in the core area of “Bu Ru (today’s Lhasa River Basin)” in ancient Tibet, and the “Gye-shod” area was divided into two areas: “Upper Gye-shod” and “Lower Gye-shod“; Weilin Temple is located exactly in the center of these two places.

Therefore, the temple was named “Tshal·Weilin Temple” based on its location, which means “the temple located in the middle of the Tshal (forest garden)”, and is referred to as “Weilin Temple” for short.

Brief

Weilin Temple suffered significant damage during the “Cultural Revolution” that occurred in the 1960’s;

After the early 1980s, the local government implemented new religious policies and the temple began preparations for reconstruction.

In 1987, it was restored with donations from local religious believers.

In 2013, it was listed as a district-level cultural relic protection unit in the Tibet Autonomous Region.

Construction scale

Before 1959, the construction scale of Weilin Temple was recorded as follows according to the monk “Jangpa Trile” who had lived in this temple for a long time:

The specific overview is as follows: the temple has four kitchens, two storage rooms, thirteen public halls, as well as granaries and musical instrument rooms, etc. In addition, there are 65 monks’ dormitories and three toilets in the East, South and West of the temple.

The main building of Weilin Temple had three floors and a courtyard.

The first floor is the Maitreya Hall, the Vaisravana Hall, and the twenty-pillar-sized main Hall. There are two storage rooms on both sides of the gate of the main hall;

The second floor contains the “Mask” storage room, storage room, and two monks’ dormitories; there is also a hall, seven rooms where the temple deacons live, eight office accommodations, four granaries, and two storage rooms. 6 warehouses and a large kitchen (with two stoves).

The third floor is the “Wei·Sunnling Hall”, with two monks’ dormitories on both sides of the hall; there are also the Kangyur hall, the Dharma Protector hall, and three bedrooms for the person in charge of the halls

In addition, the walls around the temple are very high and there are four gates. Outside of the temple, there was a large garden and two small gardens full of lush woods and green lawns. Especially during the maintenance of the temple, new forest gardens were planted separately.

Architecture

The main hall

The main hall of Weilin Temple houses a two-story high statue of Maitreya Buddha sculpted by “Trichen · Gendun Phuntso”. There are 80 statues of Indian accomplished masters, which is approximately 60 cm high, and made of bronze and gold-plated. All the 80 statues are adorned with brocade and satin. These statues were brought to Weilin Temple from another location when it suffered damage from the Jungar army, and they are not to be moved except during the exchange of incense lamps, because there are seals stamped on the outside of these statues,

On the pillars to the east and south of the inner hall of the main hall, there are hung “pillar flags” inlaid with “five precious stones” and war deity masks, as well as a cloth-wrapped, pearl-inlaid mask of the goddess “Dorje Yudronma.”

In the center of the main hall, there are golden bronze statues of Tsongkhapa, Gyaltshab Je, Khechog Je, the Venerable Gendun Drubpa, the Panchen Lama Losang Chokyi Gyaltsen, and the Great Compassionate Dharma King “Shakya Yeshe.”

To the right of the main hall, there are statues of the Three Longevity Buddhas (Amitayus, Ushnisha Vijaya, White Tara), Master Monlam Dorje, and Tongwa Dongdan. All of the statues are with height of one-person-tall

To the left of the main Hall, there is a statue of the Venerable Dawa Tundru Bendan (recernation of “Potoba”) made of five kinds of herbal mud material by Bengade, with unique features such as a face that remains free of dust and a slight warmth in the chest. Particularly, on the 8th, 15th, and 30th days of the Tibetan calendar, various miraculous phenomena manifest on the face of this statue.

To the left of Dawa Tundru Bendan statue, there is a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha made of gold, placed on a “six-creatures seat.” There is a curtain behind Sakyamuni statue and a golden bowl in the bottom of Sakyamuni statue

In front of the statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, there is a bronze Bhaiajyaguru altar with many gold-plated bronze Buddha statues inside. When Tsongkhapa consecrated these statues, miraculous events such as the movement and radiance of the Three Longevity Buddhas occurred, along with auspicious signs like a rain of saffron from the sky.

To the left of the statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, there are statues of Avalokitesvara and White Tara.

On the far right of these statues is a one-person-tall statue of the accomplished master Thangdong Gyalpo made of iron. When Thangdong Gyalpo was managed to build an iron bridge over the Lhasa River, Weilin Temple was the main site for iron smelting and workers. To express gratitude to Weilin temple and protect the local people from evils, a statue of Thangdong Gyalpo was erected. Over time, worshipping this statue before important events became a local tradition.

In this hall also houses a statue of Amitayus Buddha sculpted by “Polhanai.” This gold-plated copper statue is adorned with various pearls and gemstones, with a walnut-sized diamond on the forehead that emits light even in the absence of butter lamp illumination at night.

Around the main hall, there are statues of the Tryadhva-buddhah made of gold, sixteen Arhats, layman Dharmatala, and the Four Heavenly Kings, all measuring about 40-50 cm in height.

Protector Hall

Within this hall, there are statues of Tami Sanggye Gyantsen, Palchen Galo, Shang Dzunzhui Drakpa, and a naturally formed Khorlo Dechok Buddha, each with height about 1.5 meters. The four-armed Avalokiteshvara statue enshrined here was crafted based on a prophecy from the Dakini (Kha droma). Later, Tshal-ba Triben (The chief of Tshal-ba) Bengade (the son of Renchen Gyantsen, also known as Gadebai) reconstructed the four-armed Avalokiteshvara statue using a mixture of five precious stones and herbal clay as an act of repentance, adorning it with decorations and copper mirrors, all made of pure gold. Atop the statue’s head is a rare gemstone embedded with a fossilized bird egg. In essence, this Avalokiteshvara statue, towering over a floor height, possesses extraordinary blessings. Prayers made to this statue are believed to be swiftly fulfilled, with immeasurable merits. Once, during the destruction of temples by the Jungar army in Tibet, the Avalokiteshvara statue shed tears and caused internal conflicts within the army, resulting in over five hundred casualties and their subsequent retreat. Since then, local officials and high-ranking monks have revered this Avalokiteshvara statue, enhancing the prestige of the Weilin Temple.

Ordinarily, devotees are prohibited from gilding within the tear-streaked area of the Avalokiteshvara statue’s face. Apart from the annual “Butter Lamp Festival” and religious events like “Tshal ba Gudo,” the covering fabric on the statue’s face is not to be removed. Locally, there is a belief that those who pray before the Avalokiteshvara statue at the Weilin Temple while pursuing knowledge are likely to achieve outstanding academic success.

Vaisravana Hall

Inside this hall, there are three statues made of bronze, each of those is with height of nearly 2 meters, depicting the master Atisha, and his disciples of Drom Gyalwa Yungna on the right, and on the left, E Leba Sherab; the creator of these statues remains unknown.

In this hall, there is a statue of Vaisravana sculpted by the Sakya Yeshe, towering at a considerable height, made of herbal clay; a statue of Vajrapani Buddha wielding a vajra with height of 60cm, which was made of iron by the accomplished Thangdong Gyalpo; a statue of Aksobhya Buddha gifted by the revered master of Sera monastery, made of bronze, standing at the height of 75 cm; a statue of Hayagriva (the horse-headed deity) that made of bronze and with height of nearly 1.5 meters.

Wei·Sunlight Hall

Inside this hall, there is a statue of Manjusri Bodhisattva made of golden bronze, a statue of Tsongkhapa made of gold bronze, a statue of Yama Dharmapala made of herbal clay, all of which are with height of nearly 2 m1.5 ers

In the sunny window of this hall, precious statues of the Three Great Tibetan Kings(Songtsen Gampo, Trisong Detsen, Tritsu Detsen), Shang·Dzunzhui Drakpa, and Dawa Tundru Bendan are enshrined, all of which are made of golden bronze and with height of 60 cm. Additionally, there is a four-armed Mahakala statue made of crystal; a statue of Dorje Drakden made of red sandalwood, measuring the length of 60 cm; a statue of Mahabrahma made of ivory; a Tara statue made of jade, with height of 20 cm.

This Buddha hall also houses a complete set of Tsongkhapa’s robes, tea sets, scripture storage boxes, and other precious items.

Thangkar

Inside this temple, various thangkars are stored with amount of over one thousand different types. These tangkas are made of materials such as gold, silver, turquoise, coral, cat’s eye stones, and various pigments.

There is a large Tangkar of the main deity Yamantaka painted by the great translator Ralo Dorje Drak; it is exquisitely detailed and exceptionally valuable. Another thangkar depicts the Buddha figure Maha Sita Patra holding a wisdom sword, also exquisitely painted and highly precious. There is also a thangkar depicting the master Shang·Dzunzhui Drakpa and the deity Cakrasamvara, as well as a four-armed Mahakala thangkar, which was brought from Mongolia by the Tsangba Dongku, painted with gold juice. Additionally, there is a thangkar of the protector deity Palden Lhamo, painted with the nosebleed of the Fifth Dalai Lama, and twenty-three pieces of 16 Arhat thangkars bestowed by the venerable Sakya Yeshe.

Among these thangkars, the thangkar of the protector deity Palden Lhamo can only be worshipped publicly on the 15th day of the 10th month in the Tibetan calendar; worship at other times is prohibited because it bears the seal of the 5th Dalai Lama and the official seal of the local regime. To open this thangkar to the public during the designated time, a monk official and a lay official from Ganden Podrang Regime must first go to the temple, after which worship is permitted.

Legend of the Temple Converted to Gelug Pa

Legend of the Temple Converted to Gelug Pa

The Jamchen Chojey (means “Great Compassion Dharma King” ), “Sakya Yeshe,” underwent ordination and precepts at the Weilin Temple, studying various scriptures under many teachers and becoming a scholar.

He also practiced in seclusion at the Weilin Temple for a long time, where he built a scripture hall housing statues of Vaisravana, and others.

At that time, the master Tsongkhapa (1357 AD – 1419 AD) traveled from Dome (Now, Qinghai province) to “U region (now, Lhasa)”, passing through Drigung before reaching “Tshal.”

Master Tsongkhapa received teachings on the “Gyuzhi(means 4 medical classics)” from the master Tshal ba.

Subsequently, Master Tsongkhapa traveled to areas like shigatse, Shannan, Qushui, and Duilong before arriving at the Weilin Temple, where he studied and debated for years.

During his time at Weilin Temple, Master Tsongkhapa studied the “Tsai Ba·Kangyur”, teaching the Prajnaparamita Sutra, the Madhyamaka, the Abhisamayalamkara, and other scriptures to the monks led by Sakya YesheYeshi.

He also conferred empowerments on practices like the Unsurpassed Secret Mantra, the Blissful Way, the Mahavajra, the Adamantine Holder of the Vajra, and the Nine Deities of Joyful Vajra.

He then completed the classic work “An Exposition of the ‘Advice on Practice and the Truths’ in Tsongkhapa’s Golden Rosary” in the “Hall of Manifestation of Light” at Weilin Temple, where he studied and explored texts like the “Tsai Ba·Kangyur,” understanding the profound meanings like sunlight dispelling darkness. Hence, he named this hall “Wei·Nyma Lhakang (meaning — the Sunlight Hall in the center)”.

Additionally, Master Tsongkhapa prayed for the Gelug pa to flourish far and wide, and converted the temple to the Gelug pa.