Nyingma Pa Monasteries

Mani Lakhang, also known as “Shannan Mindroling,” is a Nyingma Pa monastery of Tibetan Buddhism located in Barkhor North Street, Lhasa.

Note: this Lakhang is not the Mindroling Monastery

Introduction

Mani Lakhang is situated beside the Barkhor circumambulation path, opposite Langzi Xia.

Historically, it was not located here but in the middle of the original Barkhor North Street, at what is now the end of Barkhor North Street and the northeast corner of Barkhor, where a yellow house stands (in 2009, it was a Thangka shop).

Next to its original site, there was a white stupa known as the “Four-door White Stupa,” which enshrined the skull of Lobzang Pö, the deity of Tibetan merchants.

In its early days, Tangdong Gyalpo once stayed under the stupa and sought alms.

In the past, Lhasa residents would always say, “I dare to swear by the Four-door White Stupa!” to demonstrate their honesty when making vows.

The current location of the new Mani Lakhang was originally an open execution ground of Langzi Xia. Public corporal punishments were often carried out here, which was privately funded and rebuilt in the 1980s to replace the original one. It is a white building.

A metal plaque with Tibetan and Chinese inscriptions hangs above the entrance of the temple. The Chinese reads “Shannan Mindroling Temple Mani Lakhang.”

In front of the temple is a Sang offering stove, from which smoke rises. The temple is a subordinate temple of Mindroling Monastery, a Nyingma monastery.

Tibetans generally refer to a room containing a large prayer wheel as “Mani Lakhang.”

Mani Lakhang consists of only one prayer hall, with a prayer wheel (called “Mani” in Tibetan) that has a diameter of 2 meters and a height of 3 meters. Butter lamps fill the altars on the surrounding walls. The space is very narrow, making it difficult for two people to pass simultaneously. It is very lively, with many circumambulators visiting to turn the prayer wheel. It gets extremely crowded when there are many people.

Circumambulators should pray, recite the six-syllable mantra of Avalokiteshvara, and walk around the prayer wheel clockwise three times, seven times, or even hundreds or thousands of times.

Outside the hall, many small prayer wheels are placed around the perimeter, allowing circumambulators to continue their prayers by walking clockwise around the temple.

Also known as “Banak Shol Gyalkhang,” it is a monastery of Nyingma Pa of Tibetan Buddhism

Nyingma Pa is also known as the “Red Sect.”

Located in the bustling area of Barkhor Street in the center of the old city of Lhasa, Banak Shol Gyalkhang monastery is part of the many cultural relics in Barkhor.

Established in 1395 AD, it is a branch monastery of “Drak Yerpa Monastery” in Dakzi District, with main deities, such as “Nangsi Yundan Jiebu Buddha” and “Jigjig Buddha.”

Dragkar Monastery, also known as “Dragkar Mindru Norbuling”.It is built on the mountain and has a congregation of more than one hundred and eighty monks.

Brief

Dragkar Monastery was founded in 1254 AD as a monastery of Kagyu （Karma ） Sect, and was later converted to the Nyingma Pa in 1670 AD;

Its main hall faces east and houses statues of the Great Master Padmasambhava, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, and the Immeasurable Light Buddha, capable of accommodating over 200 monks for chanting in the same time.

The monastery houses many precious Buddha statues and thangkas, scriptures. Surrounding the monastery, there are nearly a hundred closed retreat rooms built into the mountainside, all constructed with the help of the monks’ family

Rules for study and practice

The monastery has a complete set of rules for study and practice. After ordination, monks typically spend the first 3 to 5 years studying scriptures under a mentor, memorizing all required texts, while also learning basic skills such as the use of ritual instruments, making offerings, and painting. They then have the option to further their studies at various Buddhist colleges or engage in solitary retreats.

Throughout the year, around 20 to 30 lamas engage in short-term retreats within the meditation rooms. According to regulations, many scriptures require retreat practices before they can be chanted in the main hall. Monastic responsibilities are rotated every three years, and during ritual gatherings, there are teachings by lamas and empowerment from the abbots.

The Rinpoche

Since his return to Dragkar Monastery in 1997, Gele Rinpoche has used most of the offerings from the devotees for the monastery’s development. Following the design of the previous Nga-gong Living Buddha, he rebuilt the third-floor living quarters, renovated the main hall, added a new well, and provided various facilities needed by the monastery. He also mostly provides for the monks during ritual gatherings. Additionally, he purchased a generator in order to play Buddhist teachings for the monks and local people during the gatherings.

Dordrag Monastery, also known as “Dorjedrag Monastery,” meaning “Vajra Monastery,” is named after the mountain on which the temple is located, which resembles a “vajra” or diamond scepter.

Location

It is located at the peak of the Nyo-rong-gen Mountain in Pelpung (Babang) Township. There are three monasteries on this mountain: the Dordrag Gonpa at the peak, the Kagyu Pa monastery of Palpung in the middle, and the Sakya Pa monastery of Pewar at the foot of the mountain.

Tradition

Dordrag Gonpa is one of the three main monasteries of the Nyingma sect, with the other two being the upper and lower temples of the Dorjedrag Monastery in the Shannan region of Tibet. The middle temple is this Dordrag Gonpa, and the lower temple is at the Jin-Gang Monastery in Kangding.

Brief

Dordrag Gonpa was founded in 1126 AD, originally located at the foot of the mountain. After about 400 years, the head of the Dorje Drak Monastery in Shannan, Renzeng Ngage Wangbu, instructed his disciple Gashang Nixie to move the temple to the mountaintop and expand it, making it an important monastery for the transmission of the “northern transmission of the hidden teachings.”

The founder of the northern transmission of the hidden teachings is Renzeng Godeng (1337-1408 AD), a Nyingma hidden teachings master and one of the three incarnations of the Nyingma Pa founder, Guru Padmasambhava. He once excavated more than 500 “hidden teachings” mainly on “The Great Perfection of Samantabhadra ” in the rocks of Sangsang Lazha Mountain in northern Tibet,

The living Buddhas

The monastery was previously overseen by three living Buddhas: Wuba Renpoche, Gaba Renpoche, and Qinse Renpoche. The previous Qinse Renpoche passed away before the Cultural Revolution and a reincarnation has not been found. Currently, the monastery is overseen by the 5^th Wuba Renpoche.

The monastery houses many precious treasures, including the Vajra used by Padmasambhava himself. The murals and thangkas in the monastery were painted by the Tibetan artist Tongla Tsewong.

Yagze monastery, also known as “Yaose monastery,” was built in 1630 AD and belongs to the Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery is located in Hugu Village, Mani Township, about 115 kilometers away from the county seat – Dege.

It is a holy place for the practice of Esoteric Buddhism with exceptional blessings and the field of action of Manjushri Bodhisattva. The temple follows the teachings of Padmasambhava and regards the supreme accomplishment of the nine yanas of Buddhist teachings as the ultimate method, known for its tradition of tranquility and genuine practice.

The temple has many accomplished practitioners who have benefited countless sentient beings. Currently, there are over 300 monks and nuns in this monastery.

In 1983, it was approved for opening by the Dege County Government in Garze Prefecture.

Tsangna Monastery, where “Tsangna” means “place of retreat for meditation” in Tibetan, was originally built around the 1340s and belongs to the Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism. It is under the jurisdiction of the Katok Monastery in Baiyu County.

Brief

Located on Tsangna Mountain in Yingbolo Village, at an altitude of 3504 meters, the existing buildings were mostly restored and rebuilt on the original site after the 1980s.

The monastery complex, with its alternating red and white colors, is magnificent and imposing, and every detail seems to be carefully crafted, exuding solemnity and dignity, evoking awe and reverence.

Three Precious Treasures

The 1^st is the true relic of the Buddha Shakyamuni.

The 2^nd is the footprint stone of the great master Jigme Lingpa from eight hundred years ago.

The 3^rd is the precious scripture of the Buddhist College, a handwritten manuscript by the venerable master Tubton Chokyi Drakpa Rinpoche, which is an explanatory text of the practice of the Great Blissful Mother Yeshe Tsogyal.

Location

Tsangna Monastery is located 900 meters above the Suomo River Valley. From the observation platform on the mountaintop, one can overlook the town of Ma’erkang nestled in the mountain valley, with the Suomo River flowing through the city.

Tsangna Monastery was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution and a new modern-style temple was built nearby in 2004. The new monastery consists of a six-story main building, four monk dormitory buildings, a temple guesthouse, and a reception room for visitors. The monastery is situated in an open and beautiful environment with snow-capped mountains, alpine meadows, and pristine forests.

Monastery structure

The 1^st floor of the main building is the Great Scripture Hall, the 2^nd floor is the Preaching Hall, the 3^rd floor is the Scripture House, the 4^th floor is the Multimedia Classroom, the 5^th floor is the Golden Buddha Hall, and the 6^th floor is the Exhibition Hall, with a golden roof on top.

The construction of the main hall was huge, with a steel-concrete structure and all walls made of granite. The main entrance to the Scripture Hall is four huge dragon pillars with empty carvings. There are four huge Four Heavenly Kings murals, and there are four 20-meter-high Han white jade square pillars inside the Scripture Hall, with exquisite carvings. All the wooden decorative materials inside the Scripture Hall are made of rosewood, and the lighting fixtures are imported from Italy. The eight golden Buddhas inside the Scripture Hall come from Nepal, and the roof is covered with gold, shining brilliantly from afar.

In front of the main hall, several tall pillars are carved with loongs that seem to be turning the river and sea upside down. The hollow-carved dragon embodies the superb skills of the carver. Under the cushion of the pillar, there are still traditional Tibetan lions squatting, calmly and fiercely like guardian beasts, silently guarding the peace and tranquility of the monastery.

The solemn gate of the main hall is painted with the pattern of the Seven Treasures and Eight Precious Objects in Tibetan Buddhism. The main hall, which covers more than a thousand square meters and can accommodate more than three thousand people, is filled with exquisite thangkas. The dome of the main hall is painted with a colorful Mandala.

Small Scripture Hall

Tsangna Monastery Small Scripture Hall is located in the southwest corner of the monastery and is a typical Tibetan Buddhist temple building. It is a two-story stone-wood structure with a multi-eave gable roof and a zigzag-shaped wooden frame. The exterior walls are made of stone, with a larger base and a smaller top, and the inner walls are straight. There are 20 steps of hanging walkways.

The layout is rectangular, facing east, with a vestibule, a scripture hall, and a main hall. It is 23.4 meters wide and 26.5 meters deep, covering an area of 620 square meters. The beams, columns, and brackets are painted with bright colors. The Small Scripture Hall on the northwest corner of the second floor houses a large number of precious cultural relics, including dozens of Buddha statues and murals from Nepal.

Niches

A Buddha niche is a niche-shaped pavilion designed to enshrine Buddha statues. They are often decorated with loongs and can be single or multi-layered, or even extended horizontally to form a continuous wall. They are mainly made of wood and decorated with lotus flowers, auspicious dragons, and other Buddhist patterns, with relief carvings or inlaid with mother-of-pearl, colored stones, ivory, and bones.

The styles of Tibetan and Han niches differ slightly. Tibetan niches are mainly painted, with dragons, heavenly maidens, and guardian figures as the main themes.

The second floor of the old temple of Tsangna Monastery houses a collection of Tibetan-style old Buddha niches, which were collected, restored, and preserved by “Gama Rinpoche” during the reconstruction of Tsangna Monastery. Some of them are more than 400 years old, with different styles, shapes, and decorative techniques.

The basic structure of these niches is divided into three parts. The lower part is the niche cabinet, with drawers on top and a frame layout below.

Some drawers and cabinets are solid and cannot be opened, purely for decorative purposes, with decorative patterns on the feet. The niche cabinets are slightly deeper than the upper niches, with protruding tabletops for placing water bowls or oil lamps.

The upper niches generally have door-shaped frames, two or three layers, with lotus petal patterns, swastika patterns, or diamond patterns. The niche face generally has a three-part layout, with the middle niche for Buddha statues and the two sides for bookcases, or a three-part niche, with the middle slightly wider, double doors, and different-sized niches inside.

The niche frame is decorated with shaped frame panels. Some niches are open-style, with different Buddha niches arranged in different positions and levels.

The top of the niche is generally decorated with a double Loong arching over a Mani pearl, symbolizing the protection of Buddha’s teachings. The Loongs are decorated with carved and painted colors or gold powder. Niches can be arranged independently or in a continuous wall style.

History

In the 1340s, the knowledgeable monk “Xijie Jiangcan” from the Katok Monastery returned to Gyarong. He constructed a simple retreat on the Yampaling Mountain (now renamed as Tsangna Mountain) and practiced there for many years. As more disciples came to study under him, a temple named Lama Temple was built, later renamed as Tsangna Monastery.

The monastery has been home to two great masters in its history: Kaden Triba, the first living Buddha of MarKang Temple, Losang Donggen Lundrub, and Kaden Shyal · Zhetan Denzal.

The present glory of Tsangna Monastery is attributed to the wisdom of the living Buddha “Yanban” within the monastery. With innate wisdom and admirable determination, Tsangna Monastery was able to gather a large amount of donations in just a few years, allowing for the reconstruction of the original monastery.

It is a monastery that combines traditional and modern elements. The living Buddha’s extensive travels abroad have led to the performance of worldly wonders in this remote mountainous area, where the prosperity of Han, Tibetan, and even European and American cultures are dedicated to the deities by devout craftsmen.