Tromge Monastery

Tromge Monastery was founded by Master Nima Jangtsen in 1163 AD, though some accounts suggest it was built in 1275 AD.

The monastery belongs to the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, with lineages from both the Sakya and Nyingma traditions.

It is located in Tromge Village, Nata Township, Baiyu County, 138 kilometers from Baiyu County’s town

Overview

The monastery has over thirty monk rooms, six reincarnated lama lineages, and more than 100 monks.

Tromge Monastery was attacked twice by troops from Aba and Xiangcheng, destroying many rare artifacts. The monks fled to Sershul for refuge, where they stayed for three years.

Later, under the leadership of Kagyak Rinpoche and Gudeng Rinpoche, the monastery was restored, and the large and small scripture halls were rebuilt.

However, during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s, the monastery suffered severe destruction, resulting in the loss of many precious relics.

Rituals

Today, a new main assembly hall has been constructed, and several annual rituals are held, including:

• On the 15^th day of the 1st month of the Tibetan calendar, an Eight Precepts retreat ritual is performed.
• In the 4^th month of the Tibetan calendar, a seven-day Medicine Buddha ritual is held.
• In March, obstacle-clearing and fire offering rituals are performed.
• In July, a nine-day practice of the three kāyas (bodies of enlightenment) nectar ritual is held.
• In the 10th month of the Tibetan calendar, a seven-day wrathful and peaceful deity ritual for the benefit of beings is conducted.
• In November, a memorial ritual for past masters is held, featuring the recitation of Minling Terchen’s Vajrasattva and the Collected Heart Essence of Great Completion by Karma Lingpa, with a focus on the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities for seven days.
• In December, a ten wrathful deities exorcism ritual for protection is held for seven days.

There is also a seven-day ritual to give thanks to the Three Roots.

In addition to these regular rituals, others are held in tents, including the Eight Heruka, Vajrakilaya, Hayagriva fire offerings, Namgyalma, Guru Rinpoche prosperity rituals, and thanksgivings to the protectors of the Eight Great Buddha Guardians.

Preserved Relics

The main lineages preserved at Tromge Monastery from the Nyingma school include the Great Perfection Longchen Nyingthig teachings, The Great Perfection, the Universe as Buddha by Pema Dundul, and the treasure teachings of Tertön Lhégyal Lama.

Tromge Monastery houses the following relics:

• Thangka paintings of the 31 incarnations of the Buddha and the 31 incarnations of Guru Rinpoche.
• Additionally, there are thangkas depicting Tara, Akshobhya, Shakyamuni Buddha, Amitayus, and a set of five depicting the Thousand Buddhas of Infinite Light.

The monastery holds over 340 thangkas, both new and old, all of immense spiritual and cultural value, believed to be imbued with blessings.

The scripture collection includes:

• Kangyur written in gold ink,
• One Hundred Thousand Verses of Prajnaparamita,
• Five Tantras,
• The Derge Kangyur and Tengyur editions, amounting to over 400 scripture volumes.

The monastery also houses over 200 statues, including treasure objects and bronze Buddha statues, with some treasures belonging to Kagyak Rinpoche and Pema Yeshe.

There are about 30 stupas in total, all made of gold and bronze, each of extraordinary value.

The top floor of the main assembly hall contains a Great Perfection retreat center.

Inside the main assembly hall are nine statues of Guru Rinpoche, statues of Dakinis, and the Sixteen Arhats. The murals depict the protector deities of the Sakya and Nyingma schools.

Within the main assembly hall, there is a large thangka of the life story of Guru Rinpoche, based on the Guru Rinpoche’s Sayings by the famous treasure revealer Ösel Nyingpo. There are depictions of the 1,000 Buddhas of Uddiyana, the life story of Jigme Gyalwai Gendun, the Liberation Through Seeing stupa, the Four Great Kings, and all the protector deities.

On the second floor of the main hall, there are gold and bronze stupas, each five feet tall, as well as five stupas that reach the height of an entire floor, adorned with dzi beads, coral, and amber.

There is also a collection of statues, including a one-foot-tall statue of Avalokiteshvara, Shakyamuni Buddha, Amitabha, and 32 Buddhas representing repentance and purification.

The scripture collection includes the complete works of the Nyingma lineage, the collected works of Longchenpa, Mipham Rinpoche, Gochen Rinpoche, and the Tantric texts, comprising over 400 scripture volumes.

The “Speech Treasures” include the collected works of Dudjom Lingpa, Longchenpa, Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa, Gawang Lingpa, Datsangpa, and Sangye Lingpa, including both woodblock and handwritten editions.

The “Mind Treasures” include many Kadampa stupas.

In the protector deity hall to the left of the main assembly hall, there are statues of King Gesar, Tséymar, Rahula, Lion-Faced Dakini, and Tsiu Marpo, among others.

Additionally, there are sacred texts written in gold ink, such as the Names of the Thousand Buddhas of the Fortunate Aeon, the 8,000 Verses of Prajnaparamita, and the Golden Light Sutra. To the left of the main assembly hall, there is a dark retreat room for Great Perfection practice, with a practice area behind it dedicated to energy channels and essential points of the body.