Pelyul Monastery

Pelyul Monastery, known in full Tibetan as “Pelyul Namgyal Yangchub Ling”, translates to “Auspicious and Victorious Island of Bodhi.” The Tibetan word “Pelyul” means “Auspicious Place.”

Located on the northern slope of Baiyu County, Pelyul Monastery is a Nyingma monastery of Tibetan Buddhism and one of the six great Nyingma monastic centers (the other five being Katok Monastery, Dzogchen Monastery, Shechen Monastery, Dorje Drak Monastery, and Mindrolling Monastery). It was also historically one of the five great monasteries patronized by the lords of the Derge Kingdom.

The monastery is built on the mountainside, surrounded by towering peaks. With its vast architectural complex covering an entire mountain of Baiyu County, its densely arranged temples and monastic dwellings create a breathtaking spectacle.

The Legend of the Monastery’s Founding

Before Pelyul Monastery was established, when Princess Wencheng passed through Baiyu on her way to Tibet, she planted a tree here by inserting a branch into a bull’s horn. This tree is known in Tibetan as “Jomma Lhatso”

Later, the great translator Vairotsana, while traveling to Zhawalong, also planted a cypress tree in Baiyu and made a prophecy.

These auspicious signs and Guru Padmasambhava’s prophecy aligned with the prediction that a flourishing Buddhist sacred site would emerge south of Katok Monastery.

In 890 CE, the great Tibetan master Jutö Rinchen Jire Chuwangpo came to Baiyu for meditation, leaving behind relics such as meditation caves and stupas, which are preserved to this day. This made Pelyul the first established Nyingma practice site in Kham. Later, successive generations built a reliquary temple on the original site of his rock fortress.

In 1675 CE, the King of Derge vowed to build a monastery, expanding the reliquary temple into what became Pelyul Monastery. The great master Rigdzin Kunzang Sherab, upon the request of Vajra Treasure Master Mingyur Dorje and Serlo Tonpa Gyaltsen, assumed the monastery’s throne and became the spiritual teacher of the Derge King.

Subsequently, the third-generation disciple Jongön Pema Norbu and others traveled across Tibet, establishing monasteries, gathering disciples, and spreading the teachings. This led to Pelyul Monastery having over a hundred branch monasteries, thousands of retreat centers, and hermitages spread across Kham, Central Tibet, and Amdo. Today, Pelyul Monastery oversees approximately 360 affiliated monasteries.

At its peak, the monastery housed 3,000 monks.

Lineage & Teachings

Pelyul Monastery’s teachings blend the Nyingma school and the Marpa Kagyu tradition of the Phagdru Kagyu lineage, making its exoteric and esoteric teachings unique from other Nyingma traditions.

The monastery’s spiritual throne holders follow a reincarnation lineage known as Karma Yangsé. Traditionally, each successive monastery head receives monastic ordination at Palpung Monastery, the main seat of the Karma Kagyu school in Derge.

Architecture

The main structures of Pelyul Monastery include seven assembly halls, three Buddha halls, three reliquary stupas, eight large prayer wheel houses, and numerous monk quarters, accommodating over a thousand monks.

• The Great Assembly Hall can seat over 2,000 monks for simultaneous meditation and chanting.
• The smaller halls are used for scriptural teachings, meditation retreats, philosophical debates, astrology, and Tibetan medicine.
• The Buddha halls enshrine statues of Guru Padmasambhava, Gongpo (protective deities), Anye Machen, and Nyenpo Yutse. The walls of these halls are adorned with exquisite murals created by Thangka artists from Rebgong.
• The three reliquary stupas contain the remains of Pelyul Chökyi, Agong Khenpo, and Dongyu Khenpo.

Among them, the reliquary stupa of Pelyul Chökyi Rinpoche is the most magnificent:

• Standing 5 meters high with a 3-meter-wide base, the stupa is made of copper plates and is ornamented with silver, gold plating, coral, and agate.
• A white, right-coiling conch shell is embedded in the structure.
• At the top, a silver shrine houses a Buddha’s tooth relic, making it an exceptionally ornate and sacred monument.

The golden rooftop of Pelyul Monastery follows the mandala architecture of Tibetan Buddhism, consisting of three tiers:

1. The lower tier enshrines Guru Padmasambhava.
2. The middle tier enshrines Four-Armed Avalokiteshvara.
3. The top tier enshrines Shakyamuni Buddha.

During the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, Pelyul Monastery was almost entirely destroyed.

In the early 1980s, the Sichuan Provincial Government and the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Government approved the reopening of Pelyul Monastery as a religious site. An initial funding of 268,000 RMB was allocated, and the monastery was rebuilt under the leadership of its abbot, Thubten Tsultrim (“Tüsum”).

The restoration efforts received support from both Tibetan communities and international devotees.

After years of reconstruction, the monastery was able to rebuild its assembly halls, Buddha halls, monastic college, meditation retreat centers, hermitages, and monk quarters.

In the early 21st century, additional structures were built, including the Guru Rinpoche Pure Land Mandala, the Mingyur Dorje Relic Stupa, and the Eight Auspicious Stupas, along with the recreation of several Buddha statues.

Gomé Meditation Retreat (Pelyul Retreat Center)

In 1988, the monastery’s abbot, Tüsum, decided to rebuild the retreat center.

H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, H.H. Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, and H.H. Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche personally attended the groundbreaking ceremony and performed blessings.

The newly reconstructed retreat center was named “Gomé Meditation Retreat of Palyul.”

• By 1990, construction was completed, and the first group of 40 monastics entered a strict three-year, three-month retreat under the direct guidance of Tüsum.
• Today, the retreat center can accommodate 50 monks at a time. Each retreatant has an individual retreat room.
• The center also features a main assembly hall for group practice, which enshrines the Three Bodies of Buddha, numerous statues of great treasure revealers (tertons), sacred termas, and a complete mandala for the Three Accomplishment Teachings.

Deity Retreat Center

In addition to the main retreat center, Pelyul Monastery has a smaller retreat facility called the Deity Retreat Center (Tenzin Drubde). This center is dedicated to lama retreats for deity practices, where over 20 monks are in continuous retreat, practicing sadhanas such as Vajrakilaya (Dorje Phurba) and other deity teachings.

Mind Training Center

The monastery’s abbot, Tüsum, also established a Mind Training Center to provide a peaceful retreat environment for monks and lay practitioners preparing for intensive retreats.

Every five months, the center offers a “100-Day Preliminary Practice Course,” personally taught by Tüsum.

Ling of Study and Contemplation (Nyingma Monastic University)

In 1992, H.H. Penor Rinpoche, Tüsum, Khenpos, and tulkus of Pelyul Monastery held a conference and decided to upgrade the monastic college into a Nyingma monastic university, officially named “Nyingma Higher Buddhist Institute: The Island of Study and Contemplation” (Nyingma Shedra).

H.H. Penor Rinpoche personally funded the entire construction of the university. In 1994, the university officially opened, with Tüsum serving as the first principal.

The campus is built in traditional Tibetan architectural style and spans over 50,000 square meters.

It consists of:

• Lecture halls
• A grand Buddha hall
• Debate courtyard
• Nine classrooms
• Residences for Khenpos (professors)
• 350 student dormitories
• A library
• An archives room
• A dining hall
• Reception rooms
• Storage facilities
• A garage
• Landscaped outdoor areas

The academic system was jointly designed by Penor Rinpoche, Tüsum, Guchung Tulku, and Palyul’s Khenpos.

The full curriculum spans nine years, and graduates who pass exams and successfully defend their thesis receive the Khenpo degree.

The first enrollment in 1994 admitted 200 students. Since then, the university has accepted new students annually, maintaining an enrollment of around 350 students in the early 21st century.

Each student receives an individual dormitory, and their tuition, food, and living expenses are fully sponsored by H.H. Penor Rinpoche.

In 1998, Tüsum expanded the university by adding an affiliated school, offering free education in:

• Classical Tibetan literature
• Tibetan grammar
• Tibetan poetry
• Chinese language
• Religious rituals
• Tibetan astrology & calendrical studies
• Traditional Tibetan arts & crafts

By the early 21st century, the school had enrolled over 100 students, including underprivileged children and adults.

Tibetan Sutra Library

Starting in 1983, Tüsum spent twenty years raising funds and organizing teams to engrave over 50,000 pages of Karma Kagyu scriptures into printing blocks.

In 2003, a six-story library was built to store these sacred texts. Each floor covers 1,100 square meters, providing a permanent home for the Karma Kagyu Buddhist canon.

Religious Activities

Pelyul Monastery holds eight major Buddhist ceremonies annually, with the grandest and most spectacular event being the “Ten Days of Palyul” from the 1st to the 10th day of the 3rd month in the Tibetan calendar.

During this festival, the monastery hosts:

• The Great Thangka Unveiling Ceremony
• Cham Dance (Ritual Mask Dance)
• Tibetan Opera Performances

Pilgrims and visitors from Qinghai, Western Sichuan, and Gannan Tibetan regions gather in large numbers, creating an awe-inspiring, solemn, and vibrant atmosphere.

Other significant annual religious ceremonies include:

• Karma Kagyu Dharma Assembly
• Tenth Day Puja
• The Eight Sadhana Deities Practice,
• Wrathful Guru Rinpoche Puja (Jé A Nalimba)
• Vajrakilaya Puja
• Simhamukha (Lion-Faced Dakini) Puja (Ma-de)

Each grand Dharma assembly includes Vajra Cham (sacred Vajra dance rituals) as part of its ceremonies.

How to get to there

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Pelyul monastery is actually located on the north side of the hill in the center of Pelyul county, so the first thing is to get to Pelyul county first, then to this site.

The overland journey is via three routes that leading in or out Pelyul county:

• Pelyul to Garze (Kanze) : 230 kilometers, about 7 hours drive
• Pelyul to Derge : 100 kilometers, about 3.5 hours drive
• Pelyul to Batang : 200 kilometers, about 6.5 hours drive

Airport : There is no airport near Pelyul county. The closest one is Garze Gesar Airport, which is about 290 kilometers northeast.