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COLLECTED BY
Collection: Wide Crawl started April 2013
| Dzongsar Monastery | |
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 Dzongsar Monastery |
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 Dzongsar Monastery
Location within Sichuan
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| Coordinates: | 31°38′35″N 98°57′46″E / 31.64306°N 98.96278°E |
| Monastery information | |
| Location | Mehnshek, Dêgê County, Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, China |
| Founded | 746, refounded 1275 |
| Date renovated | 1983 |
| Type | Tibetan Buddhist |
| Sect | Sakya and Rimé |
| Lineage | Khyentse Lineage. Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö |
| Head Lama | Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche |
| No. of monks | 200+ |
Dzongsar Monastery is a Buddhist monastery in Dêgê County in the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous PrefectureofSichuan, China, southeast of the town of Derge and east of Palpung Monastery. Historically it lay in the Kham region of Tibet. Founded in 746 and destroyed in 1958, it was rebuilt in 1983.
The monastery belongs to the Sakya sect of Tibetan Buddhism and was the main seat of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö. However it is noted for its eclecticism of the Rimé movement and its openness to most of the teaching sects of Tibetan Buddhism.
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Dzongsar Gonpa was originally founded in 746 AD by a Bönpo Lama. Originally there was just a very small temple at this site, called Jowo-Lha-Chig-Kar-Chig and the Bönpo shrine remained until 1958.[1] The original Bönpo Gonpa was later transformed into a Nyingma and a Kadampa temple at some stage but it wasn't until 1275 that it was founded as a Sakya monastery by Drogön Chögyal Phagpa on his return from China.[1][2]
Before 1958, Dzongsar had between 300 and 500 permanent resident monks, but frequently contained many more people who camped around the monastery in tents to meet with the lamas. All the temples were destroyed in 1958, but rebuilding began in 1983 under the guidance of Dr. Lodrö Puntsok.[1]
The monastery had twenty three temples, large and small, and many important sacred rooms.[2] It contained hermitages such as Khamshe Shekdra, Karmo Taktsang retreat centre, Gargu Shangchub Rihtrek retreat centre, Zamnang Pema Shelpuk, Zingkhok Trawo retreat centre, Tsedrak Drulphuk, Gyalgen Chungtak, Munong Dorjee Drakal, Tsa-chu-juk Chenresig Lhakang, Honda Thongthong Gyalpo, and others.[2] Dzongsar had a unique collection of Rimé scriptures and teachings, gathered by the proponents of the Rime movement, Jamgon Kongtrul, Chokyi Lingpa and Khyentse Wangpo.[2] Although Dzongsar was a Sakya monastery by principle it was known to be flexible in its teachings and made it possible to study eight sects of Buddhism.[2]
In 1983 the temples and institutions of the monastery were rebuilt but not in its full glory. It now only has six large and small temples.[2] However, one hundred and eighty monk's residences have been rebuilt and today the main temples cover 48,200 square meters.[2] Today there are more than 200 monks residing at Dzongsar.[1] Dzongsar also runs a school teaching Tibetan traditions, and has an enrollment of about 60 children.[2] The monastery is also known for its incense and sells it commercially as Dzongsar Tibetan Incense Powder and Dzongsar Tibetan Incense Sticks.[1] The incense is made from precious, natural herbal materials from the highlands of Eastern Tibet and is said to have healing effects for the mind and soul, and have the ability to prevent infectious diseases.[1]
The current head lama of Dzongsar is the Bhutanese Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche who was also brought up at the monastery.[3]
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