Rizong (or Rhizong)

gompa A Gompa or Gönpa ( "remote place", Sanskrit ''araṇya''), also known as ling (), is a Buddhist ecclesiastical fortification of learning, lineage and sādhanā that may be understood as a conflation of a fortification, a vihara and a universi ...

Gelugpa 240px, The 14th Dalai Lama (center), the most influential figure of the contemporary Gelug tradition, at the 2003 Bodhgaya (India). The Gelug (, also Geluk; "virtuous")Kay, David N. (2007). ''Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain: Transplantati ...

or Yellow Hat

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

monastery is also called the Yuma Changchubling in

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu a ...

, India. It is situated at the top of a rocky side valley on the north side of the

Indus The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kash ...

, to the west of

Alchi Alchi is a village in the Leh district of Ladakh, India. It is located in the Likir tehsil, on the banks of the Indus River 70 km downstream from the capital Leh. Unlike the other gompas in Ladakh, Alchi is situated on lowland, not on a hil ...

on the way to

Lamayuru Lamayouro (also known as Lamayuru) is a village in the Leh district of Ladakh, India. The Lamayuru Monastery is located nearby. It is located in the Khalsi tehsil. The region is also referred to as ‘Moon Land’, due to its terrains resemblan ...

. It was established in 1831 by Lama Tsultim Nima under the

Gelukpa 240px, The 14th Dalai Lama (center), the most influential figure of the contemporary Gelug tradition, at the 2003 Bodhgaya (India). The Gelug (, also Geluk; "virtuous")Kay, David N. (2007). ''Tibetan and Zen Buddhism in Britain: Transplantati ...

order, at Ri-rdzong. There are 40 monks in the monastery. The monastery is also called "the paradise for meditation" and is noted for its extremely strict rules and standards. The nunnery, located about 2 km from the monastery, is called the "Jelichun Nunnery" or Chulichan (Chomoling), where, at present, 20 nuns reside. It is north of Srinagar-

Leh Leh () ( lbj, ) is the joint capital and largest city of Ladakh, a union territory of India. Leh, located in the Leh district, was also the historical capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh, the seat of which was in the Leh Palace, the former ...

highway & north of

Mangyu temple complex The Mangyu temple complex located in the village of Mangyu, Ladakh is one of the earliest in Ladakh, India. Believed to be contemporaneous to the temples at Alchi Monastery and Sumda Chun, the earliest structures are supposed to be dating to t ...

. It is also believed that long ago Guru

Padmasambhava Padmasambhava ("Born from a Lotus"), also known as Guru Rinpoche (Precious Guru) and the Lotus from Oḍḍiyāna, was a tantric Buddhist Vajra master from India who may have taught Vajrayana in Tibet (circa 8th – 9th centuries)... According ...

meditated in the caves around Rizong years before the monasteries were built. It is also inferred that in the small caves in the vicinity, Lamas used to meditate for years in isolation from the rest of the villages. They subsisted on one meal a day, which was provided to them by local people through a square window opening in the cave.

Background

Before the monastery was built in 1831, it was started as a hermitage for teaching the Buddhist religion to the monks, with a strict regimen of a celibate life suited to the

monastic order Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic life plays an important rol ...

. In the 18th century, Lama Tsultim Nima who meditated at the ''rDzong-lung'' mountains decided to establish a hermitage (before he built the present large monastery) here, as a monastery for monks to meditate and learn the teachings of Buddha. Supported by many monks, initially many mud huts were built where they recited ''gso-shyong''. He laid down very strict rules of celibacy called the "Vinaya Rules" to be followed by each monk who meditated here. In brief, rules set are the following. *Monks are not allowed to leave the monastery, except in the case of sickness *No comforts of bedding are allowed to sleep at night *Monks are not to touch anything handled by women (including their own or others sisters) *Before sun rise or after sunset, Monks can not leave their cell, except to bring water *Not even a needle worth of possessions are allowed to be owned by the monks *Fire cannot be lit in their rooms *Any kind of donation received by a monk from his home shall be shared with other monks in the hermitage *The boundary of the hermitage was marked by three types of fences and no women was allowed to sleep even in the outer most boundary of the hermitage *Any rumour about offences that the monks committed would result in their rustication from the monastery Within the ambit of the above rules, the monks of the monastery would at times become quite sentimental about even inadvertently treading on an insect or even cutting a blade of grass. Over the years, the hermitage became a place of worship and pilgrimage to all

Buddhists Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and g ...

from

. It is reported that the king of Ladakh gave rich donations to convert the Hermitage into a retreat centre and the queen of Ladakh even visited this place on a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

. At this stage, as the number of monks in the hermitage increased, Lama Tsultim Nima decided to build a much larger monastery due to the then location of the hermitage being inadequate to build one large monastery.

Foundation

Lama Tsultim Nima selected a site to build a large monastery, away from the villages, at a place known as ''Ri-rdzong'', since the place had adequate water supply and fuel availability. He launched on a donation campaign to build the monastery for which the villagers also provided voluntary labour during construction. The Monastery was built in 1831 along with many shrines within it. Basically, the monastery has three large chambers. In two of these chambers idols of

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in ...

have been consecrated. The third chamber houses a

stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as '' śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circumam ...

. The hermitage has the distinct reputation of upholding "the Vinaya rules in strict sense of the term", so much so that the lamas of this monastery do not indulge in performances of mask dances or with undue rites and rituals. The monastery has the distinction of having two incarnate lamas namely, Lama Tsultim Nima and his son Sras Rinpoche, the former is the head of the monastery who generally lives in

Manali Manali may refer to: Places in India * Manali, Himachal Pradesh, * Manali, Chennai, a locality of Chennai * Manali New Town, a locality of Chennai * Manali, Gummidipoondi, a village in Tamil Nadu * Manali River, a river in Kerala People * ...

and the latter is the

Abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. Th ...

of 'rgyud-smad Dratsang'. The Abbott will be elevated to the rank of Dga-ldan Khirpa, the chief of all

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

an scholastics, after completing a term of two years. During the absence of these two incarnate Lamas at the Monastery, the duties are well allocated to others; the senior most monk (''Inas batan'') looks after the monastic schedules while his second in command would attend to the house keeping chores such as food and providing other facilities to the monks. In the monastery, which has full control of all its economic activities, there are three groups of people. The first group is of the Lamas (monks), the second of Chomos and the third group is of ordinary folks; the duties of each group and their interrelationships are well defined.

Structure and layout

The following are the details of the structures and idols of deities deified in the monastery's various chambers.

Relic shrine

A relic shrine, known as ''Sku–Gdung'' in local language, that enshrines the old relics of the founder of the monastery is at the centre. It is surrounded by several frescoes of Dharma-raja and other deities.

Assembly hall

The assembly hall, with the statue of

Shakymuni Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in ...

in the middle, is flanked to its right by idols of ''Tse-dpag-med'', ''rje-Rin po-che'', and Sras Rin Poche Esha Rab-rgyes and Lord Yamakantaka and other deities. To the left of the main deity, idols of Lord Avalokiteshvara and

Mahakala Mahākāla is a deity common to Hinduism and Tantric Buddhism. In Buddhism, Mahākāla is regarded as the sacred ''Dharmapāla'' ("Protector of the Dharma"), while in Hinduism, Mahākāla is a fierce manifestation of the Hindu god Shiva and t ...

are defied. The main hall also has thankhas or wall paintings of Dlama-mchod-pa and Lam-rims. Scriptures of ''Bka-gyurand'' and ''bstan-gyur'' are arranged on the sides. The central throne is reserved for the founder with the side seats (thrones) earmarked for Sras Rinpoche and mKhan-po of the monastery. Printing blocks of the biography of Lama Tsulim Nima, many objects made then and the books composed by the first Sras Rinpoche are housed here.

Sacred chamber

In the sacred Chamber on the west, the statues of

(protectress deity of the monastery), statue of the founder of the monastery, statue of the second incarnate, Gnas-Bstan Tsual–Khrims Dorji and a Stupa are located. Each row in this chamber has the idols of the two head lamas.

Thin-Chen shrine

In the ''Thin-Chen'' shrine, frescoes of Shakyamuni Buddha’s life history are depicted; the idols deified are the Golden ''Chengchub'' stupa, ''Rjo-wo-Rin-Po-cho'', silver Chengchub stupa, Arya Avalokiteshwara, a sitting image of

Maitreya Buddha Maitreya (Sanskrit: ) or Metteyya (Pali: ), also Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha, is regarded as the future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. As the 5th and final Buddha of the current kalpa, Maitreya's teachings will be aimed ...

, and a set of ''bka-gyhr''.

Other structures

The chamber on the east has statues of ''rje-tzone-khapa'', ''mkhas-drub-rje'' and ''rgyal-tsabrje''. Their writings, in thirty volumes, are also kept there. The

Mandala A mandala ( sa, मण्डल, maṇḍala, circle, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for e ...

shrine is the roof over the assembly hall meant for Mandala of Lord Yamakantaka and btra-shis-gyhi-skyong. The four directions of the mandala display religious statues.

Julichen nunnery

Julichen nunnery, also transcribed as Chulichan Nunnery, is subordinate to the main monastery. It sustains the needs of the monastery. The 26 nuns who reside here are taken care by the Governing Body of the main Monastery. The nuns fully participate in the economic activity of the monastery and have to work whole day to fully support the economic enterprises of the monastery. It is said that the young nuns who are more educated and candid took to religious curriculum of meditation and Tibetan philosophy, while the older nuns toiled on the fields in the furtherance of the economic activity of the monastery. The nuns are also trained in spinning, oil extraction from

apricot An apricot (, ) is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus '' Prunus''. Usually, an apricot is from the species '' P. armeniaca'', but the fruits of the other species in ''Prunus'' sect. ''Armeniaca'' are al ...

nuts and milking cows. The drudgery and inhospitable living conditions of the nuns in a nunnery are explained vividly by Kim Gutschow thus:

''The nuns serve as the worker bees in the monastic hive, which is over seen by monks engaged in their ritual ministrations. Nuns work from dawn to dusk processing the monastery’s vast wealth of grain, apples, apricots and wool. While the monastery sores skyward, at the end of a secluded valley, far above the distractions of human livelihood, the squat and ramshackle nunnery sits amid the monastic fields and orchards. The nuns’ quarters are bursting with odd heaps of barley, drying apricots, woollen homespun waiting to be dyed, abandoned looms, and plowshares in various states of disrepair. Nuns spun most of their waking hours working or cooking for the monastic estate, while living in rooms bereft of religious images.''

The social and economic aspects of the nuns of Julichang nunnery, who practice celibate monasticism, have also been elaborately studied by Anna Grimshaw, as part of her PhD thesis. It has been brought out that the celibate nuns provided the agricultural and animal husbandry labour, free of any payments from the monastery. They were exploited with provision of fixed ration for their use. Grimshaw adds that the nuns were given "a portion of harvests, in return for feasts on ritual occasions and year-long provision of spiritual protection". They were given very little opportunities for spiritual prayers also. Buddhist feminism in nunneries received a further boost after a conference was held on this issue and with the great efforts put in by Palmo, a foreigner, who adopted Buddhism and fought for the cause of the nuns in Buddhist nunneries. The nunnery at Jelichung was expanded, in addition to the Wakahal nunnery, between 1995 and 1998, after awareness was created at the conference. During this period, four new nunneries were also built in Ladhakh and

Zanskar Zanskar, Zahar (locally) or Zangskar, is a tehsil of Kargil district, in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. The administrative centre is Padum (former Capital of Zanskar). Zanskar, together with the neighboring region of Ladakh, was brie ...

under the

Ladakh Nuns Association Ladakh Nuns Association (LNA) is an association of Buddhist nuns in Ladakh, India. It was founded in the year 1996 by Dr. Tsering Palmo with the aim of reviving and rejuvenating the tradition of nuns in Ladakh. It aims to raise the education le ...

(LNA) that was established by Palmo. This promoted the education, visibility and material status of the nuns in Ladakh.Gutschow p.239

Visitor information

The monastery is located at a distance of about from the town of

. Leh is well connected by road and air links with the rest of the country.

Notes

External links

{{Authority control Buddhist monasteries in Ladakh Religious buildings and structures completed in 1831