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Dzongsar Monastery ( bo, རྫོང་གསར་དགོན།) is a Buddhist monastery in
Before 1958, Dzongsar had between 300 and 500 permanent resident monks, but frequently had 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.
The monastery had twenty three temples, large and small, and many important sacred rooms. 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. Dzongsar had a unique collection of Rimé scriptures and teachings, gathered by the proponents of the Rime movement, Jamgon Kongtrul, Chogyur Lingpa and Khyentse Wangpo. 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.
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. However, 180 monk's residences have been rebuilt and today the main temples cover 48,200 square meters. Today there are more than 200 monks residing at Dzongsar. Dzongsar also runs a school teaching Tibetan traditions, and has an enrollment of about 60 children. The monastery is also known for its incense and sells it commercially as Dzongsar Tibetan Incense Powder and Dzongsar Tibetan Incense Sticks. 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.
The current head lama of Dzongsar is the
Dêgê County
Dêgê County (; ) is a county in southern China, which was formerly one of the Kham region's five independent kingdoms - the Kingdom of Derge - but is now administered as a county in Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in far northwestern Sich ...
in the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, often shortened to Ganzi Prefecture, is an autonomous prefecture in the western arm of Sichuan province, China, bordering Yunnan to the south, the Tibet Autonomous Region to the west, and Gansu to the north ...
of Sichuan
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...
, China, southeast of the town of Derge
Derge (; ) is a town in Dêgê County in Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan, China. It was once the center of the Kingdom of Derge in Kham.
History
Historically, Derge, which means "land of mercy", was an important centre of Tibe ...
and east of Palpung Monastery
Palpung Monastery () is the name of the congregation of monasteries and centers of the Tai Situpa lineage of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism as well as the name of the Tai Situ's monastic seat in Babang, Kham (modern Sichuan). Palpung mean ...
. Historically it lay in the Kham region of 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, Taman ...
. It was founded in 746, destroyed in 1958, and rebuilt in 1983.
The monastery belongs to the Sakya
The ''Sakya'' (, 'pale earth') school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug. It is one of the Red Hat Orders along with the Nyingma and Kagyu.
Origins
Virūpa, 16th century. It depic ...
school of Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...
and was the main seat of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo
Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (, 1820–1892), also known by his tertön title, Pema Ösel Dongak Lingpa, was a renowned teacher, scholar and tertön of 19th-century Tibet. He was a leading figure in the Rimé movement.
Having seen how the Gelug instit ...
and Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö. However it is noted for its eclecticism of the Rimé movement
The Rimé movement is a movement or tendency in Tibetan Buddhism which promotes non-sectarianism and universalism.Sam van Schaik (2011). ''Tibet: A History'', pp. 161-162. Yale University Press. Teachers from all branches of Tibetan Buddhism - ...
and its openness to most of the teaching sects of Tibetan Buddhism.
History
Old monastery
Dzongsar Gonpa was 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. The original Bönpo Gonpa was transformed into aNyingma
Nyingma (literally 'old school') is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. It is also often referred to as ''Ngangyur'' (, ), "order of the ancient translations". The Nyingma school is founded on the first lineages and transl ...
and a Kadampa temple at some stage. In 1275 it was founded as a Sakya monastery by Drogön Chögyal Phagpa on his return from China.
Before 1958, Dzongsar had between 300 and 500 permanent resident monks, but frequently had 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.
The monastery had twenty three temples, large and small, and many important sacred rooms. 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. Dzongsar had a unique collection of Rimé scriptures and teachings, gathered by the proponents of the Rime movement, Jamgon Kongtrul, Chogyur Lingpa and Khyentse Wangpo. 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.
New monastery
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. However, 180 monk's residences have been rebuilt and today the main temples cover 48,200 square meters. Today there are more than 200 monks residing at Dzongsar. Dzongsar also runs a school teaching Tibetan traditions, and has an enrollment of about 60 children. The monastery is also known for its incense and sells it commercially as Dzongsar Tibetan Incense Powder and Dzongsar Tibetan Incense Sticks. 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.
The current head lama of Dzongsar is the Bhutan
Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainou ...
ese Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche
Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche (, born June 18, 1961),Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche
who was brought up in Sikkim.
References
{{Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Buddhist monasteries in Sichuan Buddhist buildings in the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Nyingma monasteries and temples Religious buildings and structures completed in 746