The Namdroling Nyingmapa Monastery (or Thegchog Namdrol Shedrub Dargye Ling)(བོད་ཡིག ཐེག་མཆོག་རྣམ་གྲོལ་བཤད་སྒྲུབ་དར་རྒྱས་གླིང་།) ( Wylie: ''theg mchog rnam grol bshad sgrub dar rgyas gling'') is the largest teaching center of the

Nyingma 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 trans ...

lineage 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 ...

in the world. Located in

Bylakuppe Bylakuppe is an area in Karnataka which is home to the Indian town Bylakuppe and several Tibetan settlements (there are several Tibetan settlements in India), established by Lugsum Samdupling (in 1961) and Dickyi Larsoe (in 1969). Bylakuppe ...

, part of the Mysuru district of the state of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

, the monastery is home to a

sangha Sangha is a Sanskrit word used in many Indian languages, including Pali meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community"; Sangha is often used as a surname across these languages. It was historically used in a political context t ...

community of over five thousand

lama Lama (; "chief") is a title for a teacher of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term ''guru'', meaning "heavy one", endowed with qualities the student will eventually embody. The Tibetan word "lama" means "hig ...

s (both

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedic ...

s and

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

s), a junior high school named Yeshe Wodsal Sherab Raldri Ling, a religious college (or

shedra Shedra is a Tibetan word () meaning "place of teaching" but specifically refers to the educational program in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and nunneries. It is usually attended by monks and nuns between their early teen years and early twenties. N ...

for both monks and nuns) and hospital.

History

The monastery was established by the 11th throneholder of the Palyul lineage, Drubwang Padma Norbu Rinpoche in 1963, following his 1959 exit from Tibet as the second seat of the Palyul Monastery, one of the six great Nyingmapa Mother monasteries of Tibet prior to annexation. The monastery's full name is Thegchog Namdrol Shedrub Dargyeling, called "Namdrolling or Namdroling" for short. Its initial structure was a

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

constructed from

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...

, covering an area of approximately . It is carved into the jungle that the Indian government granted to Tibetan exiles. The initial challenges included rampaging elephants and other tropical dangers. Dalainam

Branches

* Namdroling Jr. High School (Yeshe Wodsal Sherab Raldri Ling) *

Ngagyur Nyingma Institute The Ngagyur Nyingma Institute (Tib: , Wylie: ) of Namdroling Monastery was established by Penor Rinpoche Kyabjé Drubwang Padma Norbu Rinpoche (), 1932 – 27 March 2009, was the 11th throneholder of the Palyul Lineage of the Nyingma school ...

(NNI) * Ngagyur Rigzod Editorial Committee (NREC) *

Rigzod Computer Section The Ngagyur Nyingma Institute (Tib: , Wylie: ) of Namdroling Monastery was established by Penor Rinpoche Kyabjé Drubwang Padma Norbu Rinpoche (), 1932 – 27 March 2009, was the 11th throneholder of the Palyul Lineage of the Nyingma school ...

(RCS) *

Palyul Dictionary Editorial Committee Palyul Monastery (), also known as Palyul Namgyal Jangchub Choling Monastery and sometimes romanized as Pelyul Monastery, is one of the "Six Mother Monasteries" of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. It was founded in 1665 by Rigzin Kun ...

Padma Mani Translation Committee The Padma ( bn, পদ্মা ''Pôdma'') is a major river in Bangladesh. It is the main distributary of the Ganges, flowing generally southeast for to its confluence with the Meghna River near the Bay of Bengal. The city of Rajshahi is s ...

(PMTC) * Ngagyur Nyingma Research Center (NNRC) *

Ngagyur Nyingma Nunnery In order to give equal opportunity to women in the study and practice of Dharma, Drubwang Padma Norbu Rinpoche established the nunnery in 1993, which is situated at a distance of one kilometer from Namdroling Monastery. There are 1397 nuns who h ...

(NNN) *

Ngagyur Nyingma Nunnery Institute The Ngagyur Nyingma Nunnery Institute () was founded by Penor Rinpoche in 1995. Buddhist nuns there study a nine-year course on sutra and tantra along with poetry, grammar, composition and so on, a syllabus virtually identical to that of Ngagyur ...

(NNNI) * Tshogyal Editorial Committee (TEC) * Samtan Odsalling Retreat Center *

Nunnery Retreat Center A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Angl ...

(Drub Nyi Gatshal Ling) * TT Daycare Medical Center (TTDCMC) * PDL Guest House

Dharma Centres Around the Globe

* Canada ** Ogyan Osel Chodzong Monastery & Retreat Centre ** Ottawa Palyul Center - Dhonyag Shedrup Ling ** Palyul Namdroling Foundation ** Palyul Pema mani Center ** The Palyul Foundation of Canada * Hong Kong ** Penor Rinpoche Charity Foundation Ltd. * India ** Palyul Changchub Dargyeling, Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh ** Palyul Namdroling Temple, Bodh Gaya, Bihar ** Tsechu Association, Darjeeling * Indonesia ** Palyul Nyingma Indonesia * Macau ** Macau Palyul Centre * Malaysia ** Nyingma Palyul Buddhist Association Selangor and Kuala Lumpur ** Yayasan Pema Norbu Vihara * Nepal ** Nyingma Palyul Orgyen Dorje Chholing Monastery ** Nyingma Palyul Retreat Centre ** Palyul Thegchog Wodsel Choling * The Philippines ** Philippine Palyul Centre * Singapore ** Palyul Nyingma Buddhist Association * Taiwan ** Palyul Nyingmapa Buddhist Centre ** Sheng Keng Palyul Centre ** Shien Tein Palyul Centre ** Taichung Palyul Centre ** Tainan Palyul Centre ** Taipei Palyul Centre ** Taiwan Nyingmapa Palyul Namdroling Buddhist Association * USA ** Namdroling Montana, MT ** Nyingma Palyul Dharma Centre, NY ** Palyul Changchub Choling, FL ** Palyul Changchub Dargyeling, CA ** Palyul Changchub Dargyeling, MD ** Palyul Changchub Dargyeling, TX ** Palyul Changchub Dargyeling, VA ** Palyul Changchub Dargyeyling Buddhist Study & Meditation Centre, OH ** The Palyul Retreat Centre, NY

Buildings - Timeline

* On 17 February 1978, the Buddhist College ("

Shedra Shedra is a Tibetan word () meaning "place of teaching" but specifically refers to the educational program in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and nunneries. It is usually attended by monks and nuns between their early teen years and early twenties. N ...

") was constructed and completed. * A new temple, the "Padmasambhava Buddhist Vihara" (known by locals as the "Golden Temple") was inaugurated on 24 September 1999. The temple has space for several thousand monks. * 27 November 1993, the

mTsho-rGyal bShad-Drub Dargyas-Ling was established. * In 2004 Zangdog Palri Temple a temple to the main

(old school) Buddha, Guru Rinpoche was built and inaugurated on 13 December of that year. As of 2016, the lodging facilities alone for the school include three buildings with over 200 rooms. The population fluctuates as monks attend or complete studies at Namdroling. A recent census had the population in excess of 4,000 monks and 800 nuns.The History of Palri Phodrang, Copyright 2004, Ngagyur Rigzod Editorial Committee,

, Bylakuppe, Karnataka State, India

Ceremonies

Namdroling Monastery hosts several ceremonies yearly. Of particular interest is Tibetan New Year (Losar), based on the Lunar Calendar; dates are not static but usually occurring in the months of February or March. The monastery hosts traditional Lama Dances, oversize Thankga hanging from the sides of its buildings, as well as solemn processions throughout the monastery grounds spanning approximately two weeks.

Image gallery

Namdroling Monastery - Outer View , Bylekuppe.jpg, Zangdog Palri Temple Bylakuppe - Namdroling Monastery 37.JPG, Tara Temple Buddha Statue at Bylakuppe.jpg, Buddha Statue in Namdroling Monastery Namdroling Monastry - Bylekuppe.jpg, Padmasambhava Buddhist Vihara Nyingma Institute gate.jpg, Nyingma Institute Gate Ngagyur Nyingma Nunnery.jpg, Ngagyur Nyingma Nunnery Gyang Khang Tulku Rinpoche.jpg, Abbot Gyankhang Tulku Rinpoche

References

External links

{{commons category, Namdroling Monastery
Namdroling Monastery in India
Buddhist sites in Karnataka Nyingma monasteries and temples Buddhist monasteries in India Buildings and structures in Mysore district Tourist attractions in Mysore district Buddhist temples in India