Reting Monastery () is an historically important Buddhist monastery in

Lhünzhub County Lhünzhub County, or Linzhou County ( zh, 林周县) is a county in Lhasa towards the north-east of the main center of Chengguan, Tibet, China. It covers an area of and as of 2000 had a population of 50,895 people, almost all classified as rural ...

Lhasa Lhasa, officially the Chengguan District of Lhasa City, is the inner urban district of Lhasa (city), Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous Region, Southwestern China. Lhasa is the second most populous urban area on the Tibetan Plateau after Xining ...

, Ü-Tsang,

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

. It is also commonly spelled "Radreng."

History

Reting Monastery was founded by Atiśa's chief disciple Dromtön in 1057 in the Reting Tsangpo Valley north of Lhasa as the seat of the Kadam lineage of

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, D ...

. He brought some of Atiśa's relics with him. It was the first major monastery of the Sarma revival. Je Tsongkhapa (1357–1419) reformed the Kadam, which then became known as the

Gelug file:DalaiLama0054 tiny.jpg, 240px, 14th Dalai Lama, The 14th Dalai Lama (center), the most influential figure of the contemporary Gelug tradition, at the 2003 Kalachakra ceremony, Bodh Gaya, Bodhgaya (India) The Gelug (, also Geluk; 'virtuous' ...

lineage and Reting became an important Gelug monastery, the seat of the Reting Rinpoche.Dowman, Keith. (1988). ''The Power-Places of Central Tibet: The Pilgrim's Guide'', p. 94. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London. . The Reting Rinpoches were responsible for the successful search and discovery of the

14th Dalai Lama The 14th Dalai Lama (born 6 July 1935; full spiritual name: Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, shortened as Tenzin Gyatso; ) is the incumbent Dalai Lama, the highest spiritual leader and head of Tibetan Buddhism. He served a ...

. The Reting Rinpoches were among the candidates for

Regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

during the minority of a Dalai Lama. Thus, the Reting Rinpoche was Regent between 1845 and 1855 and, again, from 1933-1947. The latter Regent, the Fifth Reting Rinpoche, was involved in the search for the present Dalai Lama and became his Senior Tutor, later abdicated his position and was found guilty of colluding with the Chinese and died in a Tibetan prison in 1947. They also destroyed the Gelug Reting Monastery and killed many in Lhasa.Mayhew, Bradley and Kohn, Michael (2005). ''Tibet'', 6th Edition, (2005), p. 142, Lonely Planet Publications. ."Biography of Reting Rinpoche."
/ref> The political confusion which followed aided the rapid collapse of Tibet after the Chinese invaded. The Sixth Reting Rinpoche died in 1997. The Chinese announced in January 2001 that a new incarnation had been chosen as the Seventh Reting Rinpoche, just two days after the

Karmapa The Karmapa Tulku lineage of the Gyalwa Karmapa is the oldest among the major incarnating lineages of Tibetan Buddhism,The Karmapa, "The Karmapas Lineage", Kagyu Office established in 1110 CE by the 1st Karmapa, Düsum Khyenpa. Karmapa means " ...

began his flight to India. This incarnation has not been recognised by the Dalai Lama who believes he is a pawn in the attempt by the Chinese to control the Buddhist religion in Tibet. Reting was devastated by the Red Guards during the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

, and has only been partially restored.

Footnotes

References

* Goldstein, Melvyn C. ''A History of Modern Tibet, 1913-1951: The Demise of the Lamaist State.'' University of California Press: 1991.

External links

Biography of Reting Rinpoche
by Hugh Edward Richardson {{Reting Rinpoches Gelug monasteries Buddhist monasteries in Lhasa (prefecture-level city) 1057 establishments 1050s establishments in Asia Religious organizations established in the 1050s Lhünzhub County