Benchen Monastery is the name of two
Buddhist temples. The original Benchen Monastery in Tibet was destroyed by the Chinese Army in 1959. It later began to be reconstructed by the surviving sangha in the 1980s. The second Benchen monastery in
Kathmandu
, pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia
, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country
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, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...
,
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
was constructed under the direction of two exiled Tulkus from the original monastery.
Benchen Monastery in Tibet
Benchen Monastery (; ) in Tibet and the summer retreat, Yarnä Lhakhang, was founded by the 4th
Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche, Gelek Gyamtso in an area called Ga 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 ...
. However, during the
occupation of Tibet, both were destroyed.
[benchen.org]
Benchen Monastery in Tibet
However, after a forced retreat to Siling the third Benchen
Chime Tulku returned and with the help of others dedicated the final decade of his life, beginning in the early 1980s, to rebuild both Benchen Monastery and its
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 ...
.
The Four Benchen Tulkus
Before the invasion of Tibet, and subsequent destruction of Tibetan monasteries, Benchen Monastery had four
Tulkus
A ''tulku'' (, also ''tülku'', ''trulku'') is a reincarnate custodian of a specific lineage of teachings in Tibetan Buddhism who is given empowerments and trained from a young age by students of his or her predecessor.
High-profile examples ...
*
Chime Tulku (the present fourth incarnation was born in 1991)
*
Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche (the present 10th incarnation fled Tibet and helped build Benchen Monastery in Nepal)
*
Tenga Rinpoche (the last incarnation died in 2012 after helping to build Benchen Monastery in Nepal)
*
Radha Tulku (the present Radha Tulku is commonly known as Chime Rinpoche, born in 1941 he fled to exile in
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
where he established the first Tibetan Buddhist Center in England)
A year before his death, Tenga Rinpoche had a surprise reunion with two of the other four Benchen Tulkus, Sangye Nyenpa Rinpoche and Radha Rinpoche, at the 2011 Summer Camp at Benchen Phuntsok Ling, Benchen's European headquarters.
[benchen.org: Review Summer Course 2011]
Benchen Phuntsok Ling (archived at FreezePage 10/10/2012)
/ref>
Benchen Monastery in Nepal
Benchen monastery in Nepal began its construction in 1987meditation
Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm ...
and Dharma studies. Additionally, in 1994, a free medical clinic began operating at the monastery, offering services to community.
References
External links
- Benchen Monastery Kathmandu
{{Buddhism topics
Buddhist monasteries in Nepal
Buddhist temples in Nepal
Buddhist monasteries in Tibet
Buddhist temples in Tibet
Karma Kagyu monasteries and temples
1987 establishments in Nepal