Chokorgyel Monastery (; also, Chökorye, Chokhor-gyal) is a
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
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
in
Gyatsa County in
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, ...
.
History
In 1509
Gedun Gyatso
Gedun Gyatso, also Gendun Gyatso Palzangpo (, "Sublimely Glorious Ocean of Spiritual Aspirants", layname: Yonten Phuntsok; 1475–1542), was considered posthumously to have been the second Dalai Lama.
Early life
Gedun Gyatso was born near Shig ...
, the
2nd Dalai Lama
Gedun Gyatso, also Gendun Gyatso Palzangpo (, "Sublimely Glorious Ocean of Spiritual Aspirants", layname: Yonten Phuntsok; 1475–1542), was considered posthumously to have been the second Dalai Lama.
Early life
Gedun Gyatso was born near Shig ...
, had a meditation cave and founded a hermitage here. The
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 ...
monastery of Chokorgyel (), is a four-hour hike from the
sacred lake
Sacred waters are sacred natural sites characterized by tangible topographical land formations such as rivers, lakes, springs, reservoirs, and oceans, as opposed to holy water which is water elevated with the sacramental blessing of a cleric. T ...
,
Lhamo La-tso
Lhamo Latso or Lha-mo La-tso () is a small oval oracle lake where senior Tibetan monks of the Gelug sect go for visions to assist in the discovery of reincarnations of the Dalai Lamas. Other pilgrims also come to seek visions. It is considered to ...
, and about 115 km northeast of
Tsetang
Tsetang () or Zedang (), is the fourth largest city in Tibet and is located in the Yarlung Valley, southeast of Lhasa in Nedong District of the Shannan Prefecture in the Tibet region of China. It is the capital of Shannan Prefecture (which is ...
and about 160 km southeast of Lhasa. The monastery is at an altitude of 4,500 m (14,764 ft), while the lake itself is at an altitude of about 5,000 m. (16,404 ft). It is a small, oval lake - no more than 2 square kilometres in size.
The
Dzungar
Dzungar may refer to:
*Dzungar people, Oirat tribes in the Dzungar Khanate
*Dzungar Khanate, a historical empire
* Jungar Banner, an administrative division of China
*Junggar Basin
The Junggar Basin () is one of the largest sedimentary basins in ...
Mongol
The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member of ...
s severely damaged the monastery in 1718, although it was rebuilt immediately by the Regent Kangchene, although little, if anything ancient would have survived until the time of the arrival of the Chinese in 1959.
![Palden Lhamo, Tawang Monastery](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Palden_Lhamo%2C_Tawang_Monastery.jpg)
It is said that
Palden Lhamo
Palden Lhamo ("Glorious Goddess",Volkmann, Rosemarie: "Female Stereotypes in Tibetan Religion and Art: the Genetrix/Progenitress as the Exponent of the Underworld" ''in'' , sa, Śrīdēvī, mn, Ukin Tengri) or RematiDowman, Keith. (1988). ''T ...
, the female guardian spirit of the sacred lake, Lhamo La-tso, promised the
1st Dalai Lama
Gedun Drupa (; 1391–1474) was considered posthumously to have been the 1st Dalai Lama.
Biography
Gedun Drupa was born in a cow-shed in Gyurmey Rupa near Sakya in the Tsang region of central Tibet, the son of Gonpo Dorjee and Jomo Namkha ...
in one of his visions "that she would protect the reincarnation lineage of the Dalai Lamas." Ever since the time of
Gendun Gyatso
Gedun Gyatso, also Gendun Gyatso Palzangpo (, "Sublimely Glorious Ocean of Spiritual Aspirants", layname: Yonten Phuntsok; 1475–1542), was considered posthumously to have been the second Dalai Lama.
Early life
Gedun Gyatso was born near Shig ...
, the 2nd Dalai Lama, who formalised the system, and senior monks have since regularly visited the lake to seek guidance on choosing the next reincarnations. particularly of the Dalai and
Panchen lamas, through visions while meditating there.
The monastery was an important halting-place for many senior lamas on their treks to and from the 'Vision Lake', Lhamo Lha-so. It once housed 500 monks but was completely destroyed during the
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...
when every bit of wood was removed from the buildings, leaving only roofless walls. The main hall has since been rebuilt and a few monks have taken up residence once again.
Description of the Monastery and its surroundings
The monastery is situated between three mountains. Mount
Zhidag to the north is the "white" residence of the ancient
Bonpo
''Bon'', also spelled Bön () and also known as Yungdrung Bon (, "eternal Bon"), is a Tibetan religious tradition with many similarities to Tibetan Buddhism and also many unique features.Samuel 2012, pp. 220-221. Bon initially developed in t ...
protector of the earth, Shidrak, at the foot of which is the Dalai Lamas' residence. Higher up are the remains of a temple in which is the footprint of Damchen Choje, the 'Dharma Protector Bound to Service'. Above this was the now-destroyed meditation cave of the 2nd Dalai Lama, although his footprint in stone has survived in a
mani wall. The mountain to the south,
Shridevi
Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya (religion), Maya'' ...
, is the "blue" residence of the Protectress Palden Lhamo on which the ''dundro'' or
sky burial
Sky burial (, "bird-scattered") is a funeral practice in which a human corpse is placed on a mountaintop to decompose while exposed to the elements or to be eaten by scavenging animals, especially carrion birds. It is a specific type of the ...
site is located, and to the east, Mount Begtse, the "red" mountain residence of Protector
Begtse
Begtse (; "Begtse the Great Coat of Mail") is a dharmapala and the lord of war in Tibetan Buddhism, originally a pre-Buddhist war god of the Mongols.
Name
The name Begtse () is a loanword from Mongolian , meaning "coat of mail". He is also give ...
, or Chamsing, who was imported by the Gelugpa from
Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...
. On the eastern slope of this mountain is an ancient interdenominational Red Hat
gompa
A Gompa or Gönpa ( "remote place", Sanskrit ''araṇya''), also known as ling (), is a Buddhism, Buddhist ecclesiastical fortification of learning, lineage and sādhanā that may be understood as a conflation of a fortification, a vihara and a ...
called Nyingsaka (composed from: ''Nyin''gma, ''Sa''kya and ''Ka''gyu).
The monastery is in the upper
Metoktang Valley in the old province of
Dakpo at the "geomantically powerful confluence of three rivers."
The monastery was originally built in a triangular form to reflect the symbolism of its position at the confluence of three rivers and surrounded by three mountains and also represents the conjunction of the three elements of water, earth and fire, as well as the female principle of Palden Lhamo in the form of an inverted triangle. The ruins, with their massive walls include two monastic colleges or ''dratsangs'' and two large temples, the Lukhang and Tsuklakhang.
At the centre of the monastery complex there is a small pillar engraved with
sutra
''Sutra'' ( sa, सूत्र, translit=sūtra, translit-std=IAST, translation=string, thread)Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an aph ...
s and a Buddhist
swastika
The swastika (卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures, now also widely recognized for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. It ...
. The Lukhang, to the west of this, is the temple of the Serpent Protectors, which was built over the original hermitage of the 2nd Dalai Lama. It is said to have been built by red eagles (''kyungka'',
garuda
Garuda (Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garuda is a ...
s). On the walls of the main temple, the Tsuklakang to the north, damaged murals can still be seen. This used to house a large statue of
Mipam Gompo which dated back to the founding of the monastery.
South of the walls is the Shinje Melong or 'Mirror of the Lord of Death' - a polished grey granite stone in which it is said horoscopes may be read as in a crystal ball, and is also used in rain-making ceremonies.
[Dowman, Keith. (1988). ''The Power-Places of Central Tibet: The Pilgrim's Guide'', p. 258. Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd., London. (pbk).]
Footnotes
External links
*28 Travel Blog photos of Lhamo La-tso and regio
Palden Lhamo
{{Buddhist monasteries in Tibet
Buddhist monasteries in Tibet
Buddhist temples in Shannan, Tibet
1509 establishments in Asia
Gelug monasteries