![Stupa Kirti Gonpa Ngawa Sichuan China](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Stupa_Kirti_Gonpa_Ngawa_Sichuan_China.jpg)
Kirti Gompa ( bo, ཀིརྟི་དགོན་པ།), is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery founded in 1472 and located in
Ngawa,
Sichuan province
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 ...
, in China, but traditionally part of Amdo region. Numerous other associated Kirti monasteries and nunneries are located nearby. As of March 2011, the Kirti Gompa was said to house 2,500 monks. Between 2008 and 2011, mass arrests and patriotic re-education programs by Chinese authorities have targeted the monks, reducing the population substantially to 600 monks.
The wave of
Tibetan self-immolations began at Kirti Gompa.
History
Kirti Gompa was founded in 1472 by Rongpa Chenakpa, a disciple of
Tsongkhapa
Tsongkhapa ('','' meaning: "the man from Tsongkha" or "the Man from Onion Valley", c. 1357–1419) was an influential Tibetan Buddhist monk, philosopher and tantric yogi, whose activities led to the formation of the Gelug school of Tibetan Budd ...
.
It was established as a branch of Taktsang Lhamo Kirti Gompa (Nama Ge’erde Si) near the border with
Gansu Province
Gansu (, ; alternately romanized as Kansu) is a province in Northwest China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeast part of the province.
The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibeta ...
in 1693 but has outgrown its mother monastery.
The first Kirti Monastery founded by
lama Kirti Rinpoche
was in Gyelrang. These days the two main Kirti Monasteries are in Ngawa town and Taktsang Lhamo in Zoige county, both in
Ngawa prefecture, in
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. Taktsang Lhamo was 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 goa ...
and has now been rebuilt. There are numerous (approximately 30–40) smaller monasteries affiliated with the Kirti Monasteries spread throughout the region.
The 11th Kirti Tsenzhab Rinpoche was born in 1926 and moved to Lhasa in 1957 and accompanied the
Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current D ...
into exile in India in 1959. During a period of relative freedom in China, in 1984 he visited the People's Republic as the head of a delegation from the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, meeting Chinese government representatives in Beijing and touring Tibetan regions, including Ngawa. However, after the hardening of Chinese government policy in the aftermath of the
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests, known in Chinese as the June Fourth Incident (), were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing during 1989. In what is known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, or in Chinese the June Fourth ...
, relations between Beijing and Dharamsala soured, and he founded a Kirti Monastery in
Dharamsala
Dharamshala (; also spelled Dharamsala) is the winter capital of Himachal Pradesh, India. It serves as administrative headquarters of the Kangra district after being relocated from Kangra, a city located away from Dharamshala, in 1855.
Th ...
in India in April 1990, with monks coming across the border to join the new monastery.
He died in 2006. The current, 12th Kirti Rinpoche, born in 1940, is the 55th lama to head the monastery.
Ngawa Kirti Gompa
Ngawa Kirti Gompa (sometimes referred to as Ge’erdengsi or Gerdeng Monastery), properly known as Kirti Kalari Gon Tashi Lhundrub, is a
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 on the northwestern edge of
Ngawa City, the main city in
Ngawa County, within the
Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture
Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, also known as Aba (; Qiang: ; ), is an autonomous prefecture of northwestern Sichuan, bordering Gansu to the north and northeast and Qinghai to the northwest. Its seat is in Barkam, and it has an ar ...
in northwestern
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. It is located on the
Tibetan plateau
The Tibetan Plateau (, also known as the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau or the Qing–Zang Plateau () or as the Himalayan Plateau in India, is a vast elevated plateau located at the intersection of Central, South and East Asia covering most of the ...
at an elevation of 3,200 metres (10,499 ft.)
Outside the north wall of the monastery is a towering statue of
Shakyamuni Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...
. The imposing Assembly Hall or ''Tensi Dratsang'' (Dialectical College) has 120 pillars. It contains an 8-metre (26 ft) statue of
Maitreya, flanked by
Jowo Shakyamuni and Kirti Lobzang Chungla. There are also several other important buildings including: the ''Chokhang'' (Offering Chapel), the ''Lhabrang'' or residence of Kirti Rinpoche, the ''Zhungkhang'' (Monastic Office), the ''Gyupa Dratsang'' (Tantric College), the ''Menpa Dratsang'' (Medical College), and the ''Dukhor Dratsang'' (Kalacakra College).
Kirti Gompa is also famous for its 30-metre (98-ft) high white
chorten
A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation.
In Buddhism, circuma ...
known as the ''Dudul Chorten'' which has numerous chapels on the various floors respectively dedicated to Shakyamuni Buddha, Mahakarunika, and the Three Deities of Longevity,
Tsongkhapa
Tsongkhapa ('','' meaning: "the man from Tsongkha" or "the Man from Onion Valley", c. 1357–1419) was an influential Tibetan Buddhist monk, philosopher and tantric yogi, whose activities led to the formation of the Gelug school of Tibetan Budd ...
and
Sitatapatra.
It the largest Tibetan Monastery in
Ngawa Town, and established the Buddhist Youth School, which was closed by Chinese authorities.
[''Three monks including one jailed reported disappeared in Chinese ruled Tibet'', (20 August 2019), https://www.tibetanreview.net/three-monks-including-one-jailed-reported-disappeared-in-chinese-ruled-tibet/]
Taksang Lhamo Kirti Gompa
The Taksang Lhamo Kirti Gompa is located in the Zorge district, Sichuan Province. It has approximately 700 monks in residence.
Kirti Jepa Datsang Gompa
Kirti Jepa Datsang Gompa is located in Dharamsala, India. It was built in 1992 to house Tibetan exile monks from Tibet. Today, the monks number approximately 200 and includes Kirti Rinpoche.
Darjeeling Kirti Gompa
This is a small Kirti Monastery in Darjeeling, India with approximately 40 monks.
Ceremonies
New Year (
Losar
Losar (; "new year"William D. Crump, "Losar" in ''Encyclopedia of New Year's Holidays Worldwide'' (McFarland & Co.: 2008), pp. 237-38.) also known as Tibetan New Year, is a festival in Tibetan Buddhism. The holiday is celebrated on various d ...
) Festivals in the first
Lunar month
In lunar calendars, a lunar month is the time between two successive syzygies of the same type: new moons or full moons. The precise definition varies, especially for the beginning of the month.
Variations
In Shona, Middle Eastern, and Eur ...
include masked dances and the display of a large
thangka
A ''thangka'', variously spelled as ''thangka'', ''tangka'', ''thanka'', or ''tanka'' (; Tibetan: ཐང་ཀ་; Nepal Bhasa: पौभा), is a Tibetan Buddhist painting on cotton, silk appliqué, usually depicting a Buddhist deity, scene, ...
. As part of the
Monlam
Monlam also known as The Great Prayer Festival, falls on 4th–11th day of the 1st Tibetan month in Tibetan Buddhism.
History
The event of Monlam in Tibet was established in 1409 by Tsong Khapa, the founder of the Geluk tradition. As the great ...
Festival there is a ceremony for "Sunning the Buddha", and a big thangka of
Tsongkhapa
Tsongkhapa ('','' meaning: "the man from Tsongkha" or "the Man from Onion Valley", c. 1357–1419) was an influential Tibetan Buddhist monk, philosopher and tantric yogi, whose activities led to the formation of the Gelug school of Tibetan Budd ...
is displayed on a huge Thangka Wall behind the monastery. This ''Khakhl Sham'' (Appliqué Tangkha Show) was first held in 1468 by the First Dalai Lama,
Gendun Drub
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 ...
(1391–1474). Originally the thangka was smaller, but after the
4th Panchen Lama, Lobzang Chokyi Gyeltsen (1567–1662), the size was increased more and more until it reached its present dimensions.
Recent events
![Kirti Rinpoche Speaks](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Kirti_Rinpoche_Speaks.jpg)
The Ngaba Kirti Gompa monastery is at the center of
Tibetan self-immolations. Of the self-immolations, the monastery's spiritual master the 12th Kirti Rinpoche has said sacrificing one’s life to defend one’s Buddhist beliefs is not considered violent, and ''"Throughout your successive rebirths, never relax your vigilance in upholding the truth of the Buddha’s excellent teaching for a single moment, even at the cost of your own life."''
Ngaba Kirti Gompa is under close supervision by the Chinese
People's Armed Police.
On 16 March 2008, more than 3,300 monks and nuns from the Kirti monastic centers participated in the
2008 Tibetan uprising anniversary demonstrations, after which 27 nuns were arrested,
and Chinese forces admitted to firing weapons. Between 13 and 30 people were reportedly killed, and the nuns were not heard from after the arrests.
Raids at several Kirti monastic centers were reported by the
Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) is a Tibetan non-governmental nonprofit human rights organization.
The TCHRD investigates and reports on human rights issues in Tibet and among Tibetan minorities throughout China. It i ...
(TCHRD) and more than 572 monks were arbitrarily arrested by the People's Armed Police and the
Public Security Bureau
A Public Security Bureau (PSB) () of a city or county, or Public Security Department (PSD) () of a province or autonomous region, in the People's Republic of China refers to a government office essentially acting as a police station or a local ...
during the raids on 28–29 March 2008. The TCHRD also reports at least 23 people were killed and hundreds critically wounded during the demonstrations of 16 March. Chinese authorities intensified their local crackdowns afterwards.
The first self-immolation in Tibet was by a monk from the Ngaba Kirti Gompa, Tapey, on 27 February 2009. Accounts differ as to his condition, as some state he survived while other eyewitness reports, including the Self-immolation Fact Sheet from
International Campaign for Tibet
The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) is a non-profit advocacy group working to promote democratic freedoms for Tibetans, ensure their human rights, and protect Tibetan culture and the environment. Founded in 1988, ICT is the world's larges ...
, state that when Tapey ''"began to shout slogans (no details are yet known of what he said), People’s Armed Police (PAP) personnel stationed nearby opened fire, and Tapey fell to the ground. Reports indicate that the PAP extinguished the fire after Tapey was shot and he was immediately taken away by police."''
In early 2011, Kirti monks were sent to Chinese re-education programs, which the
United Nations Commission on Human Rights
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) was a functional commission within the overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006. It was a subsidiary body of ...
questioned.
[ Then on 16 March 2011, a 24-year-old monk named Phuntsog died in a hospital after setting himself on fire in protest against Chinese rule, three years after the demonstrations during the 2008 Tibetan uprising anniversary. On 19 March, Chinese authorities suspended the monastery's spiritual practices. On 20 March, Chinese officials were visiting households and inquiring about monks as family members.][
Thubtem Samphel, a spokesperson for the Tibetan government-in-exile's ]Central Tibetan Administration
The Central Tibetan Administration (, , ), often referred to as the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, is a non-profit political organization based in Dharamshala, India. Its organization is modeled after an elective parliamentary government, comp ...
, told the BBC that Tibetan Buddhism did not condone violence against other people or oneself. He added "Whatever the reason for this, it's a very strong and desperate indication that the people there are totally unhappy,"[
Tibetan residents began a demonstration at the Public Security Bureau which turned deadly. At the monastery, monks were arrested, then more than 1,000 Tibetans gathered to demonstrate as protests and arrests in the area continued. Three more monks from the monastery were arrested on 8 April, and on 9 April, the monastery was surrounded by about 800 troops and no one was allowed to enter or leave the grounds. The monks ran short of food and supplies as Chinese forces had walled off the monastery and prevented local Tibetans from offering food.]["2500 Monks of Tibet Ngaba Monastery Face Food Shortage." ''The Tibet Post International''. Monday, 11 April 2011]
/ref> Forces also built stations in the monastery, halted more spiritual practices, and beat monks outside of their rooms.
In response and to protect the monks during the siege, local Tibetans surrounded the Chinese forces and blocked the roads to prevent Chinese vehicles from entering or leaving Kirti Gompa.[
The ]14th Dalai Lama
The 14th Dalai Lama (spiritual name Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, known as Tenzin Gyatso (Tibetan: བསྟན་འཛིན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་, Wylie: ''bsTan-'dzin rgya-mtsho''); né Lhamo Thondup), known as ...
issued an appeal on 15 April 2011 to both sides and to the international community, citing the situation at Kirti Monastery and the self-immolations, and describing the standoff between the Chinese forces and the Tibetan people.[The 14th Dalai Lama, ''Appeal by HH the Dalai Lama'', (15 April 2011), https://www.dalailama.com/news/2011/appeal-by-h-h-the-dalai-lama] The Dalai Lama later said the self-immolations were the result of "Some kind of policy, some kind of cultural genocide is taking place".
A report by the International Campaign for Tibet states 300 monks were taken away on 21 April 2011 by paramilitary police who also severely beat a group of laypeople standing vigil outside the monastery, killing two old women and badly wounding other protesters. The 300 monks were hauled into 10 military trucks and forcibly disappeared, while the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances pressed China to disclose their whereabouts.
The BBC reported in October 2011 on a spate of self-immolations at the monastery by monks and nuns protesting PRC rule and the accompanying restrictions on human rights and religious freedom. Included among the victims was 17-year-old Kelsang Wangchuk, who self-immolated on October 3.[Michael Bristow]
"Self-immlation 'trend' at restive Tibetan monastery"
BBC, October 4, 2011. On October 17, a Buddhist nun named Tenzin Wangmo became the first female self-immolation victim in Aba, and the ninth of the year.
In response to the rise in protests, PRC authorities reportedly detained some monks in compulsory reeducation-through-labour and detention facilities, leading the monastery's population to decline from 2,500 to 600, from March to October 2011.["China hit by new Tibet self-immolation protest"]
The Inquirer, October 16, 2011. Police and military surveillance in the area has escalated, and some monks have been sentenced to prison[
Another report by the International Campaign for Tibet states the frequency of self-immolations in Ngaba lessened from 2014 to 2018, then solo protests began by those often carrying outlawed] images of the Dalai Lama along a road where many self-immolations occurred. The road is called "Heroes, or Martyrs, Street" by the monks.[''World learns of Tibetan monks’ disappearance, imprisonment despite Chinese govt. lockdown'', (15 August 2019), https://savetibet.org/world-learns-of-tibetan-monks-disappearance-imprisonment-despite-chinese-govt-lockdown/]
Arrests of monks at Ngawa Kirti Gompa continued in 2017 and 2018, after which three monks, Thubpa, Lobsang Dorje, and Lobsang Thamke, were reported to have disappeared into Chinese custody.[
]
References
External links
* China Tour
7 photos at Super Stock
{{Buddhist monasteries in Sichuan
Buddhist monasteries in Sichuan
Tibetan Buddhist temples in Sichuan
Gelug monasteries
1472 establishments in Asia
15th-century establishments in China
Religious organizations established in the 1470s
2011 in China
Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture