Ta'er Monastery
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Kumbum Monastery (, THL ''Kumbum Jampa Ling''), also called Ta'er Temple, is a Tibetan gompa in Lusar,
Huangzhong County Huangzhong District () is a district of Xining, Qinghai Province, China. It is located about east of Qinghai Lake and about southwest of downtown Xining. In 2020 the district had a population of 463,900, of which 153,000 belonging to minorities ...
,
Xining Xining (; ), alternatively known as Sining, is the capital of Qinghai province in western China and the largest city on the Tibetan Plateau. The city was a commercial hub along the Northern Silk Road's Hexi Corridor for over 2000 years, and wa ...
,
Qinghai Qinghai (; alternately romanized as Tsinghai, Ch'inghai), also known as Kokonor, is a landlocked province in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It is the fourth largest province of China by area and has the third smallest po ...
, China. It was founded in 1583 in a narrow valley close to the village of Lusar in the historical Tibetan region of
Amdo Amdo ( ”am˥˥.to˥˥ ) is one of the three traditional Tibetan regions, the others being U-Tsang in the west and Kham in the east. Ngari (including former Guge kingdom) in the north-west was incorporated into Ãœ-Tsang. Amdo is also the bi ...
. Its superior monastery is Drepung Monastery, immediately to the west of
Lhasa Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level city, prefecture-level Lhasa (prefecture-level city), Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Regio ...
. It is ranked in importance as second only to Lhasa.


Description

Alexandra David-Néel Alexandra David-Néel (born Louise Eugénie Alexandrine Marie David; 24 October 1868 – 8 September 1969) was a Belgian–French explorer, spiritualist, Buddhist, anarchist, opera singer, and writer. She is most known for her 1924 visit to Lh ...
, the famous Belgian-French explorer who spent more than two years studying and translating Tibetan books at the monastery, said of it:


Origins: The Tree of Great Merit

Je 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 ...
, the founder of 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 ...
school 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 ...
, was born in nearby
Tsongkha Tsongkha (), also known as Qingtang () and Gusiluo (), was a Tibetan theocracy that ruled northeastern Tibet from 997 to 1104. History In 997 the elders of Amdo found a descendant of the Yarlung dynasty in Gaochang by the name of Qinanling Wen ...
in 1357. According to one tradition, Tsongkhapa's father took the afterbirth and buried it where the monastery is now and soon a sandalwood tree grew on the spot. Another version has it that the tree grew up where drops of
blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the c ...
from Tsongkhapa's umbilical cord had fallen on the ground. In any case this tree became known as the "Tree of Great Merit." The leaves and the bark of this tree were reputed to bear impressions of the Buddha's face and various mystic syllables and its blossoms were said to give off a peculiarly pleasing scent. The four-storied golden-roofed temple built around the tree where Tsongkhapa is said to have been born is called "Golden Tree" (, metaphorically "wish-fulfilling tree") and is considered the holiest place at Kumbum. This is the origin of its Chinese name, Little Tower Temple. Two
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
missionaries,
Évariste Régis Huc Évariste Régis Huc, C.M., also known as the Abbé Huc (1813–1860), was a French Catholic priest, Lazarite missionary, and traveller. He became famous for his accounts of Qing-era China, Mongolia (then known as "Tartary"), and especially ...
and
Joseph Gabet Joseph Gabet (4 December 1808 1853) was a French Catholic Lazarite missionary. He was active in Northern China and Mongolia before traveling to Tibet with Évariste Huc. Expelled and arrested, he died in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Biography Jose ...
who arrived here in the 1840s when the tree was still living were fully prepared to dismiss "The Tree of Great Merit" as just another fanciful legend.Section of this tree are now preserved in a stupa in the Great Golden Temple.


History


Foundation

In the 1360s Tsongkhapa's mother, with the help of locals, had a small temple with a
stupa A stupa ( sa, सà¥à¤¤à¥‚प, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''Å›arÄ«ra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circumamb ...
built on the site of his birthplace. In 1560 the meditator Tsöndrü Gyeltsen () built a small monastery there called Gonpalung for intensive
meditation 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 cal ...
practice. At first, it had seven monks at a time, but soon expanded to hold fifteen. In 1576,
Altan Khan Altan Khan of the Tümed (1507–1582; mn, ᠠᠯᠲᠠᠨ ᠬᠠᠨ, Ðлтан хан; Chinese language, Chinese: 阿勒å¦æ±—), whose given name was Anda (Mongolian language, Mongolian: ; Chinese language, Chinese: 俺答), was the leader of ...
(1507–1583) of the Tümed Mongols invited the future
3rd Dalai Lama Sonam Gyatso (; 1543–1588) was the first to be named Dalai Lama, although the title was retrospectively given to his two predecessors. He was born near Lhasa in 1543 and was recognised as the reincarnation of Gendun Gyatso and subsequently en ...
, Sönam Gyatso (1543–1588) to bring Buddhism to
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, ...
. After Altan Khan adopted Buddhism, he gave Sönam Gyatso the title Dalai Lama: ''Dalai'' is the Mongolian translation of the name ''Gyatso'' "ocean." On his way to meet Altan Khan near
Qinghai Lake Qinghai Lake or Ch'inghai Lake, also known by other names, is the largest lake in China. Located in an endorheic basin in Qinghai Province, to which it gave its name, Qinghai Lake is classified as an alkaline salt lake. The lake has fluctuat ...
, the 3rd Dalai Lama stopped at the isolated retreat by the
holy tree A sacred tree is a tree which is considered to be sacred, or worthy of spiritual respect or reverence. Such trees appear throughout world history in various cultures including the ancient Greek, Hindu mythology, Celtic and Germanic mythologies. ...
marking the spot where Tsongkhapa had been born. He requested Tsöndrü Gyeltsen to construct a larger monastery at this site and appointed him as the head lama. The monastery was built completely in 1583 and a fence was erected around the "Tree of Great Merit". An annual
Monlam Prayer Festival 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 greates ...
() was inaugurated, like the one held in
Lhasa Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level city, prefecture-level Lhasa (prefecture-level city), Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Regio ...
. The new monastery was called Kumbum Jampa Ling. "Kumbum" means "100,000 enlightening bodies of the Buddha". It is named after the 100,000 images of SiṃhanÄda which appear on the leaves of the holy
sandalwood Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus ''Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for us ...
tree. "Jampa ling" means "Maitreya Cloister." This refers to the Maitreya temple built by Tsöndrü Gyeltsen to the right of the precious tree. The first Throne Holder of Kumbum was Düldzin Özer Gyatso (, born 1557). In 1603, the
4th Dalai Lama Yonten Gyatso or Yon-tan-rgya-mtsho (1589–1617), was the 4th Dalai Lama, born in Mongolia on the 30th day of the 12th month of the Earth-Ox year of the Tibetan calendar.Thubten Samphel and Tendar (2004), p.87. Other sources, however, say he wa ...
(1589–1616) stopped at Kumbum on his way from his native
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, ...
to
Ü-Tsang Ü-Tsang is one of the three traditional provinces of Tibet, the others being Amdo in the north-east, and Kham in the east. Ngari (including former Guge kingdom) in the north-west was incorporated into Ü-Tsang. Geographically Ü-Tsang covere ...
. At that time, he proclaimed the need for a study division to be built and for Düldzin Özer Gyatso to be appointed as the head of the entire monastery. At Kumbum's Monlam of 1612, Düldzin Özer Gyatso first ascended to the throne of abbot and opened a debate college (). By the middle of the 20th century, Kumbum Monastery included thirty temples and a thousand or so houses. The
Hui The Hui people ( zh, c=, p=Huízú, w=Hui2-tsu2, Xiao'erjing: , dng, ХуÑйзў, ) are an East Asian ethnoreligious group predominantly composed of Chinese-speaking adherents of Islam. They are distributed throughout China, mainly in the n ...
General
Ma Bufang Ma Bufang (1903 – 31 July 1975) (, Xiao'erjing: ) was a prominent Muslim Ma clique warlord in China during the Republic of China era, ruling the province of Qinghai. His rank was Lieutenant-general. General Ma started an industrialization pro ...
patronized the
Choekyi Gyaltsen, 10th Panchen Lama Lobsang Trinley Lhündrub Chökyi Gyaltsen (born Gönbo Cêdän; 19 February 1938 – 28 January 1989) was the tenth Panchen Lama, officially the 10th Panchen Erdeni (), of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. According to Tibetan Buddhism, ...
and 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 transl ...
against 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 Dal ...
.
Qinghai Qinghai (; alternately romanized as Tsinghai, Ch'inghai), also known as Kokonor, is a landlocked province in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It is the fourth largest province of China by area and has the third smallest po ...
served as a "sanctuary" for Nyingma members. Ma Bufang allowed Kumbum Monastery to be totally self-governed by the Panchen Lama.


Monastic colleges

Kumbum has four monastic colleges or faculties (''dratsang''). The largest is the Debate College or Faculty for Logic, the Shadupling Dratsang. Most of its divisions use the textbooks of Jetsunpa Chokyi-gyeltsen (1469–1544), as at Ganden Jangtsey and Sera Jey Colleges near Lhasa. A few of the divisions follow the textbooks of Kunkyen Jamyang-zhaypa Ngawang-tsondru (1648–1722), as at Gomang College of Drepung Monastery and
Labrang Monastery Labrang Monastery (; Chinese: LÄboléng Sì, 拉åœæ¥žå¯º) is one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. Its formal name is ''Genden Shédrup Dargyé Trashi Gyésu khyilwé Ling'' (). Labrang is located in Xiah ...
. The highest degrees of Geshe Rabjampa and Geshe Shayrampa are awarded at the Kumbum
Monlam Prayer Festival 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 greates ...
each year. Gyüpa Dratsang, the Tantric College, or Sangngag Dechenling Datsang was founded by Chojey Legpa-gyatso in 1649. The curriculum follows that of Gyumay Lower Tantric College of
Lhasa Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level city, prefecture-level Lhasa (prefecture-level city), Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Regio ...
. After study of the major texts and commentaries of the '' GuhyasamÄja tantra'', ''
Cakrasaṃvara Tantra The ''Cakrasaṃvara Tantra'' (, ''khorlo demchok,'' The "Binding of the Wheels" Tantra) is an influential Buddhist Tantra. It is roughly dated to the late eight or early ninth century by David B. Gray (with a ''terminus ante quem'' in the late ...
'' () and '' Vajrabhairava tantra'', monks receive the ''geshe ngagrampa'' degree. In 1711, Chuzang Lozang-tenpay-gyeltsen built a new Tantric College, Ngagpa Dratsang. In 1723, the Qing armies severely damaged the four great monasteries of the Qinghai region – Kumbum, Gonlung, Serkog and Chuzang and many monks fled. Soon afterwards, the Qing commander asked the 21st Throne Holder to convert the new Ngagpa Dratsang into a Medical College, and this was done. With the appointment of several famous doctors, the Medical College, Menpa Dratsang Sorig-dargyey-zhenpen-norbuling was opened in 1725. It became a separate college during the time of the 22nd Throne Holder. The doctors who are graduated receive the Menrampa degree. The fourth college at Kumbum is the Kalachakra College, Dükhor Dratsang or Dukor Dratsang Rigden Losel ling. It was founded in 1820 by Ngawang Shedrub Tenpé Nyima. Monks at this college also study astrology and receive the ''tsirampa'' degree upon completion of their education.


Current situation

Before 1958, Kumbum had 3600 monks. At present, there are 400, as the monastery was affected by Chinese Communist policies since the late 1950s. Of these, 300 are at the Debate College and the rest are distributed evenly among the other three colleges. Traditionally, the majority of the Kumbum monks have been
Tibetans The Tibetan people (; ) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Tibet. Their current population is estimated to be around 6.7 million. In addition to the majority living in Tibet Autonomous Region of China, significant numbers of Tibetans live ...
from Amdo, as at
Labrang Monastery Labrang Monastery (; Chinese: LÄboléng Sì, 拉åœæ¥žå¯º) is one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. Its formal name is ''Genden Shédrup Dargyé Trashi Gyésu khyilwé Ling'' (). Labrang is located in Xiah ...
. The remainder have been
Khalkha Mongols The Khalkha ( Mongolian: mn, Халх, Halh, , zh, 喀爾喀) have been the largest subgroup of Mongol people in modern Mongolia since the 15th century. The Khalkha, together with Chahars, Ordos and Tumed, were directly ruled by Borjigin khans ...
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, ...
() or
Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...
(),
Upper Mongols The Upper Mongols ( Mongolian: ДÑÑд монгол, ''Deed mongol'', Mongolian script: ), also known as the Köke Nuur Mongols ( Mongolian: Ð¥Ó©Ñ… нуурын Монгол, Mongolian script: , "Blue lake Mongol") or Qinghai Mongols (Chinese: é ...
() from Amdo east of Kumbum or
Yugur The Yugurs, Yughurs, Yugu (; Western Yugur: ''Sarïg Yogïr''; Eastern Yugur: ''Šera Yogor''), traditionally known as Yellow Uyghurs, are a Turko- Mongolic ethnic group and one of China's 56 officially recognized ethnic groups, consisting ...
s () from
Gansu 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 Tibet ...
. Kumbum is still a major pilgrimage for
Vajrayana VajrayÄna ( sa, वजà¥à¤°à¤¯à¤¾à¤¨, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with MantrayÄna, GuhyamantrayÄna, TantrayÄna, Secret Mantra, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, are names referring t ...
believers and scholars, visited by many thousands of people a year. The Arjia
tulku 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 ...
s are traditionally given the position of abbot of Kumbum. The
8th Arjia Rinpoche Lobsang Tubten Jigme Gyatso (bot=བློ་བཟང་à½à½´à½–་བསྟན་འཇིགས་མེད་རྒྱ་མཚོ་), officially the 8th Arjia Hotogtu(bot=ཨ་ཀྱཱ་ཧོ་à½à½¼à½‚་à½à½´à¼), born 1950 in Haiy ...
went into exile in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in 1998. He is currently developing an exile campus of Kumbum Monastery in
Bloomington, Indiana Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Indiana, Monroe County in the central region of the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the List of municipalities in Indiana, seventh-largest city in Indiana and the fourth-largest outside ...
, known as Kumbum Chamtse Ling or Kumbum West. The Kumbum monastery is still very much a repository of
Tibetan culture Tibet developed a distinct culture due to its geographic and climatic conditions. While influenced by neighboring cultures from China, India, and Nepal, the Himalayan region's remoteness and inaccessibility have preserved distinct local i ...
and art, including various
sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
s,
statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...
s and religious artifacts. It certainly is a repository of the Western respect for Tibet, as so many wayfarers from the West apart from David-Néel ( Paul Pelliot,
Ella Maillart Ella Maillart (or Ella K. Maillart; 20 February 1903, Geneva – 27 March 1997, Chandolin) was a Swiss adventurer, travel writer and photographer, as well as a sportswoman. Early life Ella Maillart was the second child, born to a wealthy fur t ...
, Peter Fleming, Evariste Huc, André Migot) have spent time there.


References


Further reading

* Arjia Rinpoche (Lobsang Tubten Jigme Gyatso) (2010) ''Surviving the Dragon: a Tibetan Lama's Account of 40 Years Under Chinese Rule.'' Emmaus, Pa.: Rodale. * Bell, Charles Alfred. (1987) ''Portrait of a Dalai Lama: a Biography of the Great Thirteenth.'' London: Wisdom. * Bell, Charles (1924) ''Tibet: Past and Present.'' Oxford: Clarendon Press * Bell, Charles (1931) ''The Religion of Tibet.'' Oxford: Clarendon Press * Tsering, Diki, and Khedroob Thondup. (2001) ''Dalai Lama, My Son: a Mother's Story.'' New York: Compass Books. * Gyalo Thondup and Anne F. Thurston, (2015) ''The Noodle Maker of Kalimpong.'' London: Rider * Harrer, Heinrich (1954) ''Seven Years in Tibet.'' (translated from the German by Richard Graves; with an introduction by Peter Fleming; foreword by the Dalai Lama), New York: E. P. Dutton, 1954, * Huc, Evariste Régis, Joseph Gabet, and Paul Pelliot (1928) ''Huc and Gabet: travels in Tartary, Thibet and China, 1844-1846.'' New York: Harper & Brothers. * Laird, Thomas (2007) ''The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama.'' London: Atlantic. * Mullin, Glenn H (1988) ''The Thirteenth Dalai Lama: Path of the Bodhisattva Warrior'' Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion. * Mullin, Glenn H. (2001) ''The Fourteen Dalai Lamas: A Sacred Legacy of Reincarnation'', Santa Fe, New Mexico.: Clear Light Publishers. * Richardson, Hugh E. (1984) ''Tibet & its History.'' Boulder and London: Shambala. * Smith, Warren (1997) ''Tibetan Nation.'' New Delhi: HarperCollins. * Thubten Jigme Norbu (1965) ''Tibet is My Country; the Autobiography of Thubten Jigme Norbu, Brother of the Dalai Lama, as Told to Heinrich Harrer.'' New York: Dutton.


External links


Moving West and the Kumbum Monastery

Kumbum Jampa Ling
- at Treasury of Lives
Kumbum Monastery
* {{Authority control Gelug monasteries Tibetan Buddhist temples in Qinghai Buddhist temples in Xining 1583 establishments in China Religious organizations established in the 1580s Amdo Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Qinghai Buddhist monasteries in Qinghai