Tsurphu Monastery () or Tölung Tsurphu (, "Tsurphu of Tölong") is a gompa which serves as the traditional seat of 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 " ...

, the head of the

Karma Kagyu Karma Kagyu (), or Kamtsang Kagyu (), is a widely practiced and probably the second-largest lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage has long-standing monasteries in Tibet, China, Russia, M ...

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 ...

. It is located in Gurum in Doilungdêqên District,

Tibet Autonomous Region The Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), often shortened to Tibet in English or Xizang in Pinyin, Hanyu Pinyin, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China. It was established in 1965 to replace the ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, from

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 ...

. The monastery is about above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

. It was built in the middle of the valley facing south with high mountains surrounding the complex. Tsurphu is a complex with walls up to thick. The gompa, the traditional seat of the Karmapa lamas, is about up the Dowo Lung Valley on the north side of the river. The original walls of the main building were up to 4 meters thick and 300 meters on each side (). The monks' residences were on the eastern side.

History

Tsurphu was founded by Düsum Khyenpa, 1st Karmapa Lama (1110-1193) in 1159, after he visited the site and laid the foundation for an establishment of a seat there by making offerings to the local protectors, the

dharmapala A ''dharmapāla'' is a type of wrathful god in Buddhism. The name means "''dharma'' protector" in Sanskrit, and the ''dharmapālas'' are also known as the Defenders of the Justice (Dharma), or the Guardians of the Law. There are two kinds of ...

s and territorial divinities (). In 1189 he revisited the site and founded his main seat there. The monastery grew to hold 1000 monks. The complex was totally destroyed in 1966 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 ...

. Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, 16th Karmapa, began to rebuild it in 1980; he died in 1981. Following the recognition of Ogyen Trinley Dorje (born 1985) as the 17th Karmapa by the Tai Situpa, the

Dalai Lama The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣识一切瓦齐尔达喇达赖喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...

and

's governmental offices, he was enthroned at Tsurphu and resided there until he escaped from Tibet to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in 2000.

Branch monastery

A Yelpa Kagyu monastery, Jang Tana, in Nangchen,

Kham Kham (; ) is one of the three traditional Tibet, Tibetan regions, the others being Domey also known as Amdo in the northeast, and Ü-Tsang in central Tibet. The official name of this Tibetan region/province is Dotoe (). The original residents of ...

, is considered a branch monastery of Tsurpu. It was founded by Yelpa Yeshe Tsek in 1068.

Variant names

Variant names for the monastery include: Tsurphu, 楚布寺, mtshur mdo bo lung dgon, 祖普寺, Okmin Tsurpu, 'og min mtshur phu.

Pilgrims

Image:Elderly Pilgrim, Tsurphu 1993.JPG, Elderly pilgrim, Tsurphu Gompa, 1993 Image:Pilgrims, Tsurphu 1993.JPG, Pilgrims, Tsurphu Gompa, 1993 File:Nomad camp above Tsurphu Gompa 2.JPG, Nomad camp above Tsurphu Gompa, 1993. Smoke is from

juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' ( ) of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere as far south ...

burning for ceremony.

Sources

* *Dowman, Keith. ''The Power-places of Central Tibet: The Pilgrim's Guide''. 1988. Routledge & Kegan Paul. London. *Martin, Michele. ''Music in the Sky: The Life, Art & Teachings of the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje''. 2003. Snow Lion Publications. Reprint: New Age Books, New Delhi, 2004. .

References

External links

Tsurphu Monastery Website
* The Tsurphu Appliques * Tsurphu River {{Authority control Buddhist monasteries in Lhasa (prefecture-level city) Buddhist temples in Tibet Karma Kagyu monasteries and temples 1159 establishments in Asia Religious organizations established in the 1150s Doilungdêqên District