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50-620: The name of the monastery, Gandantegchinlen (Tibetan for "complete rejoicing"), is derived from Ganden Monastery in Tibet , established by Je Tsongkhapa , the founder of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism . Its translated name in Mongolian is Tegüsbayaskhulangtu, and in Sanskrit it is Tushitamahayanavipa. The second Jebtsundamba Khutuktu established a tsanid (Buddhist education center) for

100-503: A 25.6-metre (84 ft) statue of the boddhisatva Avalokiteśvara made of gilded bronze and precious stones. Gandan was closed in 1939 during the anti-religious persecutions in Mongolia , and its dugan buildings were razed. Escaping the mass destruction of other monasteries, its surviving buildings were used to house the administration of Töv Province . In 1940, the monastery was placed under direct Soviet military command and used as

150-422: A Buddhist nun in about 1442CE. Chökyi Drönma was understood to be an incarnation of Machig Labdrön . She rapidly became famous as a dynamic and inspirational follower, possibly a tantric consort ( Wylie : phyag rgya ma ) of three of the outstanding religious tantric masters of the era. She was also recognised as a master in her own right and as the spiritual heir of her main teacher. She contributed to some of

200-466: A ban had been imposed on pictures of the Dalai Lama , 400 monks at Ganden rioted. They were fired upon by PLA troops, apparently causing two deaths and several injuries, followed by the arrest of one hundred monks. During the 2008 Tibetan uprising anniversary , Ganden Monastery monks participated in the mass demonstrations and protests which began on 10 March and spread throughout Tibet. As of 2012

250-665: A classical Tibetan threefold model: as a royal princess she was called Queen of the Jewel (Konchog Gyalmo), her 'outer' name; when she took her vows she became known as Lamp of the Doctrine (Chokyi Dronma), her 'inner' name; as a divine incarnation she was called Thunderbolt Female Pig (Dorje Phagmo), her 'secret' name. The Wylie transliteration of her name is given by Diemberger as Chos kyi sgron me . The princess's three main names seem to refer to three distinct modes of manifesting herself in different contexts: Konchog Gyalmo (Queen of

300-417: A line of female tulkus, reincarnate lamas . She was a contemporary of the 1st Dalai Lama (1391–1474) and her teacher Bodong Panchen Chogley Namgyal also was one of his teachers. She manifested at Samding Monastery in order to tame Yamdrok Lake , a sacred lake as well as a dangerous flashpoint for massive flooding events in Tibet . However, her effects were more practical: as abbess of Samding, she stopped

350-469: A stable, ammunition store, and firing range. The statue of Avalokiteśvara was broken apart in 1937 (alternatively by Soviet soldiers in 1938 or 1943), and is thought to have been shipped to Moscow and melted down. In January 1944, the monastery was reopened by dictator Khorloogiin Choibalsan (on the recommendation of Joseph Stalin ) as the country's only working monastery. By 1947, it had 57 monks and

400-608: A true incarnation and served as a vice president of the Buddhist Association of China in 1956 while he was president, and Choekyi Gyaltsen, 10th Panchen Lama also as vice president. She went to Lhasa in 1958 and received the empowerment of Yamantaka from the Dalai Lama and the empowerment of Vajrayogini from the Dalai Lama's tutor, Trijang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso . Dechen Chökyi Drönma has been trained in

450-464: Is Dechen Chökyi Drönma, who was born in 1938 or 1942 (?). The twelfth Samding Dorje Phagmo was very young at the time of the Chinese occupation , and her exact date of birth is contested. Some sources claim she was born a year before the death of the previous incarnation (and therefore cannot be the true reincarnation). However, Dechen Chökyi Drönma was recognised by the present 14th Dalai Lama as

500-480: Is a lady who stems from the royal lineage of the Gods of Clear Light ('Od gsal lha) who is devoted to spiritual liberation and to the benefit of all living beings. Her outer name is Lady Queen of the Jewel (bDag mo dKon mchog rgyal mo); her inner name is Female Teacher Lamp of the Doctrine (sLob dpon ma Chos kyi sgron ma); her secret name is Vajravarahi (rDo rje phag mo). Her residence is undefined. According to Diemberger

550-463: Is at the top of Wangbur Mountain, Dagzê County at an altitude of 4,300m. Its full name is Ganden Namgyal Ling ( dga' ldan rmam rgyal gling ). Ganden means "joyful" and is the Tibetan name for Tuṣita , the heaven where the bodhisattva Maitreya is said to reside. Namgyal Ling means "victorious temple". Ganden Monastery was founded by Je Tsongkhapa Lozang-dragpa (1357–1419) in 1409, and it

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600-723: Is currently a member of the monastic community of the Thangthong Dewachen Nunnery at Zilingkha in Thimphu , which follows the Nyingma and the Shangpa Kagyu tradition." One of the distinctive features of the Samding Dorje Phagmo's iconography is a black hat. This hat can be seen in both ancient and modern mural paintings as well as in photographs of the later reincarnations. This black hat

650-488: Is held to be its leader. Since 1992, the abbot of Gandan has been Gabju Demberel Choijamts. Ganden Monastery Samding Dorje Phagmo Ganden Monastery (also Gaden or Gandain ) or Ganden Namgyeling or Monastery of Gahlden is one of the "great three" Gelug university monasteries located in Dagzê County , Lhasa , Tibet . The other two are Sera Monastery and Drepung Monastery . Ganden Monastery

700-444: Is now housed in a yurt . The fifth, seventh, and eighth Jebtsundamba Khutuktus were interred at Gandan, though in 1855 they and their monks moved back to their original palace near the current city center. To celebrate independence from Qing China in 1911, the eighth Jebtsundamba Khutuktu ordered the construction of Megzed Janraiseg (Eye-Opening Avalokiteśvara ) Temple, completed in 1913 as Mongolia's tallest monastery building. It had

750-526: Is required of her that she never take her rest lying down; in the daytime she may recline on cushions or in a chair, but during the night she sits in the position prescribed for meditation. [...] In 1716, when the Jungar invaders of Tibet came to Nangartse, their chief sent word to Samding to the Dorjo Phagmo to appear before him, that he might see if she really had, as reported, a pig's head. A mild answer

800-440: Is said to have attracted many lay and monastic devotees. Tsongkhapa built Ganden's main temple, with large statues and three-dimensional mandalas . He often stayed at Ganden, and died there in 1419. Tsongkhapa's preserved body was entombed at Ganden by his disciples in a silver and gold encrusted tomb. The name "Gelug" is an abbreviation of "Ganden Lug", meaning "Ganden Tradition". The Ganden Tripa or "throne-holder of Ganden"

850-467: Is the head of the Gelug school. Before dying Tsongkhapa gave his robe and staff to the first Ganden Tripa, Gyeltsabjey (1364-1432), who was succeeded by Kaydrubjey. The term of office is seven years, and by 2003 there had been 99 Ganden Tripas. The monastery was divided into four colleges at the time of the 2nd Ganden Tripa. Later these were consolidated in two, Jangtsey and Shartsey, located respectively to

900-512: Is the highest female incarnation in Tibet and the third highest-ranking person in the hierarchy after the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama . She was listed among the highest-ranking reincarnations at the time of the 5th Dalai Lama , recognized by the Tibetan government and acknowledged by the emperors of Qing China . In her first incarnation, as Chökyi Drönma (1422 CE –1455 CE ), she

950-402: The dakinis heaven ( khecara ), her true home. She left her skull with special features as the wish-fulfilling gem of the great meditation center of Tsagong . The great siddha [Thang Tong Gyalpo] had said earlier, 'A skull with special features will come to this sacred place, together with a mountain dweller from Ngari', and thus the prophecy had come true, greatly enhancing the devotion of

1000-658: The Kongpo people." As part of her relationship with Thang Tong Gyalpo , Chökyi Drönma received the complete teachings of the Heart Practice ( thugs sgrub ) of treasure teachings from Trasang ( bkra bzang gter kha ), as well as Chöd (teachings of Machig Labdrön and Mahāmudrā instructions from him. Chökyi Drönma was known by a variety of names during her lifetime. Diemberger writes: Three names in particular frame her [the Dorje Phagmo's] identity according to

1050-462: The "nine precious materials": gold, silver, turquoise , lapis lazuli , coral , pearl , mother-of-pearl , copper, and steel. The monastery's other treasures include a 15-kilogram (33 lb) silver statue of Tsongkhapa. Despite development in Ulaanbaatar, its vicinity has remained occupied by the monks' yurts. Gandan is considered the center of Mongolian Buddhism, and its khamba lama (abbot)

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1100-520: The 12th of this line, resides in Lhasa . where she is known as Female Living Buddha Dorje Palma by China . The present incarnation [i.e. in 1882] of the divine Dorje Phagmo is a lady of twenty-six, Nag-wang rinchen kunzag wangmo by name. She wears her hair long; her face is agreeable, her manner dignified, and somewhat resembling those of the Lhacham, though she is much less prepossessing than she. It

1150-792: The Bodongpa tradition and remains the head of the Samding Monastery . She simultaneously holds the post of a high government cadre in the Tibet Autonomous Region . She has, as a result, been accused by many of "collaborating" with the Chinese. According to Diemberger there also is a Dorje Phagmo line in Bhutan : [She] was recognized by the Sakya Lama Rikey Jatrel, considered an incarnation of Thangtong Gyalpo (1385–1464 or 1361–1485). The Dorje Phagmo

1200-526: The Dalai and Panchen Lamas, (and when they were in Tibet, the Chinese Ambans) were permitted to travel by palanquin or sedan chair . Unlike most other nuns, Dorje Pakmo was allowed to wear her hair long, but was never to sleep lying down – in the day she could sleep sitting up in a chair, but was expected at night to remain in a meditative position. The first Dorje Phagmo, Chökyi Drönma (1422–1455),

1250-974: The Ganden and the Drepung Monastery . In 1999 there were about 13,000 residents. The Tibetan settlement consists of nine camps with two monasteries and one nunnery. They established a credit bank for farms, an agricultural institute and a craft center. Modern technology and communication technology are being introduced. The curriculum of the Ganden Monastery remains similar to the teachings of the pre-1959 Ganden Monastery. The Ganden Monastery Colleges Jangtse and Shartse have also been reestablished in India. They are named The Ganden Jangtse College and The Gaden Shartse Monastery. They are located in Karnataka . In 2008, over 500 monks, who refused to adhere to

1300-500: The Ganden monastery could support over 5,000 monks. Laurence Waddell reports an estimate of about 3,300 in the 1890s. There were apparently only 2,000 monks in 1959. One of Ganden Monastery 's notable monks in its history was Kunigaish Gedimin . Consecrated by Mahacharya Ratnavajra , Gediminas resided at Ganden for a decade. He is also credited with ordaining Karl Tõnisson also known as Brother Vahindra , at Burkuchinsk Monastery near Lake Baikal in 1893. Ganden Monastery

1350-532: The Jewel), her birth name; Chokyi Dronma (Lamp of the Dharma), the name she was given when she was ordained as a novice; and Dorje Phagmo ( Vajravārāhī ), the name attributed to her when she was revealed as an emanation of this deity. In an introductory letter written by Thang Tong Gyalpo before Chökyi Drönma departed from Northern Lato in 1454, he presented her with the following letter describing her names: Now there

1400-402: The account of “the eleven unimaginable meetings during the seven-year period from 2017 to 2023” with Lama Tsongkhapa in his new book entitled Protecting Nature with Buddha’s Wisdom. Ganden is 40 kilometres (25 mi) northeast of Lhasa . The monastery lies in a hilly natural amphitheater. There are dramatic views over the valleys from the kora route around the monastery. Ganden Monastery

1450-790: The ban against the protective deity Dorje Shugden , enforced by the Dalai Lama's government in exile, were expelled from the Ganden Monastery in Mundgod , Karnataka, and founded in its immediate neighborhood the Shar Gaden Monastery, officially opened in October 2009. As a result, the Dokhang Khangtsen, the biggest division of Gaden Shartse Monastery, where most of the departing monks came from, ceased to exist. Samding Dorje Phagmo Samding Dorje Phagmo The Samding Dorje Phagmo ( Wylie : བསམ་སྡིང་རྡོ་རྗེ་ཕག་མོ )

1500-473: The fifth Jebtsundamba Khutuktu built a palace, named Gandantegchinlen, just south of Shar Temple between 1834 and 1838; the monastery itself also took this name. Other buildings were added, including the Tsogchin dugan in 1839 and Ochirdari ( Vajradhara ) Temple in 1840, which has a silver and gold statue created in 1683 by Zanabazar . Jüd ( Tantra ) Temple, founded in 1739 by the second Jebtsundamba Khutuktu,

1550-704: The girl in whom she had reincarnated and thus initiated a line of female incarnations that became the first and most famous in Tibet." Chökyi Drönma was a leading figure in the Tibetan Bodongpa tradition which gradually waned under Gelugpa rule, but is being gradually restored today. She died at the Manmogang Monastery in Tsari to the southeast of Dakpo, near the Indian border, in 1455. Diemberger also says: [T]he Venerable Lady passed away into

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1600-579: The invasion of the Dzungars , who were reportedly terrified of her great siddhi powers. When faced with her anger—reputedly by turning the 80 novice nuns under her care into furious wild sows—they left the goods and valuables they had plundered as offerings at the monastery and fled the region. Charles Alfred Bell met the tulku in 1920 and took photographs of her, calling her by the Tibetan name for Vajravarahi, Dorje Pamo (which he translated as "Thunderbolt Sow"), in his book. The current incarnation,

1650-616: The main assembly hall has a statue of Sakyamuni Buddha, and has a section used for hand-printing scriptural texts using wood blocks. The three main sights in the Ganden Monastery are the Serdung, which contains the tomb of Tsongkhapa, the Tsokchen Assembly Hall and the Ngam Cho Khang the chapel where Tsongkhapa traditionally taught. The monastery houses artifacts that belonged to Tsongkhapa. Early in 1996, after

1700-527: The monk who had been forced to carry the body to the fire. Re-building has continued since the 1980s. As of 2012, rapid progress was being made on rebuilding the monastery. The red-painted lhakang in the centre is the reconstruction of Ganden's sanctum sanctorum containing Tsongkapa's reliquary chorten , called the Tongwa Donden, "Meaningful to Behold." Ganden contained more than two dozen major chapels with large Buddha statues. The largest chapel

1750-516: The monks of Khüree (modern Ulaanbaatar ) in the early 18th century. Datsan (colleges) were built at Dashchoinpel (in 1736), Gungaachoilin (in 1809), and Idgaachoinzinlin (in 1912). At Gungaachoilin, on a hill west of Khüree, Shar Temple was built in 1809, followed by the Lamrin dugan (assembly hall) in 1824. After he ordered the Khüree clergy to move west, further from encroaching Chinese buildings,

1800-508: The most significant works of art, architecture, and engineering of her time and had seminal influence in the development of printing. Furthermore, she expressed a particular commitment toward women, promoting their education, establishing nunneries, and even creating religious dances that included roles for them. Chökyi Drönma died at the age of thirty-three, leaving a tangible mark on history not only through her own deeds but even more through what happened after her death: her disciples searched for

1850-429: The north and east of the main temple. Both combine the study of sutra and tantra . Study methods include memorization, logic and debate. The colleges grant degrees for different levels of achievement, evaluated by examination and formal public debate. In the 1860s a meeting called "the great Ganden Monastery, Drepung Monastery, and the government officials" was organized by Shatra, a lay aristocrat. The existing regent

1900-531: The old, was dedicated. Built over six years using a mix of government and private funds, it weighs 90 tons and is made of 20 tons of copper, 25 kilograms (55 lb) of silver, 8.6 kilograms (19 lb) of gold, and over 2,100 precious stones. As of 2004, Gandan is Mongolia's largest active monastery, with 100 monks. It has 70,000 Buddhist manuscripts and woodblock prints , including the 108-volume Ganjuur (precepts), 226-volume Danjuur (commentaries), and other works in Mongolian, Tibetan, and Sanskrit, some written in

1950-445: The pigs disappeared to become venerable-looking lamas and nuns, with the saintly Dorje Phagmo at their head. Filled with astonishment and veneration for the sacred character of the lady abbess, the chief made immense presents to her lamasery. Samding Monastery was destroyed after 1959 but is in the process of being restored. In premodern Tibet, the successive incarnations of Dorje Pakmo were treated with royal privilege and, along with

2000-429: The population of monks has been reduced to about 400 monks. The Ganden Monastery has been re-established in Karnataka , India by the Tibetan population in exile. The Ganden Monastery is in the Tibetan settlement at Mundgod . This settlement of Tibetan refugees is the largest of its kind in India and was first established in 1966, from land donated by the Indian government. In the Tibetan settlement near Mundgod are

2050-590: The second Dorje Phagmo was Kunga Sangmo (wylie: Kun dga' bzang mo) (1459–1502). The ninth Dorje Phagmo -Choying Dechen Tshomo-, for example, became a renowned spiritual master not only for Samding but also for the Nyingma tradition, discovered some terma and died at Samye . Her skull is still preserved and worshipped as a holy relic in the Nyingmapa monastery on the island of Yumbudo in Yamdrok Tso Lake. The current (12th) Samding Dorje Pakmo Trülku

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2100-439: Was capable of seating 3,500 monks. Tenzin Gyatso , the 14th Dalai Lama (born 1935), took his final degree examination in Ganden in 1958 and he claims to feel a particularly close connection with Tsongkhapa. The monastery runs a guesthouse for visitors. Ganden's main assembly hall is a white building with gold-capped roofs, near a huge square. The main chapel contains many gilded images of Tsongkhapa. A maroon and ochre chapel beside

2150-537: Was completely destroyed by the People's Liberation Army during the 1959 Tibetan uprising . In 1966 it was severely shelled by Red Guard artillery, and monks had to dismantle the remains. The buildings were reduced to rubble using dynamite during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976). Most of Tsongkhapa's mummified body was burned, but his skull and some ashes were saved from the fire by Bomi Rinpoche,

2200-436: Was deposed by this assembly and replaced by Shatra. From then on the assembly, or Tsondu , chose the regents and played a significant political role as a consultative body. The monasteries of Ganden, Sera and Drepung was so great that they could in effect veto government decisions with which they disagreed. These three monasteries had 20,000 monks in total, supported by large estates of fertile land worked by serfs. At one time

2250-579: Was founded in 1409 by Je Tsongkhapa Lozang-dragpa, founder of the Gelug order. The monastery was destroyed after 1959, but has since been partially rebuilt. Another monastery with the same name and tradition was established in Southern India in 1966 by Tibetan exiles. On December 1, 2023, Professor S. Niggol Seo revealed that, in his own words, “I am Lama Tsongkhapa reborn after six hundred years of utter peace” through his book entitled Buddha, Wisdom and Economics. He followed it up on June 1, 2024 with

2300-479: Was holding public services. That year, Mongolian scholars, aided by a few Soviet advisers, intervened to save the Megzed Janraiseg Temple from demolition, and in 1961 the temple was made a national cultural monument. With the advent of religious freedom in 1990, Gandan expanded to 200 monks and began a full-scale renovation. In 1996, a new 26.5-metre (87 ft) statue of Avalokiteśvara, modeled on

2350-469: Was returned to him; but, incensed at her refusing to obey his summons, he tore down the walls of the monastery of Samding, and broke into the sanctuary. He found it deserted, not a human being in it, only eighty pigs and as many sows grunting in the congregation hall under the lead of a big sow, and he dared not sack a place belonging to pigs. When the Jungars had given up all idea of sacking Samding, suddenly

2400-445: Was the daughter of Tri Lhawang Gyaltsen (1404-1464), the king of Mangyül Gungthang and a descendant of the ancient kings of Tibet. Gungthang was an independent kingdom in southwestern Tibet in the 15th century. As a princess, she was married to the prince of southern Lato ( La stod lho ) who was described as a supporter of Bon practices. After the death of her only child, a daughter, she renounced her family and royal status to become

2450-482: Was the student and consort of the famous polymath Thang Tong Gyalpo , who first identified her as an emanation of Vajravārāhī , and the consort of Bodong Panchen. The seat of the Samding Dorje Phagmo is at Samding Monastery , in Tibet. The seat of the Samding Dorje Phagmo is at the Samding Monastery "Temple of Soaring Meditation." The Samding Monastery is associated with the Bodong school of Tibetan Buddhism . It

2500-454: Was unique because half of the inhabitants were monks and the other half were nuns and its head was a woman. The female tulku who was the abbess of Samding was traditionally a nirmāṇakāya emanation of Vajravārāhī . The lineage started in the fifteenth century with the princess of Gungthang, Chökyi Drönma ( Wylie : chos kyi sgron me , 1422–1455). She became known as Samding Dorje Pagmo ( Wylie : bsam lding rdo rje phag mo ) and began

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