Ganden

Tibetan name
Tibetan script : དགའ་ ལྡན་
Wylie transliteration : dga 'ldan
Official transcription of the PRCh : Gandain
THDL transcription : Ganden
Other spellings: Gaden, Gandan
Chinese name
Traditional : 甘丹寺
Simplified : 甘丹寺
Pinyin : Gāndān Sì

Ganden, 2005

Ganden ( Tib . : dga 'ldan ) is one of the "Three Great Monasteries " (Tib .: gdan sa gsum ) of the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism . It is located on the Drog Riboche mountain (Tib .: 'brog ri bo che ) in Tagtse Dzong County (Tib .: stag rtse rdzong ) about 50 kilometers east of Lhasa at an altitude of 4,300 meters in the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China .

history

Ganden (full name: "Ganden Nampar Gyelwe Ling Gönpa", tib .: dga 'ldan rnam par rgyal ba'i gling dgon pa ; "monastery (called) garden of perfect, victorious happiness") was founded in 1409 by Tsongkhapa (tib .: tsong kha pa ) established; it was considered the traditional headquarters of the Gelug School and the Abbots of Ganden .

According to legend, the founding of Ganden was prophesied by Buddha Shakyamuni . Tsongkhapa is said to have received a conch shell from Buddha in a previous life , which Maudgalyayana buried in Tibet. In 1409, Tsongkhapa founded the great prayer festival “Mönlam chenmo” (Tib .: smon lam chen mo ) in the Jokhang temple of Lhasa. His students suggested building a monastery; he chose the mountain Drog Riboche as a place, inaugurated the monastery and named it Ganden ( Sanskrit : Tushita ), after the Pure Land of the Buddha of the future, Maitreya . The main temple and over seventy other buildings are said to have been completed that same year, and the following year Tsongkhapa is said to have found the conch shell on a hill behind the monastery, thereby fulfilling the prophecy about Ganden.

In 1416 Tsongkhapa gave the conch shell to his student Jamyang Chöje Trashi Pelden (Tib .: 'jam dbyangs chos rje bkra shis dpal ldan ; 1379–1449), who founded Drepung Monastery that year . The conch shell has been kept in Drepung ever since. Another student of Tsongkhapa, Chamchen Chöje Shakya Yeshe (Tib .: byams chen chos rje shakya ye shes ; 1354–1435) founded the third of the three great monasteries, Sera , in 1419 when Tsongkhapa died .

Tsongkhapa was often in Ganden; he died in this monastery on the 25th day of the 10th lunar month in 1419. His body was embalmed and was one of the most important relics of the monastery. When the monastery was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, the body is said not to have been destroyed, but to a place that has been kept secret until today. The 25th day of the 10th lunar month was also the day of the Master's birth in 1357. Just as in Buddha Shakyamuni's life, the day of his birth and the day of his parinirvana fall on the same day of the year (according to the lunar calendar), this was also the case the case with Master Tsongkhapa.

The construction of the main temple in Ganden is considered the fourth great deed of his life. Ganden is still the headquarters of the Gelug School, which was originally called the Ganden School (tib .: dga 'ldan lugs ). The first abbot of Ganden ( Ganden Thripa ) was Gyeltshab Je Darma Rinchen (Tib .: rgyal tshab rje dar ma rin chen ; 1364–1432), to whom Tsongkhapa presented his cloak and staff before his death. He was followed by Khedrub Je (Tib .: mkhas grub rje dge legs dpal bzang ; 1385-1438). Since the 8th abbot, the position has been changing between monks of the two main monastery departments, the Chang Dratshang and the Shar Dratshang.

In 1959 there were around 7,500 monks living in Ganden. The monastery was largely destroyed during the Chinese Cultural Revolution . Much of it has been rebuilt since the 1980s. The innumerable cultural monuments in the monastery have been destroyed forever.

On March 14, 2006, 17 monks broke into a chapel in Ganden and destroyed statues of Dorje Shugden . The mayor of Lhasa and other politicians accused the 14th Dalai Lama of stirring up a religious conflict on this issue. On the other hand, analysts accuse the People's Republic of China of using the conflict over Dorje Shugden to discredit the Dalai Lama . Thierry Dodin of the Tibet Information Network said that China is helping to divide Tibetans by promoting Dorje Shugden followers and placing them in high-level positions.

Education

Ganden originally had two faculties 1. Changtse Dratshang (tib .: byang-rtse grwa tshang ; "monastery department on the northern tip") and 2. Shartse Dratshang (tib .: shar rtse grwa tshang ; "monastery department on the eastern tip"), the were named after the location of their buildings in relation to the main temple. Under Khedrub Je, Ganden was divided into four faculties, but two of the original faculties were merged: Pelden Dratshang (tib .: 'dpal ldan grwa tshang ) and Yardrog Dratshang (tib .: yar' brog grwa tshang ) to form Changtse and Penchen Shakya Shri Dratshang (tib .: pan chen sha kya shri grwa tshang ) and Chödrag Dratshang (tib .: chos grags grwa tshang ) to Shartse. Hortön Namkha Pelsang (tib .: hor ston nam mkha 'dpal bzang ; 17th century) is considered to be the founder of Changtse and Neden Rinchen Gyeltshen (tib .: gnas brtan rin chen rgyal mtshan ; 14th century) is considered to be the founder of Changtse. Another faculty, Sangphu Nyarong Dratshang (Tib .: gsang phu nyag rong grwa tshang ), was later also merged with the Changtse Dratshang.

The Changtse Dratshang originally had 13 departments (tib .: khang tshan ): 1. Lubum (tib .: klu 'bum ) 2. Tshawa (tib .: tsha ba ) 3. Samlo (tib .: bsam blo ) 4. Hardong ( tib .: har gdong ) 5. Serkong (tib .: gser skong ) 6. Trehor (tib .: tre hor ) 7. Gyelrong (tib .: rgyal rong ) 8. Bati (tib .: sba ti ) 9. Ngari ( tib .: mnga 'ri ) 10. Dora (tib .: rdo ra ) 11. Dranyi (tib .: ' bra nyi ) 12. Gowo (tib .: go bo ) and 13. Kongpo (tib .: kong po ). Bati Khangtshen and Ngari Kangtshen were later dissolved, instead Phara Kangtshan (Tib .: pha ra khang tshan ) was founded. The monks were assigned to a specific department depending on their origin. Each section was further divided into houses (Tib .: mi tshan ; Mitshen) in which the monks lived - also separated by origin.

Shartse had eleven departments: 1. Dokhang (tib .: rdo khang ) 2. Phukang (tib .: phu khang ) 3. Nyagre (tib .: nyag re ) 4. Lhopa (tib .: lho pa ) 5. Sungchu (tib .: zung chu ) 6. Thepo (tib .: the po ) 7. (tib .: co ni ) 8. (tib .: rta 'on , rta dbon ) 9. Ngari (tib .: mnga' ris ) 10. Sogpa (Tib .: sog pa ) and 11. Gungru (Tib .: gung ru ).

At both faculties of Ganden - in contrast to some other faculties of the Three Great Monasteries - both sutras and tantra were taught. Changtse Dratshang takes the textbooks from Jetsün Chökyi Geltshen (tib .: rje btsun pa chos kyi rgyal mtshan ; 1469–1544) Shartse uses the books of the 5th abbot of Ganden, Penchen Sönam Dragpa (tib .: pan chen bsod nams grags pa ; 1478-1554).

The course begins with a three-year introductory phase; studying the five most important texts takes a further eleven years. At the end of each academic year, the monks must pass an exam ( rgyugs sprod ) in order to be able to advance. The degree is completed after a formal debate entitled Geshe Tshogrampa (tib .: dge bshes tshogs ram pa ). After another five years of study and a formal debate before a gathering of monks from all Three Great Monasteries during the Great Festival of Prayer in Lhasa, the title Geshe Lharampa (Tib .: dge bshes lha ram pa ) can be achieved. Without Geshe training, the title Kyerimpa (Tib .: bskyed rim pa ) is awarded. In contrast to Kyerimpa, Geshe Tshogrampa and Geshe Lharampa cannot pursue further tantric studies in Ganden. After higher Tantra training, the Changtse Dratshang confers the title Geshe Ngagrampa (tib .: dge bshes sngags ram pa ), Shartse the title Uma Shering (tib .: dbu ma bshad ring ).

After the monastery was destroyed during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, only the Changtse Faculty was revived.

Rituals and celebrations

The patron god of the Ganden Assembly (tib .: dga 'ldan bla spyi ) is Chögyel (tib .: chos rgyal ). The patron god of the Changtse Faculty is Pelden Lhamo (Tib .: dpal ldan lha mo ). The monks of the faculty perform a special ritual for this protective deity every day . The patron god of the Shartse faculty is Sethrap (Tib .: se khrab ). On the 29th and 30th day of each month according to the Tibetan calendar , the monks of Changtse perform a great ritual for Pelden Lhamo day and night; the Shartse monks hold their Sethrap ritual on the 28th and 29th of each month. On the 15th of each month, there are all-day rituals for the patron gods of each department.

From the 16th day of the 6th month to the 30th day of the 7th month, the early summer conclave (Tib .: dbyar gnas snga ma ) takes place with special instructions.