Kumbum Monastery
Encyclopedia
Kumbum Monastery (also known as Ta'er 塔尔寺) is a Buddhist monastery in Qinghai
province, China. Kumbum was founded in 1583 in a narrow valley close to the village of Lusar in the Tibetan cultural region of Amdo
. Its superior monastery is Drepung, immediately to the west of Lhasa
. It was ranked in importance as second only to Lhasa.
, the famous French explorer who spent more than two years studying and translating Tibetan books at the monastery, said of it that "the configuration of the surrounding mountain ranges arrested the passage of the clouds, and forced them to turn around the rocky summit which supported the gompa
forming a sea of white mist, with its waves beating silently against the cells of the monks, wreathing the wooded slopes and creating a thousand fanciful landscapes as they rolled by. Terrible hailstorms would often break over the monastery, due, said the country folk, to the malignity of the demons who sought to disturb the peace of the saintly monks."
, was born nearby in 1357. According to one tradition, Tsongkhapa's father took the afterbirth and buried it here, and soon a sandalwood tree grew on the spot. Another version has it that the tree grew up where drops of blood
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 Serdong or 'Golden Tree' and is considered the holiest place in Kumbum.
Two Catholic
missionaries, Huc
and Gabet 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. "We were filled with an absolute consternation of astonishment," Huc noted in his famous book Travels in Tartary, "at finding that, in point of fact, there were upon each of the leaves well-formed Tibetan characters . . . Our first impression was a suspicion of fraud on the part of the lamas; but after a minute examination of every detail, we could not discover the least deception." Section of this tree are now preserved in a stupa in the Great Golden Temple (see below)."
In the 1360s Tsongkhapa's mother, with the help of locals, had a small temple with a stupa
built on the site of his birthplace.
In 1560 the meditator Rinchen-tsondru-gyeltsen (Rin-chen brtson-'grus rgyal-mtshan) built a small monastery there, called Gonpalung, for intensive meditation
practice. At first, it had seven monks at a time, but soon expanded to hold fifteen.
In 1576, Altan Khan
(1507–1583) of the Tumed Mongols invited the future Third Dalai Lama, Sonam-gyatso, to bring Buddhism to Mongolia
. After Altan Khan adopted Buddhism, he gave him the title Dalai Lama. "Dalai" is the Mongolian translation of "gyatso," meaning "ocean.".
On his way to meet Altan Khan near Kokonor, the 3rd Dalai Lama (1543–1588) stopped at the isolated retreat by the holy tree marking the spot where Tsongkhapa had been born. He requested Rinchen-tsondru-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 Prayer Festival (sMon-lam) was inaugurated, like the one held in Lhasa
.
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 the Buddha Sinhanada which appear on the leaves of the holy sandalwood tree. "Jampa-ling" means "Maitreya Cloister." This refers to the Maitreya temple built by Rinchen-tsondru-gyeltsen to the right of the precious tree.
The First Throne Holder of Kumbum was Duldzin Ozer-gyatso ('Dul-'dzin 'Od-zer rgya-mtsho), born in 1557. In 1603, the Fourth Dalai Lama, Yonten Gyatso (1589–1616), stopped at Kumbum on his way from his native Mongolia
to Central Tibet. At that time, he proclaimed the need for a study division to be built and for Duldzin Ozer-gyatso to be appointed as the head of the entire monastery. At Kumbum's Monlam Prayer Festival of 1612, Duldzin Ozer-gyatso first ascended to the throne of Abbot and opened the Debate College, Pelden Shaydrubling Dratsang (dPal-ldan bShad-grub gling Grva-tshang).
By the middle of the 20th century, Kumbum Monastery included thirty temples and a thousand or so houses.
The Chinese Muslim
General Ma Bufang
patronized the 10th Panchen Lama
, and the Lamaist Red Sect against the Dalai Lama. Qinghai
served as a "sanctuary" for Red Sect members, Ma Bufang allowed Kumbum Monastery to be totally self governed by the Panchen Lama.
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
. The highest degrees of Geshe Rabjampa and Geshe Shayrampa are awarded at the Kumbum Monlam Prayer Festival 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
. After study of the major texts and commentaries of the Guhyasamaja, Chakrasamvara (bDe-mchog), and Vajrabhairava, monks receive the Geshe Ngagrampa degree.
In 1711, Chuzang Lozang-tenpay-gyeltsen built a new Tantric College, Ngagpa Dratsang. In 1723, the combined Manchu
and Chinese armies severely damaged the four great monasteries of the Kokonor region – Kumbum, Gonlung, Serkog and Chuzang and many monks fled. Soon afterwards, the Manchu commander asked the Twenty-first 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 Twenty-second 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-shaydrub-tenpay-nyima. Monks at this college also study astrology and receive the Tsirampa degree upon completion of their education.
Before 1958, Kumbum had 3,600 monks. At present, there are 400, as the monastery was affected by the PRC
policies from 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
from Amdo
, as at Labrang Monastery
. The rest have been Mongolia
n Mongols (phyi-sog), Inner Mongolia
n Mongols
(smad-sog, nang-sog), Upper Mongols
(stod-sog) from the Amdo region east of Kumbum and Yellow Yugur
s (yu-gur) from Gansu
.
Kumbum is still a major pilgrimage for Tantric believers and scholars, visited by many thousands of people a year. The Arjia Rinpoche
s are traditionally given the position of abbot of Kumbum. The current Arjia Rinpoche defected to the United States
in 1998. He is currently developing an exile campus of Kumbum Monastery in Bloomington, Indiana
, known as Kumbum Chamtse Ling or Kumbum West.
The Kumbum monastery is still very much a repository of Tibetan culture
and art, including various sculpture
s, statue
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 (P. Pelliot, E. Maillart, P. Fleming, E. Huc) have spent time there.
Traveling to Kumbum
Kumbum Monastery (Ta’er in Chinese) surrounded by beautiful hills is a short drive from the very hectic and heavily polluted city of Xining. The road leading to Kumbum is well traveled with buses and cars often at a standstill; and folks on motor bikes, weaving their way through the congestion I was the 3rd Dalai Lama who request that the monastery be built on the site where Tsongkhapa, founder of the Gulugpa sect was born.
Once within the monastery gates, if traveling without a group, one is asked to hire a Chinese guide. Guides are often mistaken for being Tibetan since they are frequently dressed in traditional Tibetan clothing. Since the Monastic complex is vast, and not all is viewable to tourists, it is helpful to be shown around. However, it may not be safe for the Chinese tour guide or for the Tibetan monks to talk openly if inquires turn to the political situation in the Amdo area or at the Monastery specifically. THe former Abbot of the monastery Arjia Rinpoche fled to the USA in 1998 and now teaches at Buddhist Centers and Universities. Many of the buildings are well preserved and are a mix between Chinese and TIbetan style. Visiting is like walking through a museum filled with centuries of old and precious art Tibetan Buddhist art as the sounds of traditional temple instruments and chanting can be heard coming from the prayer hall. Coming upon the monks debating in the courtyard of the Debate College can like your watching a sporting event as monks engage in vigorous debate in the courtyard of the Debate College. However, for the TIbetan people, Kumbum Monastery is neither a museum nor is debate la feel like witnessing a sporting event. But for Tibetans, Kumbum it is a sacred pilgrimage site since Tsongkhapa, the father of the Gulugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism (sometimes called the Yellow Hats), was born here.
Qinghai
Qinghai ; Oirat Mongolian: ; ; Salar:) is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake...
province, China. Kumbum was founded in 1583 in a narrow valley close to the village of Lusar in the Tibetan cultural region of Amdo
Amdo
Amdo is one of the three traditional regions of Tibet, the other two being Ü-Tsang and Kham; it is also the birth place of the 14th Dalai Lama. Amdo encompasses a large area from the Machu River to the Drichu river . While culturally and ethnically a Tibetan area, Amdo has been administered by a...
. Its superior monastery is Drepung, immediately to the west of Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
. It was ranked in importance as second only to Lhasa.
Description
Alexandra David-NeelAlexandra David-Néel
Alexandra David-Néel born Louise Eugénie Alexandrine Marie David was a Belgian-French explorer, spiritualist, Buddhist and writer, most known for her visit to Lhasa, Tibet, in 1924, when it was forbidden to foreigners...
, the famous French explorer who spent more than two years studying and translating Tibetan books at the monastery, said of it that "the configuration of the surrounding mountain ranges arrested the passage of the clouds, and forced them to turn around the rocky summit which supported the gompa
Gompa
Gompa and ling are Buddhist ecclesiastical fortifications of learning, lineage and sadhana , located in Tibet, India, Nepal, and Bhutan...
forming a sea of white mist, with its waves beating silently against the cells of the monks, wreathing the wooded slopes and creating a thousand fanciful landscapes as they rolled by. Terrible hailstorms would often break over the monastery, due, said the country folk, to the malignity of the demons who sought to disturb the peace of the saintly monks."
Origins: The Tree of Great Merit
Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) sect of Tibetan BuddhismTibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
, was born nearby in 1357. According to one tradition, Tsongkhapa's father took the afterbirth and buried it here, and soon a sandalwood tree grew on the spot. Another version has it that the tree grew up where drops of blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
from Tsongkhapa's umbilical cord
Umbilical cord
In placental mammals, the umbilical cord is the connecting cord from the developing embryo or fetus to the placenta...
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 Serdong or 'Golden Tree' and is considered the holiest place in Kumbum.
- "On the porch of the Golden Temple, pilgrims prostrate themselves one hundred times and the boards are worn into grooves where their feet and hands touch. . . . We were taken into one great temple capable of seating twenty-five hundred priests. The great pillars were covered with brilliantly woven rugs, skins of animals, and the bright "pulo" cloth of the Tibetans. It was a mass of brilliant, garish colors and to my mind would have been wonderful in a more subdued light."
Two Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
missionaries, Huc
HUC
HUC is an acronym that has several possible meanings:* Hebrew Union College * Hospitais da Universidade de Coimbra* A hydrological code used in the US...
and Gabet 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. "We were filled with an absolute consternation of astonishment," Huc noted in his famous book Travels in Tartary, "at finding that, in point of fact, there were upon each of the leaves well-formed Tibetan characters . . . Our first impression was a suspicion of fraud on the part of the lamas; but after a minute examination of every detail, we could not discover the least deception." Section of this tree are now preserved in a stupa in the Great Golden Temple (see below)."
The "Golden Tiled Temple"
- "The "Golden Tiled Temple" is revered throughout Tibet and Mongolia. It is a small building with a roof of pure gold plate. Inside, it is full of wonderful relics, great banners of silk brocade called "katas" (tankas), wonderful lamps of gold and silver, thousands of small vessels burning butter, a colossal figure of Tsong Kapa, said to be made of gold. All is in semi-darkness which adds to the mystical effect, and the gleam from the butter lamps threw into relief some beautifully wrought temple vessels, or the queer blank face of some saintly Buddha image."
Foundation
Stupa
A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....
built on the site of his birthplace.
In 1560 the meditator Rinchen-tsondru-gyeltsen (Rin-chen brtson-'grus rgyal-mtshan) built a small monastery there, called Gonpalung, for intensive meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
practice. At first, it had seven monks at a time, but soon expanded to hold fifteen.
In 1576, Altan Khan
Altan Khan
Altan Khan , whose given name was Anda , was the ruler of the Tümet Mongols and de facto ruler of the Right Wing, or western tribes, of the Mongols...
(1507–1583) of the Tumed Mongols invited the future Third Dalai Lama, Sonam-gyatso, to bring Buddhism to Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
. After Altan Khan adopted Buddhism, he gave him the title Dalai Lama. "Dalai" is the Mongolian translation of "gyatso," meaning "ocean.".
On his way to meet Altan Khan near Kokonor, the 3rd Dalai Lama (1543–1588) stopped at the isolated retreat by the holy tree marking the spot where Tsongkhapa had been born. He requested Rinchen-tsondru-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 Prayer Festival (sMon-lam) was inaugurated, like the one held in Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
.
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 the Buddha Sinhanada which appear on the leaves of the holy sandalwood tree. "Jampa-ling" means "Maitreya Cloister." This refers to the Maitreya temple built by Rinchen-tsondru-gyeltsen to the right of the precious tree.
The First Throne Holder of Kumbum was Duldzin Ozer-gyatso ('Dul-'dzin 'Od-zer rgya-mtsho), born in 1557. In 1603, the Fourth Dalai Lama, Yonten Gyatso (1589–1616), stopped at Kumbum on his way from his native Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
to Central Tibet. At that time, he proclaimed the need for a study division to be built and for Duldzin Ozer-gyatso to be appointed as the head of the entire monastery. At Kumbum's Monlam Prayer Festival of 1612, Duldzin Ozer-gyatso first ascended to the throne of Abbot and opened the Debate College, Pelden Shaydrubling Dratsang (dPal-ldan bShad-grub gling Grva-tshang).
By the middle of the 20th century, Kumbum Monastery included thirty temples and a thousand or so houses.
The Chinese Muslim
Hui people
The Hui people are an ethnic group in China, defined as Chinese speaking people descended from foreign Muslims. They are typically distinguished by their practice of Islam, however some also practice other religions, and many are direct descendants of Silk Road travelers.In modern People's...
General Ma Bufang
Ma Bufang
Ma Bufang was a prominent Muslim Ma clique warlord in China during the Republic of China era, ruling the northwestern province of Qinghai. His rank was Lieutenant-general...
patronized the 10th Panchen Lama
Choekyi Gyaltsen
Lobsang Trinley Lhündrub Chökyi Gyaltsen was the 10th Panchen Lama of Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism. He was often referred to simply as Choekyi Gyaltsen , although this is also the name of several other notable figures in Tibetan history.-Early life and selection:The 10th Panchen Lama was born...
, and the Lamaist Red Sect against the Dalai Lama. Qinghai
Qinghai
Qinghai ; Oirat Mongolian: ; ; Salar:) is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake...
served as a "sanctuary" for Red Sect members, Ma Bufang allowed Kumbum Monastery to be totally self governed by the Panchen Lama.
Monastic colleges
Drepung Monastery
Drepung Monastery ,, located at the foot of Mount Gephel, is one of the "great three" Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet...
and Labrang Monastery
Labrang Monastery
Labrang Monastery is one of the six great monasteries of the Geluk school of Tibetan Buddhism...
. The highest degrees of Geshe Rabjampa and Geshe Shayrampa are awarded at the Kumbum Monlam Prayer Festival 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 is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
. After study of the major texts and commentaries of the Guhyasamaja, Chakrasamvara (bDe-mchog), and Vajrabhairava, monks receive the Geshe Ngagrampa degree.
In 1711, Chuzang Lozang-tenpay-gyeltsen built a new Tantric College, Ngagpa Dratsang. In 1723, the combined Manchu
Manchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...
and Chinese armies severely damaged the four great monasteries of the Kokonor region – Kumbum, Gonlung, Serkog and Chuzang and many monks fled. Soon afterwards, the Manchu commander asked the Twenty-first 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 Twenty-second 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-shaydrub-tenpay-nyima. Monks at this college also study astrology and receive the Tsirampa degree upon completion of their education.
Current situation
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
policies from 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
Tibetan people
The Tibetan people are an ethnic group that is native to Tibet, which is mostly in the People's Republic of China. They number 5.4 million and are the 10th largest ethnic group in the country. Significant Tibetan minorities also live in India, Nepal, and Bhutan...
from Amdo
Amdo
Amdo is one of the three traditional regions of Tibet, the other two being Ü-Tsang and Kham; it is also the birth place of the 14th Dalai Lama. Amdo encompasses a large area from the Machu River to the Drichu river . While culturally and ethnically a Tibetan area, Amdo has been administered by a...
, as at Labrang Monastery
Labrang Monastery
Labrang Monastery is one of the six great monasteries of the Geluk school of Tibetan Buddhism...
. The rest have been Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
n Mongols (phyi-sog), Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
n Mongols
Mongols
Mongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...
(smad-sog, nang-sog), Upper Mongols
Upper Mongols
The Upper Mongols , also known as the Köke Nuur Mongols or Qinghai Mongols are the Mongol people of Oirat and Khalkha origin who settled around the Qinghai Lake...
(stod-sog) from the Amdo region east of Kumbum and Yellow Yugur
Yugur
The Yugurs ,or Yellow Uyghurs as they are traditionally known,are one of China's 56 officially recognized nationalities, consisting of 13,719 persons according to the 2000 census. The Yugur live primarily in Sunan Yugur Autonomous County in Gānsù Province. They are Buddhists, unlike the Xinjiang...
s (yu-gur) from Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
.
Kumbum is still a major pilgrimage for Tantric believers and scholars, visited by many thousands of people a year. The Arjia Rinpoche
Arjia Rinpoche
8th Agya Hotogtu is one of the most prominent Buddhist teachers and lamas to have left Tibet. At age two, Arjia Rinpoche was recognized by the 10th Panchen Lama as the 20th Arjia Danpei Gyaltsen, the reincarnation of Lama Tsong Khapa's father, Lumbum Ghe, the throne holder and abbot of Kumbum...
s are traditionally given the position of abbot of Kumbum. The current Arjia Rinpoche defected to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1998. He is currently developing an exile campus of Kumbum Monastery in Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
, known as Kumbum Chamtse Ling or Kumbum West.
The Kumbum monastery is still very much a repository of Tibetan culture
Tibetan culture
Tibetan culture developed under the influence of a number of factors. Contact with neighboring countries and cultures- including Nepal, India and China - have influenced the development of Tibetan culture, but the Himalayan region's remoteness and inaccessibility have preserved distinctive local...
and art, including various sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
s, statue
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
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 (P. Pelliot, E. Maillart, P. Fleming, E. Huc) have spent time there.
Traveling to Kumbum
Kumbum Monastery (Ta’er in Chinese) surrounded by beautiful hills is a short drive from the very hectic and heavily polluted city of Xining. The road leading to Kumbum is well traveled with buses and cars often at a standstill; and folks on motor bikes, weaving their way through the congestion I was the 3rd Dalai Lama who request that the monastery be built on the site where Tsongkhapa, founder of the Gulugpa sect was born.
Once within the monastery gates, if traveling without a group, one is asked to hire a Chinese guide. Guides are often mistaken for being Tibetan since they are frequently dressed in traditional Tibetan clothing. Since the Monastic complex is vast, and not all is viewable to tourists, it is helpful to be shown around. However, it may not be safe for the Chinese tour guide or for the Tibetan monks to talk openly if inquires turn to the political situation in the Amdo area or at the Monastery specifically. THe former Abbot of the monastery Arjia Rinpoche fled to the USA in 1998 and now teaches at Buddhist Centers and Universities. Many of the buildings are well preserved and are a mix between Chinese and TIbetan style. Visiting is like walking through a museum filled with centuries of old and precious art Tibetan Buddhist art as the sounds of traditional temple instruments and chanting can be heard coming from the prayer hall. Coming upon the monks debating in the courtyard of the Debate College can like your watching a sporting event as monks engage in vigorous debate in the courtyard of the Debate College. However, for the TIbetan people, Kumbum Monastery is neither a museum nor is debate la feel like witnessing a sporting event. But for Tibetans, Kumbum it is a sacred pilgrimage site since Tsongkhapa, the father of the Gulugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism (sometimes called the Yellow Hats), was born here.