Sanga Monastery
Encyclopedia
Sanga Monastery is a small Buddhist
monastery
located in the vicinity of Lhasa
, Tibet
. Sanga or Sangha
is a word in Sanskrit
that can be translated roughly as monastic "association" or "assembly" - possessing some high degree of realization, referred to as the arya-sangha or 'noble sangha'. Sanga Monastery was built amid the ruins of the castle (or fort) Taktse (also Dagtse) Dzong (formerly Dechen Dzong) on the hill top. Dagtse Dzong overlooks the roads to Yerpa
and Ganden Monastery
on th east .
belong to the Geluk (Gelug-pa) order (also known as Yellow Hat Sect, lit. 'Virtuous'). The Yellow Sect rose and prospered primarily because of the personal prestige of its founder Tsongkhapa (Tsong Khapa or Lobsang Drakpa, also known as Jé Rinpoché, 1357-1419) who is identified as the manifestation of Mañjushri, bodhisattva
of Wisdom. He earned a high reputation as a writer and teacher, and was later warmly received in the Lhasa
region. He was strongly scholastic in orientation, and encouraged the study of the great India
n masters of philosophy
and logic
: Nagarjuna
, Asanga
, Dignaga
, et al.. In 1409 Tsongkhapa founded his first monastery, Ganden Monastery
. The two other great monasteries were later founded, Drepung in 1416 and Sera
in 1419. Several of his disciples were able to evolve in distinct school separate from Geluk. From those disciples also came the line of Dalai Lamas such as the 2nd Dalai Lama
Gendun Gyatso (see the statue of His Holiness The Fifth Dalai Lama
Lobsang Gyatso in Sanga Monastery on your left).
In the sixteen century the Geluk-school begun its rise to political preeminence when it came to enjoy the favor of a new generation of Mongol khans
. In 1642, Gursi Khan installed Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (1617-1682), the Fifth Dalai Lama, as virtual leader of Tibet
under overall Mongol protection.
Tibetan 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...
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
located in the vicinity 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...
, Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
. Sanga or Sangha
Sangha
Sangha is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as "association" or "assembly," "company" or "community" with common goal, vision or purpose...
is a word in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
that can be translated roughly as monastic "association" or "assembly" - possessing some high degree of realization, referred to as the arya-sangha or 'noble sangha'. Sanga Monastery was built amid the ruins of the castle (or fort) Taktse (also Dagtse) Dzong (formerly Dechen Dzong) on the hill top. Dagtse Dzong overlooks the roads to Yerpa
Yerpa
Yerpa, also known as: Brag Yer-pa, Drak Yerpa, Druk Yerpa, Dagyeba, Dayerpa, and Trayerpa, is only a short drive to the east of Lhasa, and consists of a monastery and a number of ancient meditation caves that used to house about 300 monks.-Description:The entrance to the Yerpa Valley is about...
and Ganden Monastery
Ganden Monastery
Ganden Monastery or Ganden Namgyeling is one of the 'great three' Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet, located at the top of Wangbur Mountain, Tagtse County, 36 kilometers ENE from the Potala Palace in Lhasa, at an altitude of 4,300m...
on th east .
History
Sanga Monastery together with Ganden MonasteryGanden Monastery
Ganden Monastery or Ganden Namgyeling is one of the 'great three' Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet, located at the top of Wangbur Mountain, Tagtse County, 36 kilometers ENE from the Potala Palace in Lhasa, at an altitude of 4,300m...
belong to the Geluk (Gelug-pa) order (also known as Yellow Hat Sect, lit. 'Virtuous'). The Yellow Sect rose and prospered primarily because of the personal prestige of its founder Tsongkhapa (Tsong Khapa or Lobsang Drakpa, also known as Jé Rinpoché, 1357-1419) who is identified as the manifestation of Mañjushri, bodhisattva
Bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is either an enlightened existence or an enlightenment-being or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." The Pali term has sometimes been translated as "wisdom-being," although in modern publications, and...
of Wisdom. He earned a high reputation as a writer and teacher, and was later warmly received in the 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...
region. He was strongly scholastic in orientation, and encouraged the study of the great India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n masters of philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
: Nagarjuna
Nagarjuna
Nāgārjuna was an important Buddhist teacher and philosopher. Along with his disciple Āryadeva, he is credited with founding the Mādhyamaka school of Mahāyāna Buddhism...
, Asanga
Asanga
Asaṅga was a major exponent of the Yogācāra tradition in India, also called Vijñānavāda. Traditionally, he and his half-brother Vasubandhu are regarded as the founders of this school...
, Dignaga
Dignaga
Dignāga was an Indian scholar and one of the Buddhist founders of Indian logic.He was born into a Brahmin family in Simhavakta near Kanchi Kanchipuram), and very little is known of his early years, except that he took as his spiritual preceptor Nagadatta of the Vatsiputriya school, before being...
, et al.. In 1409 Tsongkhapa founded his first monastery, Ganden Monastery
Ganden Monastery
Ganden Monastery or Ganden Namgyeling is one of the 'great three' Gelukpa university monasteries of Tibet, located at the top of Wangbur Mountain, Tagtse County, 36 kilometers ENE from the Potala Palace in Lhasa, at an altitude of 4,300m...
. The two other great monasteries were later founded, Drepung in 1416 and Sera
Sera
Sera may refer to:- Music :* Sera, a Symphonic rock/electronica singer/composer/producer* Sera, the well known bass player in Greece- Places :* Sera, Hiroshima, a town in Japan* Sera District, Hiroshima, a district located in Hiroshima, Japan...
in 1419. Several of his disciples were able to evolve in distinct school separate from Geluk. From those disciples also came the line of Dalai Lamas such as the 2nd Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
Gendun Gyatso (see the statue of His Holiness The Fifth Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
Lobsang Gyatso in Sanga Monastery on your left).
In the sixteen century the Geluk-school begun its rise to political preeminence when it came to enjoy the favor of a new generation of Mongol khans
Khan (title)
Khan is an originally Altaic and subsequently Central Asian title for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turko-Mongol tribes living to the north of China. 'Khan' is also seen as a title in the Xianbei confederation for their chief between 283 and 289...
. In 1642, Gursi Khan installed Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (1617-1682), the Fifth Dalai Lama, as virtual leader of Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
under overall Mongol protection.