Nalanda Buddhist Institute, also known locally as Daley Goenpa or Dalida, is a Buddhist monastic school (shedra) located in western part of Punakha Dzongkhag

Punakha District

Punakha District is one of the 20 dzongkhags comprising Bhutan. It is bordered by Thimphu, Gasa, and Wangdue Phodrang Districts...

 (district) of the Kingdom of Bhutan

Bhutan

Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...

, below Talo monastery and above Walakha. It is about 20 mins drive from the main highway to Punakha

Punakha

thumb|right|Punakha Dzong and the [[Mo Chhu]]Punakha is the administrative centre of Punakha dzongkhag, one of the 20 districts of Bhutan. Punakha was the capital of Bhutan and the seat of government until 1955, when the capital was moved to Thimphu. It is about 72 km away from Thimphu and it...

, before reaching Kuruthang from the Metsina junction. It can be seen from Dochula pass and from Tinleygang on the main East-West highway.

The Founding of Nalanda

In 1754, the 9th Je Khenpo

Je Khenpo

The Je Khenpo , formerly called the Dharma Raj by orientalists, is the title given to the senior religious hierarch of Bhutan. His primary duty is to lead the Dratshang Lhentshog of Bhutan, which oversees the Central Monastic Body, and to arbitrate on matters of doctrine, assisted by lopons...

, Shakya Rinchen, considered to be a reincarnation of Rechungpa, founded the monastery of Nalanda here below Talo. He built it as a second Nalanda

Nalanda

Nālandā is the name of an ancient center of higher learning in Bihar, India.The site of Nalanda is located in the Indian state of Bihar, about 55 miles south east of Patna, and was a Buddhist center of learning from the fifth or sixth century CE to 1197 CE. It has been called "one of the...

, the original being in Magadha

Magadha

Magadha formed one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas or kingdoms in ancient India. The core of the kingdom was the area of Bihar south of the Ganga; its first capital was Rajagriha then Pataliputra...

, near Patna

Patna

Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...

 in the present day state of Bihar

Bihar

Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....

, India.

The site of the ancient Nalanda university in India is considered to be very holy by the Bhutanese and so many tried to visit it at least once during their lives. But in Bhutan, there were very few roads and so it was very difficult to get to India, and even when they got there, they faced many obstacles including culture, food, language and were at risk at getting robbed. So he built this second Nalanda in Bhutan.

Shaja Rinchen Rinpoche chose this site after seeing a number of auspicious signs. The main monk body has a tradition of spending the winter months in Punakha Dzong, and the summer months in Thimphu. Once whilst travelling for the winter, he saw eight vultures flying to this spot, which he thought were the eight scholars of the original Nalanda Buddhist Institute in India. And this was confirmed when they appeared to him in a dream and gave a teaching to him, so he came to the place and saw more good signs.

During the construction of the original temple, he saw eight Indians in a valley adjacent to the site (see story of the Eight Disappearing Indians)

The first monastery was a single storey, and after some time, Jambayshinyen, His Holiness the Je Khenpo

Je Khenpo

The Je Khenpo , formerly called the Dharma Raj by orientalists, is the title given to the senior religious hierarch of Bhutan. His primary duty is to lead the Dratshang Lhentshog of Bhutan, which oversees the Central Monastic Body, and to arbitrate on matters of doctrine, assisted by lopons...

 of the time, built a second storey.

During Shaja Rinchen Rinpoche’s life, the monastery was used as an institute for teaching, but after he died, the teaching stopped. Another lama came and restarted the teaching but this also ceased once he died.

In 1991, His Majesty, the Fourth King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck

Jigme Singye Wangchuck

Jigme Singye Wangchuck is the former King of Bhutan. He was the fourth Dragon King of Bhutan from 1972 until his abdication in favour of his eldest son, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, in 2006...

, ordered for the teaching to start again, and 2 lopens began with 20 monks.

Over time the number of lopens and students has increased, until now, 2008, when there are 6 lopens, and 105 students, ranging from 8 to 28 years of age.
Shaja Rinchen Rinpoche saw eight Indians in the valley adjacent to the site whilst building the temple.

He soon realised that they must be the eight scholars of the original Nalanda
So he went back to find them, but they had disappeared and this confirmed to him that they were indeed the scholars.

So to thank them for their presence, he commissioned eight small clay statues which are now inside the old shrine room of the upper lhakang.

If you get married in the second Nalanda, it is equivalent to them getting married in the original Nalanda.

Gandey Jesa Dor (Heaven Viewing Rock)

Gelwang Shaja Rinchen Rinpoche was sitting on a big stone and appreciating the scenery when he saw a vision of Tushitta Heaven (Ganden).

So he called his two main disciples Je Kuenga and Je Yuenten, and sat them on the stone and held them by the waist whilst they looked at the same spot, and they also saw it.

Tulku (Trulku -reincarnation)

The reincarnation of Gyelwang Tenpi Ningchey Rinpoche, currently resides at Nalanda Buddhist Institute. The reincarnation of the Shabrung's speech (mind and body are reincarnated in other Tulkus), is currently attending (mainstream) secondary school in Paro, and will return to his monastic studies on completion.

Learning English

The monks have English class twice a day, 6 days a week. The senior English group welcomes visitors to come and help them with their conversation practice and to learn about where their country and culture. Evening class is from 5-6pm
To visit Nalanda, see map link: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?msid=200685744326863531012.00047d4aa05e333b34947&msa=0&ll=27.730886,89.824357&spn=0.162277,0.308647

To volunteer at Nalanda - see http://www.idealist.org/view/volop/34PXHpNfBK6W4

Association for Children's Welfare (Bhutan)

Khenpo Tshewang is also General Secretary of the Association for Children's Welfare, a non-profit organisation that supports economically disadvantaged children in completing their basic education.