Namdroling Monastery
Encyclopedia
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...
– in the world.
Located in Bylakuppe
Bylakuppe
Bylakuppe kannada:ಬೈಲಕುಪ್ಪೆ, Tibetian:བལཀུཔེ is the location of "Lugsum Samdupling" and "Dickyi Larsoe" , two adjacent Tibetan refugee settlements, as well as a number of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. The area is located in the west of the Mysore district in the Indian state of Karnataka...
— part of the Mysore district
Mysore district
Mysore District is an administrative district located in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. The district is bounded by Mandya district to the northeast, Chamrajanagar district to the southeast, Kerala state to the south, Kodagu district to the west, and Hassan district to the north...
of the state of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
— the monastery is home to a 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...
community of over five thousand lama
Lama
Lama is a title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru .Historically, the term was used for venerated spiritual masters or heads of monasteries...
s (both monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s and nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s), a religious college (or shedra
Shedra
Shedra is a Tibetan word meaning "place of learning" but specifically refers to the educational program in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and nunneries. It is usually attended by monks and nuns between their early teen years and early twenties. Not all young monastics enter a shedra; some study...
) and hospital.
History
The monastery was established by throne-holder Kyabje Penor RinpochePenor rinpoche
Kyabjé Drubwang Pema Norbu Rinpoche was the 11th throne holder of the Palyul Lineage of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, and said to be an incarnation of Vimalamitra. He was widely renowned in the Tibetan Buddhist world as a master of Dzogchen...
in 1963, following his 1959 exit from Tibet as the second seat of the Palyul Monastery
Palyul
Palyul is one of the six mother monasteries of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Founded in 1665 by Rigdzen Kunzang Sherab, the monastery is the seat of the Nam Cho Terma of Terton Migyur Dorje. His Holiness Penor Rinpoche was the 11th throne holder of the Palyul lineage...
, one of the six great Nyingmapa Mother monasteries of Tibet prior to annexation.
The monastery's full name is Thegchog Namdrol Shedrub Dargyeling, called "Namdroling" for short. Its initial structure was a temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
constructed from bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
, covering an area of approximately eighty square feet. Carved from the jungle that the India government generously granted Tibetan exiles, initial challenges included rampaging elephants and other tropical dangers.
Buildings - Timeline
- On February 17, 1978, the Buddhist College ("ShedraShedraShedra is a Tibetan word meaning "place of learning" but specifically refers to the educational program in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and nunneries. It is usually attended by monks and nuns between their early teen years and early twenties. Not all young monastics enter a shedra; some study...
") was constructed and completed.
- A new temple, the "Padmasambhava Buddhist Vihara" (known by locals as the "Golden Temple") was inaugurated on September 24, 1999. The temple has space for several thousand monks.
- November 27, 1993, the Tsogyal Shedrup Dargyeling Nunnery was established.
- In 2004 a temple to the main NyingmaNyingmaThe Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism . "Nyingma" literally means "ancient," and is often referred to as Nga'gyur or the "old school" because it is founded on the first translations of Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit into Tibetan, in the eighth century...
(old school) Buddha, Guru Rinpoche was built and inaugurated on December 13 of that year.
As of 2008, the lodging facilities alone for the school include three buildings with over 150 rooms. The population fluctuates as monks attend or complete studies at Namdroling. A recent census had the populuation in excess of 4,000 monks and 800 nuns.