Namgyal Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist 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...

 associated with the 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"...

s. Founded in 1575 by the Third Dalai Lama, Sonam Gyatso, Namgyal Monastery was historically housed within the Potala Palace

Potala Palace

The Potala Palace is located in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It was named after Mount Potala, the abode of Chenresig or Avalokitesvara...

 (the red section on top). Namgyal Monastery is personal monastery of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Its primary role was to assist with rituals involving the Dalai Lama of Tibet.

After 1959

1959 Tibetan uprising

The 1959 Tibetan uprising, or 1959 Tibetan Rebellion began on 10 March 1959, when a revolt erupted in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, which had been under the effective control of the Communist Party of China since the Seventeen Point Agreement in 1951...

, Namgyal Monastery relocated to Dharamshala

Dharamsala

Dharamshala or Dharamsala is a city in northern India. It was formerly known as Bhagsu; it is the winter seat of government of the state of Himachal Pradesh and the district headquarters of the Kangra district....

, India, where it continues activity today. (Whether the People's Republic of China has maintained an institution with this name is unclear.) According to its website, Namgyal (Dharamshala) has "nearly 200" monks (up from 55 in 1959), representing all four Tibetan monastic lineages. Its main tantric practices are Kalachakra

Kalachakra

Kalachakra is a Sanskrit term used in Tantric Buddhism that literally means "time-wheel" or "time-cycles".The spelling Kalacakra is also correct....

, Yamantaka, Chakrasamvara, Guhyasamaja, and Vajrakilaya.

In 1992, on the advice of the present Dalai Lama, Namgyal established an American branch in Ithaca, New York

Ithaca, New York

The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...

. For information on this see Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies

Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies

Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies incorporates two institutions: the North American Seat of Namgyal Monastery; and a Tibetan Buddhist theological seminary affiliated with it. The two institutions share a dharma center in Ithaca, New York...

.

In 1998, Namgyal incorporated a Tibetan monastery in Bodhgaya, India, called Gendhen Phelgyeling. The monastery is now known as Namgyal (Bodhgaya), and has 45 monks. Namgyal (Dharamsala) also manages a temple in Kushinagar

Kushinagar

Kushinagar , Kusinagar or Kusinara is a town and a nagar panchayat in Kushinagar district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is an important Buddhist pilgrimage site, where Gautama Buddha is believed to have attained Parinirvana after his death.-Demographics: India census, Kushinagar had a...

 (since 1967), and an elderly home in Simla

Shimla

Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...

(since 1992).

External links

• Namgyal (Dharamshala) - Main monastery in India
• Namgyal (Bodh Gaya) - Gendhen Phelgyeling branch in India
• Namgyal (Ithaca) - US branch
• Namgyal Media Visual Archive.
• Tibet cultural archive website

See also