Ngor
Encyclopedia
Ngor or Ngor Êwam Qoidain is the name of a monastery in the Ü-Tsang
province of Central Tibet
, about one and half hours drive from Shigatse
, and is the Sakya
school's second most important goinba. It is the main temple of the large Ngor school of Tibetan
Tantric Buddhism
, which represents eighty-five percent of the Sakya
pa school in Tibet and overseas.
-derived paintings. Of its 18 colleges, and Upper and Lower Tsokangs, only one building, the Lamdre Lhakang, has been restored. There were once some 400 monks, but now there are only a few.
Below the lhakang there is a row of 60 stupa renovated but missing the magnificent mandala
paintings they once contained, but which, fortunately, are now preserved in Japan and have been documented and published.
Ngorchen Konchog Lhundrup
, born in Sakya
in 1497, was a famous practitioner who became the tenth abbot of Ngor Ewam Choden monastery.
The two other main sects of the Sakya school are Sakya proper and Tsar
. The main Ngor temples are found in the Kham region of Tibet.
The Ngorpa school is characterized by an emphasis on tantra
balanced with study and practice. It is known for a mastery of ritual and practice of long retreats including life-long retreats. The present leader of the Ngor is HE Luding (or Lhuding) Khenpo, who now lives in northern India.
Ü-Tsang
Ü-Tsang , or Tsang-Ü, is one of the three traditional provinces of Tibet, the other two being Amdo and Kham. Geographically Ü-Tsang covered the central and western portions of the Tibetan cultural area, including the Tsang-po watershed, the western districts surrounding and extending past Mount...
province of Central 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...
, about one and half hours drive from Shigatse
Shigatse
Shigatse is a county-level city and the second largest city in Tibet Autonomous Region , People's Republic of China, with a population of 92000, about southwest of Lhasa and northwest of Gyantse...
, and is the Sakya
Sakya
The Sakya school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug...
school's second most important goinba. It is the main temple of the large Ngor school of Tibetan
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...
Tantric Buddhism
Vajrayana
Vajrayāna Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Vehicle...
, which represents eighty-five percent of the Sakya
Sakya
The Sakya school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug...
pa school in Tibet and overseas.
History
The origins of the Ngor school go back to Ngorchen Kunga Sangpo or Kun dga 'bzang po (1382-1444 CE), who was born and educated at Sakya and founded this monastery in 1429. It was renowned for its rich library of Sanskrit texts and magnificent 15th century NewarNewar
The Newa , Newār or Newāl) are the indigenous people and the creators of the historical civilization of Nepal's Kathmandu Valley. The valley and surrounding territory have been known from ancient times as Nepal Mandala, its limits ever changing through history.Newas have lived in the Kathmandu...
-derived paintings. Of its 18 colleges, and Upper and Lower Tsokangs, only one building, the Lamdre Lhakang, has been restored. There were once some 400 monks, but now there are only a few.
Below the lhakang there is a row of 60 stupa renovated but missing the magnificent mandala
Mandala
Maṇḍala is a Sanskrit word that means "circle". In the Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions their sacred art often takes a mandala form. The basic form of most Hindu and Buddhist mandalas is a square with four gates containing a circle with a center point...
paintings they once contained, but which, fortunately, are now preserved in Japan and have been documented and published.
Ngorchen Konchog Lhundrup
Ngorchen Konchog Lhundrup
Ngorchen Konchog Lhundrub was a buddhist monk, abbot, teacher and writer.He entered monastic life at the age of 13, when he began his Buddhist studies. He received the Sakya Lamdre teachings by his main teachers as well as other Sutra and tantra teachings...
, born in Sakya
Sakya
The Sakya school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug...
in 1497, was a famous practitioner who became the tenth abbot of Ngor Ewam Choden monastery.
The two other main sects of the Sakya school are Sakya proper and Tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
. The main Ngor temples are found in the Kham region of Tibet.
The Ngorpa school is characterized by an emphasis on tantra
Tantra
Tantra , anglicised tantricism or tantrism or tantram, is the name scholars give to an inter-religious spiritual movement that arose in medieval India, expressed in scriptures ....
balanced with study and practice. It is known for a mastery of ritual and practice of long retreats including life-long retreats. The present leader of the Ngor is HE Luding (or Lhuding) Khenpo, who now lives in northern India.