Sakya Monastery
The monastery is a place that visitors cannot miss. The monastery lies 130 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of Shigatse. Sakya, meaning "Grey Soil" in Tibetan since the soil around is grey, is the center monastery of Sakyapa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Its wall was painted with red, white and grey strips, which represent Manjushri, Avalokiteshvara and Vajrapani respectively. Since the monastery has a colossal collection of highly valuable art pieces, it is deemed as "Second Dunhuang". The monastery is divided into the Northern Monastery and the Southern Monastery by Drum River. The Northern monastery was the first one which was founded by Khon Konchog Gyalpo in 1073, from which Sakyapa arose and once ruled Tibet. Unfortunately, it is nothing but ruins now due to severe destruction in the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), however the ruins reflect its glory and resplendence. The Southern Monastery was built in 1268 by the fifth Sakya Throne Holder, Drogon Chogyal Phakpa, known as Phakpa. Phakpa was the spiritual guide of Kubilai khan, a Mongolian Chinese emperor who granted Phakpa secular and religious authority over Tibet. From him, Sakyapa ruled over 100 years in Tibet.

The Southern Monastery remains in better condition. A typical Mongolian structure, the fortress-like monastery has a moat around and an outer wall and an inner wall, with fortifications and battlements atop, covering a space of 45,000 square meters. It has only one entrance on the east.

Lakhang Chenmo, the Main Changing Hall, is the central structure in the inner courtyard. The hall, 5,700 square meters, has 40 huge pillars, four of which are 1.2 meters (4 feet) in diameter and are said pillars send to the monastery by Chinese Emperor, tiger, Nereus and wild yak respectively. Murals on the wall in the hall depict the stories about the pillars. Except statues of Buddhas, the hall houses the greatest religious library in Tibet, containing tens of thousands of sutras written in Tibetan, Chinese, Mongolian, and Sanskrit and Kanjur and Tanjur written in gold power. In the chapel west of the hall techniques to made mandalas are taught. Ngudung Lakhang, or the North Chapel, houses 11 stupas, wrapped in silver, of former Sakyapa Throne Holders. Pukang, the Manjushri Chapel contains a Jowo Sakyamuni and a Manjushri and other statues.

Sakya has countless murals, mostly of the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368). Among them, murals of mandalas and former Sakya Throne Holders are outstanding. Sakyapa allows marriage and its religious power is descended from paternal uncle to nephew while its political authority from father to son. The treasure trove of Sakya also collects 3,000 pieces of pattra sutras written in Tibetan, Chinese, Mongolian and Sanskrit covering a wide range of knowledge, and other artifacts such as seals, crowns, robes, Buddhist vessels and statues granted by emperors of the Yuan dynasty.

Seventy million Yuan (8.5 million US$) national fund has been allocated to renovate and rebuilt Sakya Monastery last year. The reconstruction has begun although the Northern Monastery is still covered with gravels except for a newly built stupa in which relics of the first Sakya Throne Holder is held.


Samye Monastery
Situated in Dranang, Samye Monastery was completed in 779 under the patron of Trisong Detsen. At the time of Samye's construction, Buddhism had been transmitted into Tibet, but there were no formal Buddhist priests or rituals. Trisong Detsen decided to invite Santarakshita and Padmasambhava, both Buddhist figureheads in India, to promote Buddhism in Tibet and participate in the construction of a monastery. Padmasambhava chose the construction site while the design was done by Santarakshita. After the construction was completed, Buddhism became the official religion in Tibet. Learned monks from inland China and India were invited to Tibet to translate Buddhist sutras into Tibetan. Trisong Detsen selected seven nobles to be the first monks in Tibet. Samye became the first formal monastery that established "triratna", referring to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha, or Buddhist priesthood.

Samye means "unimaginable" in Tibetan. It was said that when Tritsong Detsen asked for suggestions about the construction of the monastery, Padmasambhava, exerting his magic power, showed the king an image of a monastery in his palm. That is the origin of the name.

The monastery combines the styles of China, Tibet and India, and the layout was designed to represent the ideal universe described in Buddhist scriptures. "Utse", the Great Hall symbolizing "Sumeru" in perfect Buddhist universe, is the largest structure in the monastery. The Sun and Moon chapels encircle the large hall, and four "stupas" of different styles stand at each corner of the room. These "stupas" are colored in red, white, black and green to represent the four Heavenly Kings. Four larger halls and eight smaller ones, evenly distributed around "Utse," represent the oceans in that universe. The monastery is secluded from the outside world by a circular wall with thousands of Buddha statues sitting on it. This wall represents a mountain near the border of the universe.


Sera Monastery
Sera, one of the three largest monasteries of Gelugpa, sits at the foothills of Tatipu. It is as prestigious as Drepung and Ganden, which both have longer histories. Sera, in Tibetan, means "Wild Rose Garden" since opulent wild rose woods once grew around it. A legend says that Tsong Khapa and his two disciples traveled in the area, spreading their religion. One day, they heard a horse whinnying underground when they were taking a walk in the rose woods. They dug up a statue of Hynagriva (a horse-headed demon-god) and Tsong Khapa began construction of a monastery to enshrine Hynagriva. However, the truth is that in 1414, Jamchen Chojey (or Sakya Yeshe), one of Tsong Khapa's disciples, visited Emperor Chengzu as Tsong Khapa's emissary. The Emperor Chengzu granted him a title of Dharma King of Great Mercy, sutras, and a set of sandalwood Arhats. In order to preserve them, Tsong Khapa instructed Jamchen Chojey to build a monastery to house the treasures. The Sera monastery was completed in 1419.

Sera is designed around a Main Assembly Hall, or Tshomchen in Tibetan, which is the grandest hall of Sera, occupying a floor space of 1,000 square meters. The four-storied hall has four chapels in which Arhats, Manjushri, Tsong Khapa, and Chenrezi are enshrined. Later, a huge Maitreya was enshrined in the hall during the reign of the Seventh Dalai Lama. The valuable Buddhist sutras that Jamchen Chojey brought back from Beijing are kept in a sutra pigeonhole adjacent to the hall.


Drepang Monastery
The monestary was established in 1416 by Tsong Khapa's disciple Jamyang Qoigyi, who was versed in both Esoteric and Exotoric Buddhism and became the first Kampo there. With the support of plutocrats, it developed as the richest monastery of Gelugpa and became the mother temple of Dalai Lamas. In 1546, the third Dalai was welcomed as the first Living Buddha into the monastery. At the invitation of Mongolia's king, he went to Qinghai Province to preach. He was dignified with the title 'the third Dalai Lama' the first and second Dalai were entitled, too. It is the very place that the second, third, and the fourth Dalai Lama held the Sitting-in-Bed Ceremony, as well as the residence of the fifth Dalai before his nomination by the government of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911).

The ground of the monastery is organized on the caves and temples for Jamyang Qoigyi, together with two magnificent white pagodas. The buildings of the monastery are centered on these pagodas, The major buildings are Ganden Potrang, Coqen Hall, the four Zhacangs (or Tantric colleges), and Kamcuns.

The Ganden Potrang, in the southwest corner of the monastery, was built under the supervision of the second Dalai Lama Gendun Gyaco around the year of 1530. It became the residence of the second, third, fourth, and the fifth Dalai Lamas. After the fifth Dalai Lama moved to the Potala Palace, it was served as the meeting place for the local regime for both politics and religion. 


Shalu Monastery
Lying 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Shigatse, the monastery was founded in 1040 by Chetsun Sherab Jungnay. Shalu, meaning New Bud in Tibetan, was named after a story. His teacher suggested him to built a monastery where his arrow hit. The flying arrow finally hit a new bud. In 1320, Buton Rinpoche, one of the greatest religious scholars was invited to be abbot of the monastery. Buton's religious knowledge covered so wide a range that he brought together the one hundred and eight volumes of the fundamental texts of Buddhism, Kanjur, and the two hundred volumes of "treaties and commentaries", Tenjur, and attracted over 3,000 monks to attend his teachings. Shulupa, or Butonpa took form under his leadership. However since he had no interest in politics, his sect was not very influential. The most magic feats of Shalupa were monks learned to raise their body temperature to such a level that they wore the simplest clothing to resist coldness and to run at superhuman leaps to cover a long range without rest. In 1329, the monastery was demolished in an earthquake and in 1333, Buton rebuilt it under the patron the Chinese Mongolian emperor. Since many Chinese Han artisans participated the reconstruction the monastery combined Tibetan and Chinese style of the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) together, the only one of its type existing in Tibet.

Shalu Lakhang is the center of the monastery. On the ground floor, in the Tshomchen, Sakyamuni and his disciples are enshrined. The chapels flanking it houses Tanjur and Kanjur respectively. Chapels on the roof floor are typical Chinese blue tiled structures, housing Sakyamuni, Buton, and Arhats. Massive delicate and old murals cover the walls of the monastery, mostly depicting stories from the life of the Buddha. Restoration and preservation are badly needed to protect those arts.

Shalu has four treasures, which are a sutra board, which is 700 years old and cannot be reassembled once broken apart, a piece of sutra printed against the board regarded a good luck; a brass urn, which is usually covered with a piece of red cloth and sealed, the holy water may clean 108 filths and is changed every 12 years; a stone basin, which was Chetsun Sherab Jungnay's washbasin; and a stone tablet, which was uncovered in the first construction of Shalu and on which a mantra, om mani Padme Hum and four dagobas are carved.


Tashilhunpo Monastery
Tashilhunpo lies 2 kilometer (1.2 miles) west of Shigatse city. The monastery is a very influential monastery in Tibet. It was founded in 1477 by Gendun Drubpa, the first Dalai Lama and a most outstanding disciple of Tsong Khapa. In 1600, the Fourth Panchen Lama started a large-scale expansion and his successors carried on. The monastery now has a building space of 300 thousand square meters. In 1713, the Fifth Panchen Lama's title and status were finally ascertained by the Chinese emperor. The monastery became the seat of Panchen Lama.

The construction of the Main Chanting Hall (Tshomchen) took 12 years. It is the earliest building in the monastery. Before the hall, there is a flagstoned debating courtyard, where Panchen Lamas used to make religious speeches to lamas. The courtyard has walls covered by a thousand Sakyamunis, which were enshrined in the walls. The Main Chanting Hall, capable of holding 2000 chanting monks, contains the Panchen Lamas' throne and three chapels. The Sakyamuni Chapel houses a 24-feet statue of Sakyamuni flanked by his disciples, which was dedicated to his religious teacher by Gendun Drubpa. To the west is the Maitreya Chapel, which contains a 11-meter (36 feet) high Maitreya flanked by Avalokiteshvara and Bodhisattva Manjushri, which were said made by Gendun Drubpa himself. To the east is the Tara Chapel, which enshrines a White Tara flanked by two Green Taras.

The Maitreya Chapel was the tallest building in the monastery, 30 meters (98 feet) in height. The chapel lies at the west end of the monastery, founded in 1914 by the Ninth Panchen Lama. The chapel houses the world largest brass statue of Maitreya. The Maitreya, with its hands in mudras, is 26.2 meters (86 feet) high. The statue is seated on a 3.8 meters (12 feet) high lotus throne. A single finger is 1.2 meters (about 4 feet) long, while foot is 4.2 meter (about 14 feet) long. The statue costs about 280 kilograms (614 pounds) of gold, 150 tons (330,000 pounds) of brass and about 1400 precious gems like huge diamonds, pearls, ambers. A ladder leads to chapels reaching its lotus throne, waist, chest, face and crown.

In the Fourth Panchen Lama's Stupa Chapel, visitors may see the stupa tomb of the Fourth Panchen Lama's. Comparable with any in Tibet, the stupa was built in 1662 and finished four years later. The 11 meters (36 feet) silver and gold stupa cost 85 kilograms (187 pounds) of gold, much more silver and brass and countless precious gems. In 1982 and 1985, national fund was allocated to the monastery to renovate the chapel and the stupa. To its left is the Tenth Panchen Lama's Stupa Chapel. After the death of the tenth Panchen Lama 1989, 64 million RMB and lots of gold, silver, and gems were immediately allocated by the central government to build his stupa. In 1993, the 11 meters (36 feet) stupa was completed and the lama's body was placed inside.

The Thangka Wall sits northeast of the monastery. The huge wall, 35 meters (115 feet) in height 40 meters (131 feet) in width, can be seen faraway. Founding in 1468, it was a memorial monument to commemorate the birth, nirvana and initiation into Buddhahood of Sakyamuni. Every year on April fourteenth on Tibetan calendar, gigantic thangkas of Buddha will be displayed on the wall.

In addition the trove of thangkas, murals and other religious and artistic treasures certainly will impose an indelible impression upon visitors.