Sera Monastery in China, Lhasa Resort
Rating: 9,5/10 (2721 votes)  This monastery is one of the largest Buddhist monasteries in the world. Previously, about 5 thousand monks lived here. After China invaded Tibet, only a few hundred of them remained here, and the monastery is still being restored. The monastery is located at the base of Tatipu hill, north of Lhasa, at a distance of 10 kilometers from the city. Sera Monastery was founded in 1414 by Sakya Yeshi, a disciple of Je Tsongkhapa. Translated from the Tibetan name of the monastery means"rosehip". It got its name from the numerous rosehip bushes that grew on the hills. The area of the entire complex is almost 115 thousand square meters. The main buildings of the monastery: Hostel - Kamsun, college - Tskhakang and hall - Koken. Koken was built in 1710. It is a building in the northeast of the complex. The height of this building is 4 floors, and its area is 2 thousand square meters. In Tskhakang, monks study Buddhist classics. There are three colleges at the monastery: Ngaba Tskhakang, Yo Tskhakang and Me Tskhakang. Me Tskhakang is the oldest of them all, it was built in 1419 during the Ming dynasty. The best preserved frescoes can be seen in this college. In Yo Tskhakang you can see the image of Hayagriva, famous throughout Tibet. And Ngaba Tskhakang is the newest and smallest building. In it, monks worship the founder of this monastery. Kamsun is a hostel where monks sleep and dine. There are also tea houses and libraries. Sir belongs to the school of yellow hats - the Gelugpa. The monks have a colorful debate every afternoon. They take part in debates in order to comprehend the doctrine. This tradition is unique among all the famous city monasteries. Only in Sera Monastery, and nowhere else in Tibet, can celestial burials be performed. However, tourists are not allowed to attend this ceremony. But the Shoton festival, which is dedicated to the worship of Buddha, is open to both locals and tourists.  We also recommend reading Norbu Lingka in China, Lhasa resort Topic: Sera Monastery in China, Lhasa Resort. |
