Sacred Objects of Wontö Monastery

Full name: Wontö Rabten Lhunpo Tse Monastery

Karmapa Pakshi (2nd Karmapa, 1204-1283) had left four footprints on a boulder in the upper part of Gadong (dga’ dong) and a footprint at Sran-‘bab-sna (pron.: sen-bab-na) from beneath a boulder at Kyilé.

Wontö Monastery housed these sacred items/objects:

  1. 16 volumes of the Perfection of Wisdom in 100,000 Stanzas
  2. Wall paintings of the Lamdre Lineage Lamas, Buddhashri down to Sharchen Yeshe Gyaltsen
  3. An arrow was stuck on a beam of the temple by one of the past Sakya Gongma Rinpoche’s to prevent the temple from falling apart. The arrow could be seen until the upheaval in Tibet happened.
  4. Three triangular statues of three Dharma Protectors—Gurgon, Gonpo Zhal and Chamsing—offered to the temple by Drogon Choegyal Phagpa
  5. The Collected Works of the Five Sakya Patriachs were printed at the monastery during the time of Kunga Rabten, a younger brother of bodhisattva Buddha Lakshmi
  6. Sacred Dance (Cham) costumes of Vajrabhairawa and Dharmaraja and Camundi and their retinue
  7. A large statue of Mahakala Drakzongma
  8. Eight-deity statues of Mahakala Gurgon
  9. Seven sets of Kagyur (translation of Buddha’s Words) written in five different inks—gold, silver, shell, turquoise, vermillion
  10. The Palace of Derge King alone contained the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras in 100,000 Stanzas written in gold, silver, turquoise and vermillion, and other representations of Buddha images, scripture and stupas and other religious artefacts
  11. Wall paintings of Tara Temple built by Khenchen Zhanphan Nangwa (a.k.a. Khenchen Zhanga)
  12. Shedrub Palbar Ling Dharma Institute (renowned as Wontö Lhunpo Tse School) houses 13-cubit high gilded copper statue of Lord Maitreya; 5-cubit high statue Sakya Pandita and statues of the four other Sakya Patriachs resembling 8-year old boys; an arrow-length statue of Jowo; and over a hundred statues of the 21 Taras and other deities
  13. 19 different writings of Khenchen Lama: 1. The Light of Sun: Treasure Trove of Logic, an Annotated Commentary on Pramanavrttika; 2. Sincere Devotional Offering: A Eulogy to Sakyapa Masters; 3. Rainfall of Blessings: An Appeal to the Buddha in Connection with the Four Ways of Parting with Clinging; 4. Clouds of Offering: A Short Praise of the Positive Qualities of the Perfect Master Zhanphan Choekyi Nangwa; 5. Divine Drumbeat: An Advice to Dosib Thupten Gyaltsen; 6. A Beggar Boy’s Pledge: A Song of Experience Relating My Own Deeds; 7. An Advice to Ga Tharlampa Tsultrim Phuntsok That Accords with Dharma; 8. An Experiential Medical Prescription; 9. An Essential Nectar of Immortality: A Handbook for Preparing Medicine, a Necessary Supplement to the Notes Aimed at Beginner Student of Medicine; 10. A Long Biography of the Incomparable Master Zhanphan Choekyi Nangwa; 11. Autobiography of Khenchen Himself At the Request of Lama Ngawang Khyentse; 12. Introduction to Auspicious Day and Their Impact Together with Anniversaries of Past Masters in Columns; 13. A Catalogue of Statues of Masters, Deities, Dakinis, Dharmapalas and Sacred Mantras and blessed objects inserted in them; 14. Six Different Titles and Prayers; 15. A Sad Song for the Sake of Your Mother Composed for Ngawang Senge Jige; 16. Instructions on Remembering Parents given to Dungdo Lodro Namgyal; 17. Advice to Lodro Gyaltsen of Dakyab; 18. A Hook to Catch the Sun of Blessings: A Guru Yoga Practice; 19. Guru Yoga: A Short Practice of Profound Meditation.

Sacred Objects of Yena Monastery

Full name: Yena Tashi Lhatse Thekchog Choekyi Gatshalå Shedrub Dhargye Ling

Regarding the history of Yena Monastery, it was, at different times, a monastery of the Bon, Nyingma, Kagyu traditions and, since the time of Choegyal Phagpa, it became a Sakya Monastery.

Choegyal Phagpa visited Yena Monastery and presented a very sacred mask of Mahakala Gurgon, which he had worn, and a sacred statue of Mahakala made from a wood of the willow tree. At that time he gave the Willow Mahakala and two other sacred objects to Yena Monastery.

Yena Monastery possessed a blessed sacred mask of Vajrabhairawa.

In Fire Sheep year (1967), except for the wall and the mural paintings of Yena Monastery everything else was completely destroyed, including the two sacred masks of Mahakala presented by Choegyal Phagpa and many temples—2 meditation huts of Dzongo, Lamdre Shrine, Tseumar Protector Deity Temple, Mahakala Temple, Sacred Scripture Cabinet, Derge Palace, Labrang, all the stupas including the two Great Stupas; life-size Buddha statue; Tara and speaking Yamantaka, and so forth.

Yena Monastery has these sacred objects:

  1. One-storey high Buddha statue with the six ornamenting arts around it at Lhanying
  2. 16 Arhats
  3. Life-size Vajrapani
  4. Five Sakya Patriachs
  5. Ngor Tsarchen
  6. Machig Labdron
  7. Three Buddhas of Longevity
  8. Two-storeyed statues of Buddhas of the Past, Present and Future
  9. Gilded copper statue of Buddha with the six ornamental art objects (which costed over 50,000 Chinese yuans to build)
  10. One storey high gilded copper statue of Vajrasattva
  11. Life size statues of Ngorchen, Choerab and Shakyamuni, and many more
  12. The Summer Retreat Temple housed the sacred statue of Shakyamuni presented by Khenchen Sangye Phuntsok, 35 Buddhas of Confession, and 21 Taras, etc.
  13. Nine Deeds Thangkas painted by Mahasiddha Sangten
  14. Two Thangka paintings of Jataka Tales of the Buddha left by Choerab
  15. Many old and new thangkas of Tara including ones bearing handprints of Khyentse Wangpo
  16. Over 2000 texts of the Sakya tradition: Sadhana of Hevajra Single Deity printed by Ngag Nyen; Daily Practice Manual of Mahakala and Register of Practice Done; Funeral Ground Chod Practice text; White and Black Dul; Beverage Offering of Rolam; The Manual of Constructing Lines of Mandala; Ritual of Incense and Ablution Practice; Sakya Kangso Practice printed by Tumla Yontan Tsultrim who completed 100 million recitation of Vajrakila mantra; 4 complete sets of Kagyur and 3 complete sets of Tangyur literature, all arranged individually in small cells in cabinets; two sets of Compendium of All Tantras; Compendium of Sadhanas; small and big drums; Community and Individual Manuals of Lamdre; the Collected Works of Sakya, Ngopa and Zhuchen, etc.; Mahakala books, etc. together with their covering, wooden cover, belts, index clothes, etc.
  17. Varieties of stupas including the golden reliquary of Choktrul Ngawang Phuntsok containing the four types of relics which costed over two million yuans to built;
  18. Musical instruments cymbals, white and red conch shells, trumpets, small and big drums, Mahé, damaru, bells, etc.
  19. Ritual objects like vases, mandala sets, offering bowls, portraits of deities (tsakli), mandala thangkas, woodblock of torma prints, parasols, victory banners and other ceremonial fabrics, pillar embellishments, throne embellishments, sacred dance costumes, ritual clothes, layered cushions, carpets, long and short mattreses, square cushions, big and small copper cauldrons in kitchen, copper kettles, ladles and butter tea churning barrels, and many more.
  20. Statues of Choktrul Ngawang Phuntsok and representations of speech and mind (built in 2000 and consecrated in 2003 on the auspicious Anniversary of Peltsewa Chenpo)

Sacred Objects of Khardo Monastery

Full name: Thubten Phuntsok Shedrub Dargyeling Khardo Monastery
Founder: Lotsawa Pagor Vairocana, 8th century

During the time of Drogon Choegyal Phagpa the first Great Teaching Throne was built at Khardo Monastery. At the decree of Choegyal Phagpa, Khardo Monastery enjoys the status and privilege of being the second highest Sakya monastery after the Sakya Monastery in Sakya.

Tagrong Nyatsha Aten expanded the temple built by Pagor Vairocana, the Great Lotsawa (translator) and built Khar Marma or Lha-Nying. This temple contained many sacred objects as follows:

  1. Representations of body, speech and mind of Buddhas
  2. Armour and weapons of 30 warriors of Ling Gesar
  3. A very holy statue of Nyatsha Aten, which is the main sacred object of the monastery
  4. Rock carvings of many sacred texts such as the Kagyur and Tengyur sacred literature (a unique and invaluable rock inscription of sacred books in the world); The Fortunate Aeon Sutra; the three sutras: Thar (The Great Mahaparinirvana Sutra), Öd (The Sublime Golden Light Sutra) and Jang (?sbyang); Confession of Downfalls Sutra, the Six-syllable Mantra of Avalokiteshvara, 100-syllabled Mantra of Vajrasattva and so forth carved on very special rocks brought miraculously to Khardo Monastery by Ga Anye Dampa; also, stone statues of 1002 Buddhas of this fortunate aeon, etc. made from the same miraculously transported rocks. All these works are still extant at Kharsoom Do.
  5. Lhasar Gonpa or Nyergon Protector Temple has a unique architecture of a square with eight patterns walls and its walls are filled paintings which are coated in gold which was found by Nyergen by chance during a nature walk in the fields on the left side of the protector shrine. The gold coating has a unique shine in itself.

    The main image of the Nyergon Protector Temple is a very rare and holy Mahakala sculpture of a black rock (black granite or ebony) which was Nyergen’s discovered treasure (Tib.: gter). The murals of the shrine depict wild animals like tiger, leopard, jackals, etc. facing the enemies (Gaden and Lozang) in the north with horrific scenes of crushing the bones, devouring the flesh, tearing off the skins, and sucking the blood of those enemies.

    Note [translation]: Lhasar Monastery or Nyergon (built by Nyerchen (Lord Chamberlain) Choekyong Lodro of Derge King Tenpa Tsering; hence, the abbreviated name Nyergon); Nyerchen was also popularly known as Khardo Nyergen (the Elder Lord Chamberlain of Khardo) Choekyong Lodro.
  6. Khardo Tulku or Dagra Dorjechang (Dagra Vajradhara) built the temple at Malung Retreat which contained sacred objects listed below:
    • One storey high copper statues of Shakyamuni Buddha and his two chief disciples (Shariputra and Maugalayana) on their thrones and halos behind them
    • Gilded copper statue of Mahasiddha Virupa
    • Gilded copper statue of Sakya Pandita
    • Gilded copper statue of Ngorchen
    • Gilded copper statue of Sixteen Arahats
    • Gilded copper statue of Twenty one Tara which are an arrow’s length
    • Gilded copper statue of Kagyur (Translated Words of the Buddha)
    • Gilded copper statue of Compendium of Sadhanas (Practice Manuals)
    • Lamdre (Path and Result) Texts [of the Sakya tradition]

    These and many other sacred objects were built together with their cabinets which contained them.

  7. One three-storey stupa in each of the upper, middle and lower Dagra area.

    8. The principal monastery built by Nyergen (Lord Chamberlain) Choekyong Lodro was Lhasar Monastery, which was completely destroyed during the disastrous era of upheaval.

    However, today, with support of the local authorities and the generosity of benefactors of the monastery, the monastics and the local people have been able to rebuild it. So, the sacred objects contained in the monastery are as follows:

    • One-storey high guilded coppper statue of Buddha Shakyamuni
    • Clay statue of the Buddha—more than two half storeys high—with his two Chief Disciples (Shariputra and Maudgalayana)
    • On the right (of the above Buddha statue): one-storey high Guru Rinpoche statue surrounded by his Eight Manifestations
    • On the left (of the above Buddha statue): clay statue of Lord Maitreya—more than two half storeys high—surrounded by guilded copper statues of the Eight Close Bodhisattva Scions of the Buddha
    • Statue of Vajradhara Ngorchen
    • A life-size clay statue of the Supreme Deity of Wrathful Manjushri (Yamantaka)

    Representation of Speech:

    • The Perfection of Wisdom Discourse in Eight Thousand Lines written in gold
    • Over a thousand volumes of canonical literature, Kagyur and Tengyur, together with the works of Indian and Tibetan scholar-saints printed from the xylographs of Derge Printing Press

    Representation of Mind:

    • Eight life-size sandal wood stupas of the Tathagata. Also, the monastery has many different musical instruments such as drums, cymbals, long horns, trumpets.
    • On the right side of the prayer hall on top floor of the monastery: one-storey high
    • 3D Celestial Mansion (Mandala) of the Glorious Hevajra Deity
    • In the Protector Shirnes (Gön-khang): Mahakalas Gurgon, Gonpo Zhal, Chamsing; the horn of great Garuda (mythical bird); invaluable precious objects such as Ling Gesar’s armour, hat, and shield can be seen even today.
    • On the roof of the temple there are the Dharma Wheel flanged by two deers that are made of copper, victory banner, etc.
      The old Palace of Kharmarma or Lhanying of Lingpon Nyatsha Aten suffered total destruction during the era of upheaval. But recently it was rebuilt with the generous sponsorship of Azatshang Pélé of Khardo, complete with the architecture and the sacred objects it houses:

      • One-storey high bronze statues of Buddha Shakyamumi flanged by his two Chief Disciples (Shariputra and Maudgalayana) together with their thrones and back supports, and surrounded by the statues of one thousand buddha
      • Life-size guilded copper statues of the Sixteen Arhats and their accompanying Four Guardians (Dhritarashtra, Virudhaka, Virupaksha and Vaishravana in the East, West, North and South, respectively) of the Four Directions
      • Life-size guilded copper statues of Gurgon, Gonpo Zhal, and Chamsing

    Representation of Speech:

    • 108 Sets of the Kagyur

    Representaion of Mind:

    • Two single storey high guilded copper stupas surrounded by seventy stupas