Tar Monastery　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　More Pictures

　　The Tar Monastery, which means "Holy Place for the 100,000-Body Maitreya buddha," is located in the Lotus Flower Mountain south of Lusha'er town. Huangzhong County, Qinghai Province. The monastery, 26 km away from Xining, the provincial capital, is among the first group of cultural relic units to be placed under national protection by the State Council in 1961.

　　Zongkapa, founder of the Gelug (Yellow) Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, was born in the place where the Tar Monastery is located. The 3rd Dalai Lama Soinam Gyamco initiated construction of the monastery in Zongkapa's honor. Gradually, it became the mecca for Buddhists of Tibetan, Mongolian and Tu ethnic groups. And the 4th, 5th, 7th, 13th and 14th Dalai Lamas as well as the 6th, 9th and 10th Panchen Erdenis once lived there.

　　During its heyday, the Tar Monastery had as many as 70 Living Buddhas and 3,600 monks. Many of them were appointed Hutugto Living buddhas by the Qing (1644-1911) imperial court. And some of them served as seal-holding lamas at the Yonghegong Lamasery in Beijing and at the Buddhist Wutaishan Mountain in Shanxi Province.

　　Due to its size and influence, the Tar Monastery emerged as one of the six major monasteries of the Gelug Sect.

　　Monk colleges. The Tar Monastery houses four major Zhacang Buddhist colleges. They are the Channi (Open School), Juba (Tantric), Manba (Medical) and Dingker (Time of Wheel) Zhancangs.

　　The Channi Zhacang (Open School College). This Zhacang has the largest number of students in the Tar Monastery. Students are dispersed among 15 different classes. They attend the college grade by grade, with each grade lasting one year. Students are required to finish studying the five Buddhist classics: Hetuvidya, Prajna, Madhyamika, Abhidharmakosa, and Sila and Vinaya. Those students who intend to become monks attend lectures by their own sutra teachers, and students in the same grade are often organized to discuss and debate Buddhist doctrines in accordance with the Hetuvidya (logic) methods. When students complete their study of the five Buddhist classics, they receive the Gerinba, a title which qualifies them to take the examinations for the Geshi (Buddhist Ph.D) title.

　　The Juba zhacang (Tantric College). Students who complete the studies at the Students who complete the studies at the Channi Zhacang come here to further their study of Tantric teachings. Also attending this Zhacang are students of spell chanting rituals and classics whose goal is not to compete for the Tantric title, but rather to work as spell chanters.

　　Manba Zhacang (Medical School). Here monks study Tibetan medicine theory and medicine-making technology. Major teaching materials include the Four-Volume Medical Code by Yutog Yundain Goingbo, a famous medical doctor of the Tubo period, as well specially written annotations to this classic. Those who distinguish themselves receive the Manrinba title, equivalent to a Bachelor's degree in medicine.

　　Dingker Zhacang (Time Wheel College). Monk students study astronomy and calendaring here. They are also taught to calculate on the basis of the elements of the lunar calendar, such as the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire and earth), the 10 Heavenly systems, and the Earthly Branches. Those who are well versed on the Time Wheel and pass examinations are issued the Zerinba title, equivalent to a master's in producing calendars.

　　Organization. The Tar Monastery is organized to match the three major monasteries of the Gelug Sect in Lhasa. The Sutra Hall Assembly is the supreme power organ of the monastery. The assembly is headed by the general abbot. However, all major decisions are made first at the Gark Assembly, equivalent to the executive members of the Sutra Hall Assembly. The Gark Assembly is composed of, among others, the general abbot, the bailiff and the chief supervisor.

　　The chief supervisor is responsible for monastic discipline, life and study. Under him are four strongly built lamas each holding a round, thick iron club. There is also the chief sutra reciting lama who loudly leads monks in the recitation of sutras during various rituals.

　　Each Zhacang has its own administrative and religious organization led by a leader called a Kampus. Only the Kampus of a Zhacang is qualified to serve as the general abbot. In the Cannie Zhacang, the general abbot is concurrently the Kampus of Zhacang. The Zhacang's sutra hall also serves as the Grand Sutra Hall for the whole monastery.

　　Composition. The Tar Monastery covers an area of 40 hectares. well-preserved halls include the Grand Gold Tile Hall, the Zongkapa Memorial Pagoda, the Maitreya Buddha hall, the Happy Vajra Buddha Hall, the Buddhist Guardian Hall (also called the Lessor Gold Tile buddha Hall), the Longevity Buddha Hall, the four others. The best-preserved are the 18 residences for the Living Buddhas, including the most famous one, the Grand Abbot Residence (also known as the Residence of the Panchen Erdeni).

　　Architecture. Of the six major Gelug sect monasteries, the Tar Monastery boasts more halls built in the Tibetan, Han and Hui styles. The Grand Gold Tile Hall is of Han palace style, with three-tiered roofs adorned with patterns of clouds and lotus petals, pagodas, gold animals and bronze bells. Inside the hall stands the 11-meter silver pagoda enshrined with the gilded statue of Zongkapa, founder of the Gelug Sect. On the lotus altar are perennially burning butter lamps. The inscribed handwriting of the Qing Emperor Qianlong adorns a horizontal bar.

　　The Grand Sutra Hall, covering an area of 1,981 square meters, is propped up by 168 pillars, 60 of which are built inside the walls. Each pillar is carved with beautiful patterns and wrapped in colorful rugs. Numerous cushions are in the hall where thousands of lamas sit while reciting Buddhist scriptures. Nearly 1,000 gilded bronze statues of Buddha enshrine the four walls.

　　The Nine-Room Hall contains life-like statues of Zongkapa, Tathagata, Wisdom Buddha, the Goddess of Mercy, the Goddess of Wealth, the Goddess of Music and some other Buddhas.

　　The Lessor Gold Tile Hall is for the Buddhist guardian of the Tar Monastery. It has a flat roof topped with a pavilion of upturned eaves. Inside the hall is a specimen of the horse which, according to legend, the 9th Panchen Erdeni Mounted. Delicate frescoes adorn the walls. Its second floor houses specimen of wild cows, wild sheep and bears.

　　The Sutra Printing Hall is a compound built 160 years ago. It contains a collection of about 30,000 blocks of sutra printing boards and Buddha statue printing boards. While ink is used for printing, some classic works were hand-copied in a special ink of cinabar and a mixture of gold, silver, agate and other gem powders. In the Grand Kitchen are five bronze pots each with a diameter of two meters. These are used to cook tea and food for the lamas attending the sutra recitation during the ceremony concerning meditation of Amitayus in the Grand Sutra Hall.

　　Dozens of pagodas are in the Tar Monastery, including eight built in front of the monastery to honor eight meritorious deeds performed by Sakyamuni, founder of Buddhism.

　　The Tar Monastery is also famous for its butter sculptures, frescoes and duisui embroidery. Butter sculptures are most often of Buddha, other figures and flowers.

　　With pure cow and sheep milk butter as the raw material, the sculptures are painted with mineral dyestuff. Often the sculptures are part of a series which depict a story, such as the life of Sakyamuni and the marriage of Princess Wencheng with Tubo King Songtsan Gambo. The sculptures are displayed during the Lantern festival held on the 15th day of the first month of the Tibetan year. More than 10,000 people view the sculptures each year.

　　Frescoes in the Tar Monastery are rich in content and elegant in style. Debating Buddhist Scriptures, Portrait of Six-Way Samsara and Fresco of Kalachakra are considered the most representative. The frescoes are all painted with yellow, red and blue colors to highlight the themes.

　　Relief embroidery is unique to the Tar Monastery. Colored silks are cut into various shapes, such as a statue of Buddha, a human figure, a bird or an animal. Stuffed inside with sheep's wool or cotton, they are then pasted and embroidered onto cloth. Such relief embroidery most often takes one of the themes from Buddhist scriptures. Representative embroideries include 16 Aryas (the Revered), which is embroidered onto a 30-meter long cloth.

　　The Tar Monastery is also famous for its diverse Buddhist activities, which attract an endless flow of Buddhists.
　　
　　The Grand Summons Ceremony is held in the first lunar month after the one held in Lhasa since the Ming Dynasty. It lasts from the eighth to the 15th day of the first lunar month. Lamps are burned and Buddhist objects are displayed in the Grand Sutra Hall as well as other halls. Every day, lamas recite Buddhist scriptures in Zhacang colleges, and perform prayers three times. On the morning of the 14th day, the Prince of Dharma Dance is performed in front of the courtrard of the Nine-Room Hall. "Living Buddha" activities held on the morning of the 15th day and the show of butter sculpture lamps brings the festival to its climax.

　　The Buddhist activities held in the fourth lunar month celebrate the Sakyamuni's birth, his becoming a monk and his achieving nirvana. During this period, a huge relief embroidered portrait of the founder of Buddhism, measuring over 30 meters long and over 20 meters wide, is displayed. The Tar Monastery has a collection of four such embroidered portraits of Buddha, including one of Sakyamuni, one of a roaring Buddha, one of the Maitreya Buddha and one of Master Zongkapa.

　　The Buddhist activities held in the 6th lunar month honor the Buddhist activities performed by Sakyamuni. A huge embroidered portrait of Buddha is displayed at the Lotus Mountain and Buddhists perform rituals to mark the birth of the Maitreya Buddha. As part of the birthday ritual, Buddhists carry a sedan chair enshrined with the Maitreya Buddha around the monastery. While doing so, pure water is used to bathe the statue of the Buddha. Buddhists then present the Buddha with hada scarves.

　　The Buddhist activities in the 9th lunar month welcome Sakyamuni back to earth spread Buddhist doctrines. Lamas gather in the Grand Sutra Hall to recite Buddhist scriptures; and all the Buddha halls and relic centers are open to the public.

　　The Lantern Festival on the 25th day of the 10th lunar month marks the birth and demise of Master Zongkapa, founder of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Butter lamps are burnt for five days running. By then, all the monastery walls are whitewashed, and lamas stand on the roofs reciting aloud Buddhist scriptures and paying homage to Master Zongkapa.

　　The Summons Ceremony held at the end of each year is a way of saying good-bye to the past year and hello to the new year.

　　For the protection of the Tar Monastery, the PRC State Council earmarked a huge amount of money for renovations in 1990. The renovation project passed the quality examination on August 22, 1996. A grand consecration ceremony was held that day. The renovation was the largest of its kind in the past 700 years. More than 43 million yuan were used for the purpose, including 37 million yuan earmarked by the Chinese Government and HK$3 million donated by Shao Yifu from Hong Kong. Renovated buildings include the residence for the Panchen Erdeni, the Lessor Gold Tile Hall, the Grand Sutra Hall, the Maitreya Buddha Hall and the Hall of Zongkapa. The renovated Tar Monastery shines like a pearl under sunshine.