Mindroling
One of the most famoust monasteries of the Nyingmapas
1981, Source: *Tibet
Mindroling was the preeminent Nyingma monastery in central Tibet. Before it was destroyed during the Cultural revolution, the monastery was the home of some 300 monks and contained a massive 13 story kumbum. Currently there are some 80 monks in residence
The terton1 Terdak Lingpa, (1646-1714) of Mindroling (which he had founded in 1676) discovered the texts which had been hidden by Padmasambhava and which became the basis of the Southern Treasure of the Nyingma school. He also apparently found the 13 scrolls were the hidden texts of the Lord of the Dance rituals which through the efforts of Zatrul Rinpoche led to the Mani Rimdu festivals of Rongphu Monastery (first performed between 1907-1910) and eventually to those of Tengboche (first performed in 1330-40), Thami, and Chiwong monasteries in the Solu-Khumbu region of Nepal. The first recorded performance of ‘chams, the Tibetan Sacred dance, was that of Lhalung Pelki Dorje in 842 when while performing the Black Hat dance he assassinated Langdarma. Mindroling was known for its elaborate dance festivals, one of which had over 100 roles and masks (Nebesky-Wojkowitz 1976: 12)
Terdak Lingpa was at first a student of the great Fifth Dalai Lama (1617-1682) and then as he became older, the roles were reversed and he became a teacher of the “Great Fifth”. The patronage of the Dalai Lama transformed what had been a small monastery with one lama surrounded by students, typical of Nyingma religious centers at that time, into the most influential Ningma monastery of central Tibet. Mindroling became the major training center for Nyingma monks from all over Tibet. Both the Zatrul Rinpoche of Rongphu monastery and Trulshig Rinpoche of Rongphu and now of Tubten Choling monastery were students at Mindroling.
1. Terton: A
discoverer of texts hidden by Padmasambhava and others in the early years of
Buddhism’s entry into Tibet