In 1965, Khochhen Rinpoche and small group of monks began the process of
re-establishing Mindrolling monastery located near Clement Town, in Dehradun,
Uttarakhand state, India. It now contains Ngagyur Nyingma College, one of the
largest Buddhist institutes in India.
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Approaching the second gate of Mindrolling Monastery.
After passing the first gate, which is located on Selection Board Road,
we approach the second gate.
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Second gate of Mindrolling Monastery.
The second gate is topped with the Dharma Wheel and Pair of Deer.
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The eight-spoked wheel represents the first turning of the dharma
wheel by the Buddha. The male and female deer on the right and left
represent the male and female disciples who one-pointedly enjoy and
take pleasure in listening to the teachings of the holy dharma.
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The interior eight spokes represent the moral conduct of discipline
from among the Three Trainings. The intermediate eight spokes
represent the training in wisdom and the noble eight-fold path. The
outer eight spokes represent the training in samadhi, or meditative
concentration.
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The entirety of the Buddha’s teachings are contained within the Three
Trainings and noble eight-fold path. The pair of deer represent
skillful means and wisdom, and based upon the unity of skillful means
and wisdom, buddhahood can be attained.
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See more at
Dharmachakra - Wikipedia.
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On each side of the second gate are the auspicious signs.
The Ashtamangala is a sacred suite of Eight Auspicious Signs
featured in a number of Indian religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, and
Buddhism.
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Groupings of eight auspicious symbols were originally used in India at
ceremonies such as an investiture or coronation of a king. An early
grouping of symbols included: throne, swastika, handprint, hooked
knot, vase of jewels, water libation flask, pair of fishes, lidded
bowl. In Buddhism, these eight symbols of good fortune represent the
offerings made by the gods to Shakyamuni Buddha immediately after he
gained enlightenment.
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Tibetan Buddhists make use of a particular set of eight auspicious
symbols, ashtamangala, in household and public art.
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See more at
Ashtamangala - Wikipedia.
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The guard who watches the second gate comes to greet us.
Namaste is a customary Hindu non-contact manner of respectfully
greeting and honouring a person or group, used at any time of day.
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Namaste is usually spoken with a slight bow and hands pressed
together, palms touching and fingers pointing upwards, thumbs close to
the chest.
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Namaste literally means "bowing to you". In Hinduism, it also has a
spiritual import reflecting the belief that "the divine and self
(atman, Self) is same in you and me", and connotes "I bow to the
divine in you". According to sociologist Holly Oxhandler, it is a
Hindu term which means "the sacred in me recognizes the sacred in
you".
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See more at
Namaste - Wikipedia.
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Building between the second and third gate.
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Approaching the third gate.
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Third gate of Mindrolling Monastery.
The third gate gives access to the monastery courtyard.
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Mindrolling Monastery facade.
Behind, on the left side, we can see the Great Peace Stupa.
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North corner of the monastery courtyard.
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Statue of Guru Rinpoche seen from the courtyard.
On the left side, in the distance, we can see Guru Rinpoche statue.
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Approaching the metal mesh that protects the porch.
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General view of the porch.
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Dhritarastra (left) and Virudhaka (right).
The Four Heavenly Kings are four Buddhist gods or devas, each of whom is
believed to watch over one cardinal direction of the world.
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Dhrtarastra is the guardian of the eastern direction. He lives
on the eastern part of Mount Sumeru. Dhrtarastra is considered to be a
god of music. In iconography, he holds a lute (pipa) in his
hands, indicating his desire to use music to convert sentient beings
to Buddhism.
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Virudhaka is the guardian of the southern direction. He lives
on the southern part of Mount Sumeru. In iconographic form, he is clad
in armor while brandishing a sword.
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See more at
Dhṛtarāṣṭra - Wikipedia
and
Virūḍhaka - Wikipedia.
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Virupaksa (left) and Vaisravana (right).
The Four Heavenly Kings are said to currently live in the Four Great
Kings Heaven (Caturmaharajika) on the lower slopes of Mount
Sumeru, which is the lowest of the six worlds of the devas of the
Kamadhatu. They are the protectors of the world and fighters of evil,
each able to command a legion of supernatural creatures to protect the
Dharma.
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Virupaksa is the guardian of the western direction. He lives on
the western part of Mount Sumeru. He possesses the divine eye, which
allows him to see great distances as well as the karma of sentient
beings. He is commonly depicted as having red skin and clad in armor.
He is often depicted as gripping a red naga or a red lasso in his
hands, which he uses to snare people into the Buddhist faith.
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Vaisravana is the guardian of the northern direction, and his
home is in the northern quadrant of the topmost tier of the lower half
of Mount Sumeru. He is often portrayed with a yellow face. He carries
an umbrella or parasol (chatra) as a symbol of his sovereignty. He is
also sometimes displayed with a mongoose, often shown ejecting jewels
from its mouth. The mongoose is the enemy of the snake, a symbol of
greed or hatred; the ejection of jewels represents generosity.
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See more at
Virūpākṣa - Wikipedia
and
Vaiśravaṇa - Wikipedia.
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Bhavacakra.
The bhavacakra (Sanskrit; Pali: bhavacakka; Tibetan:
srid pa'i 'khor lo) is a symbolic representation of
samsara (or cyclic existence). It is found on the outside walls
of Tibetan Buddhist temples and monasteries in the Indo-Tibetan region,
to help ordinary people understand Buddhist teachings.
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Symbolically, the three inner circles, moving from the center outward,
show that the three poisons of ignorance, attachment, and aversion
give rise to positive and negative actions; these actions and their
results are called karma. Karma in turn gives rise to the six realms,
which represent the different types of suffering within samsara.
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The fourth and outer layer of the wheel symbolizes the twelve links of
dependent origination; these links indicate how the sources of
suffering that the three poisons and karma produce live within cyclic
existence.
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The fierce being holding the wheel represents impermanence; this
symbolizes that the entire process of samsara or cyclic existence is
impermanent, transient, constantly changing. The moon above the wheel
indicates liberation. The Buddha is pointing to the moon, indicating
that liberation from samsara is possible.
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See more at
Bhavacakra - Wikipedia.
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Mount Meru.
Mount Meru (also Sumeru) is the name of the central world-mountain in
Buddhist cosmology. The concept of Sumeru is closely related to the
central Mount Meru of Hindu cosmology, but it differs from the Hindu
concept in several particulars.
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Sumeru is the polar center of a mandala-like complex of seas and
mountains. The square base of Sumeru is surrounded by a square
moat-like ocean, which is in turn surrounded by a ring (or rather
square) wall of mountains, which is in turn surrounded by a sea, each
diminishing in width and height from the one closer to Sumeru. There
are seven seas and seven surrounding mountain-walls, until one comes
to the vast outer sea which forms most of the surface of the world, in
which the known continents are merely small islands. The known world,
which is on the continent of Jambudvipa, is directly south of Sumeru.
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The square top of Sumeru constitutes the Trayastrimsa "heaven"
(devaloka), which is the highest plane in direct physical
contact with the earth. Below this heaven consist of sheer precipice,
narrowing in like an inverted mountain.
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From this point Sumeru expands again, going down in four terraced
ledges, each broader than the one above. The first terrace constitutes
the "heaven" of the Four Great Kings and is divided into four parts,
facing north, south, east and west. Each section is governed by one of
the Four Great Kings, who faces outward toward the quarter of the
world that he supervises.
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The next three terraces down the slopes of Sumeru are each longer and
broader by a factor of two. They contain the followers of the Four
Great Kings, namely nagas, yaksas, gandharvas, and kumbhandas.
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Below Sumeru, in the seas around it, is the abode of the Asuras who
are at war with the Trayastrimsa gods.
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See more at
Mount Meru (Buddhism) - Wikipedia.
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Monks preparing torma in the porch.
Torma are sculptures made mostly of flour and butter used in
tantric rituals or as offerings in Tibetan Buddhism.
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They may be dyed in different colors, often with white or red for the
main body of the torma.
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They are made in specific shapes based on their purpose, usually
conical in form.
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A very large, central shrine torma may be constructed for festivals,
though typically they are small and placed directly on a shrine, on a
plate, mounted on leather or held on a special base like a skull.
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See more at
Torma - Wikipedia.
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Main door of the monastery.
Leaving the porch and crossing the main door of the monastery.
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Ngedon Gatsal Ling, the Main Shrine Room.
Ngedon Gatsal Ling is the main monastery and practice center. The daily
prayers as well as the Drubchens (Mahasadhanas) are performed here in
the monastery’s magnificent shrine room. Monks learn and practice
rituals, mandala drawing, lama dances and the playing of ritual
instruments. Monks can also choose to study thangka painting and
sculpting.
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Sitting on one side and the other, the monks form two rows. In their
right hand they have the vajra and in their left hand they have the
bell. Further away, to the right, other monks play instruments.
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In the center are three empty thrones. The throne in the center has a
sculpture of a dragon.
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Painting of Padmasambhava on the main shrine room.
Detail of a painting of Padmasambhava on the inner wall of the main
shrine room.
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Prayer wheels between the monastery and the stupa.
A prayer wheel is a cylindrical wheel (Tibetan: 'khor lo) on a spindle
widely used in Tibet and areas where Tibetan culture is predominant.
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Traditionally, a mantra is written in Ranjana script or Tibetan
script, on the outside of the wheel. The mantra
Om mani padme hum is most commonly used.
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Also sometimes depicted are dakinis, Protectors and very often the
eight auspicious symbols (ashtamangala).
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At the core of the cylinder is a "life tree" often made of wood or
metal with certain mantras written on or wrapped around it. Many
thousands (or in the case of larger prayer wheels, millions) of
mantras are then wrapped around this life tree.
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According to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, spinning such a wheel
will have much the same meritorious effect as orally reciting the
prayers.
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Photograph by Suyan Ramesh, distributed under a CC-BY 4.0 license.
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See more at
Prayer wheel - Wikipedia.
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Small shrine on the west corner of the monastery.
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Monastery (right) seen from the west.
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Water fountain with pool in front of the stupa.
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Great Peace Stupa.
The Great Peace Stupa is 56 m (185 ft) tall and 9 square meters (100
square feet) in width. It is the world's largest stupa and is a
magnificent example of buddhist art and architecture. The stupa is
surrounded by a two-acre landscaped garden.
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On the facade of the stupa, Maitreya, the future Buddha, has been
beautifully painted. Descending the steps is the present Buddha, the
Buddha Shakyamuni.
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On the several floors inside the stupa are shrine rooms with elaborate
murals executed in the finest tradition of Tibetan Buddhist art.
Sacred relics have also been placed in the stupa.
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Entering the stupa through the ground floor door.
The stupa's ground level shrine-room is dedicated to Padmasambhava.
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The exquisite murals in it depict the life-story of Padmasambhava in
accordance with the terma of Ogyen Lingpa, Kathang Sheldrakma (the
Crystal Cave Chronicles) with the hundred and eight chapters.
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In addition to this are murals depicting the assembly of Le'u Dunma
(the Seven Chapter Supplication), Barchad Lamsal (Supplication for
Clearing the Obstacles to the Path), the outer, inner and secret
assembly of Rigzin Thugthig (Heart-Essence of the Vidyadharas), the
short depiction of the past lives of Terchen Jurme Dorje (Terdag
Lingpa), the One Hundred and Eight Mahasiddhas of India, the
Twenty-Five Disciples of Padmasambhava, the Hundred and Eight Great
Tertons, the Eight Great Chariots of the Practice Lineage and various
dharmapalas with their retinues.
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Entering the stupa through the first floor door.
The first floor shrine-room is dedicated to our Peerless Teacher, the
Buddha Shakyamuni.
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On the walls are painted the principal figures of the buddhas of the
three times.
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Beginning from the right side of the principal figures, all around on
the walls are painted the Jataka Stories based on the text
Wish-fulfilling Tree written by the Dharma King Kshemendra. These
beautiful murals are painted with great attention to detail.
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On the pillars are the sixteen great arhats, the seven entrusted with
the teachings and the seventeen panditas of glorious Nalanda.
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The second floor shrine-room, known as the Four Immeasurables or
Lineage Shine Room, is dedicated to the great lineage holders
throughout the history of Mindrolling. Within it are murals and
statues depicting the descendants of the dharma king Terdag Lingpa
(Rigzin Jurme Dorje) the Trichens and Khenchens of Mindrolling. In
addition to this are the paintings of precious lineage masters of the
Pratimoksha, Bodhisattvayana and Vajrayana.
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Leaving the Great Peace Stupa.
Leaving the Great Peace Stupa via the stairs that give access to the
first floor.
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Two smaller stupas.
Two smaller stupas between the Great Peace Stupa and the Padmasambhava
Statue.
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Padmasmabhava Statue.
The great statue of Guru Padmasmabhava, in the form known as Guru Dregpa
Kundul (Guru Tamer of all Haughty Spirits), was formally consecrated by
Kyabje Sakya Trizin on the auspicious fifth day of the first Lunar
month, the 3rd of March 2017. This great statue of Guru Rinpoche was
built with the sponsorship of Ugyen Dorje la.
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Many years ago, Kyabje Mindrolling Trichen had instructed the members
of the Tibetan community that it would be extremely beneficial to have
such a statue erected in order to dispel obstacles of warfare and
disharmony.
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Kyabje Sakya Trizin blessed and consecrated the great statue, and in
conjunction with the auspicious occasion, bestowed the precious
Thangtong Gyalpo's Tshewang Logyama — the long life empowerment of
Thangtong Gyalpo — to over five thousand people, who gathered at
Mindrolling for this momentous celebration.
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See more at
Padmasambhava - Wikipedia.
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Girl in traditional costume.
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Leaving Mindrolling Monastery.
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Great Peace Stupa (left), White Tara (center) and Mindrolling
Monastery (right).
Already on the street, we can see the complex made up of the stupa, the
White Tara and the monastery.
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Statue of White Tara on the left side of the monastery.
Tara, Arya Tara, also known as Jetsun Dolma, is an important figure in
Buddhism, especially revered in Tibetan Buddhism.
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She appears as a female bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism, and as a
female Buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism. She is known as the "mother of
liberation", and represents the virtues of success in work and
achievements.
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Tara is a meditation deity revered by practitioners of the Tibetan
branch of Vajrayana Buddhism to develop certain inner qualities and to
understand outer, inner and secret teachings such as compassion
(karuna), loving-kindness (metta), and emptiness
(shunyata).
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As one of the three deities of long life, White Tara (Saraswati) is
associated with longevity. White Tara counteracts illness and thereby
helps to bring about a long life. She embodies the motivation that is
compassion and is said to be as white and radiant as the moon.
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See more at
Tara (Buddhism) - Wikipedia.
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Buddha Temple a little further down the street.
Tibetan temple known for its monumental art-filled stupa and
30-meter-tall Buddha statue.
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Exit through the second gate.
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Detail of the ceiling of the second gate.
We can see two dakinis on either side of the roof of the second gate.
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Dakinis (lit. 'heaven-going mother') are a type of female spirits,
goddesses, or demons in Hinduism and Buddhism.
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The concept of the dakini somewhat differs depending on the context
and the tradition. For instance, in earlier Hindu texts and East Asian
esoteric Buddhism, the term denotes a race of demonesses who ate the
flesh and/or vital essence of humans.
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Other texts meanwhile apparently use 'Dakini' as the name of a
goddess. They were experts in deluding, slaying, paralysing
(stupefying), striking, swallowing, and exterminating the wicked
Daityas. In regard to those who are habitually devout, they were
competent to annihilate all adversities.
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See more at
Dakini - Wikipedia.
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See also
Sources
Location
