The 11th Panchen Erdeni Visits Rural Families

Editor‘s Note: In the fall of 2004, this reporter paid a visit to the Tashilhungpo Monastery where the 11th Panchen Erdeni studies Buddhism and saw how he studied, debated with others on Buddhist doctrines and gave blessing touches to worshippers. The ll th Panchen Erdeni often visited farmers and scenic spots in the area. We are going to cover his life in different issues.     

A Study on Hor-sTag-lung Monastery

Lying at the southern foot of Mount Jishi in Jishishan County bordering Gansu and Qinghai Provinces, Hor-sTag-lung Monastery (thereafter abbreviated to sTag-lung Monastery) is a well-known Tibetan Buddhist monastery built in the early period of Tibetan Buddhism. It has a history of more than 400 years and was affiliated with bKra-shis-lhun-po Monastery. Its     

The 11th Panchen Lama Traveled to Chengde

From July 26 to 30,the 11th Panchen Erdeni Choskyi Gyalpo paid a visit to Chengde in Hebei Province for his religion activities. He respectively visited the Summer Resort,Puning Monastery, Anyuan Monastery,Xumi Fushou Monastery,and Putuo Zongsheng Monastery and paid his homage to Buddha keeping in those monasteries.In Puning Monastery(Monastery of universal peace),     

THE THREE MASTERS OF JO OLDRUM

The ＂three masters of Jo Oldrum＂ refers to Guru Jo Olgyal Palden Atisha and his two disciples： Drumdompa Gyaiwarongne and O1 Lepal Sherab who lived in the 10th Century. In Thangka and frescos, Guru Atisha sits in the middle, and his two disciples on either side. Such works are commonly found in the shrines of Tibetan monasteries. All three were initiated into the Sect of Kadam in Tibetan Buddhism during the 10th Century.     

THE STORY OF KONGSA YEDOG

Kongsa Yedog, originally named Yexei Dorje, was born into a common farming family in Gyangze County of the Xigaze area in 1916. In his teens, he was taken into the Tashilhungpo Monastery by his monk uncle to study Tibetan language and sutras, studying together with several older male apprentices under an old lama. One year later, Yexei Dorje passed the examinations to become a real Zhaba of the monastery. One morning, the atmosphere in Tashilhungpo Monastery was hushed, and the curious Y…     

Lama Gangchen and His Self Healing Therapy

When I came across Lama Gangchen in Nepalyears ago,he was then residing in Italy. He has agood command of Buddhist Tantric theory andpractice,as well as wide knowledge of Tibetanmedicine.He is also active in propagating Tibetan Buddhismand Tibetan medicine, especially in working to protect thepsychic environment and promote education and charityundertakings.For this purpose, he has visited more than 30countries and regions.     

Old Shezang＇s Story

The Namseling Manor rests on a site by a river, south of Samye Monastery and within the boundary of Namseling Village, County of Chanang in Lhoka Prefecture. The Manor was built during the Phagdrup regime. The Namseling Manor is a model of Tibetan feudal serfdom society. As an early, large-scalemanor house built in a time when Tibetan society lived under a serf-based regime, Namseling has survived hundreds of years as a witness to the formation and development of a feudal manor. After democratic reform in Tibet, the Namseling Manor stood deserted for more than half a century. The present manor, no longer what it once was, has embraced many life stories, including that of Shezang. The now elderly Shezang was born in Nagqu in 1927. Both his parents were servants in the nobleman＇s household. At 14 he was taken to Lhasa to work as a babysitter. The next year his parents passed away one by one. A fellow villager told him the news when he returned to Namseling at 26. Shezang has a younger sisterbut they were separated in Nagqu when both were still young. They never met again.     

HIGHLIGHTS

King Gesar is a focus of study in and outside China. Accomplished scholars include:——Alexandra David-Neel (1868-1969): A noted French expert in Oriental studies, Chinese and Tibetan studies in the 20th century, she visited Tibet and surrounding areas five times for survey. Her treatises and diaries related to the Orient, especially to Tibet and related areas, were translated into many languages and published repeatedly.——Ren Neiqiang (1894-1989): A noted geologist, an expert in ethnic groups and a pioneer in Tibetan studies. From 1939 to 1944, he published his Initial Introduction to "Tibetan Three Kingdoms" and "On the Three Kingdoms" in Border Government Affairs Forum and Kangdao Month.——R.A. Stein (1911-1999): He is held as the most successful Tibetan study worker in France in the 20th century. And he was one of the few who could do research in both Tibetan and Chinese. His contribution to the study of King Gesarfinds expression in his effort to translate the epic.——Wang Yinuan (1907-1998): A     

PEOPLE IN THE BARKOR STREET：PALBAR,AN OLD MANIN SHARSASUALLEY

According to local custom in Lhasa, people refer to the area around the Jokhang Temple as ＂Barkor Street＂. ＂Lhasa＂ is ＂the Buddha＇s land＂ in Tibetan. In the hearts of Tibetan people, the Jokhang Temple is one of the most holy places because a statue of the twelve-year-old Sakyamuni is enshrined and worshiped there. Every year, the temple attracts many Tibetan Buddhist monks and disciples come from far away and pay homage to the Buddha. As time passed, the area of Barkor Street around the Jokhang Temple has become the busiest district in Lhasa. Eight alleyways extend out from the Barkor Street. Here the old citizens of Lhasa reside, and this is where Lhasa＇s unique economy, national culture, traditional craftsmanship and local Tibetan customs and practices flourish.     

Sow One Seed, Gain One More Life

The meadow on the highland is as broad as an ocean, yet it is also as quiet as a painting, without the limitation of a frame. It seems more natural and lively than a painting. It is as simple as the clear eyes of a Tibetan sheep, reflecting the rippling green grass and the scent of the soil as carried by the breeze. This scent followed me all the way as I followed spring＇s progress across the highland and as we drove deeper into the wide prairie in the County of Hongyuan. A Tunnel Enclosure in Camouflaged Clothing On average, Hongyuan is more than 3600 meters above sea level and is mainly involved in animal husbandry. It is the only county largely inhabited by Tibetans in the Prefecture of Aba. There is a vast area （777,200 ha.） of lush native grassland, 91.8 percent of the whole county. ＂Tashi Delek, welcome my reporter＂ said Tsepudan, Chairman of the Karlama Village Committee in the Township Village of Achok in the County of Hongyuan. He greeted me with smiles. He looked tall and strong in his traditional Tibetan robe, with a large-screen cell phone at his waist. ＂What＇s the fence for＂ I asked in curiosity. Before me was a huge fenced paddock. ＂A tunnel enclosure, they helped us build it,＂ said Tsepudan, pointing towards our companions （Professor Li Jian, and Professor Tang Cheng from the Southwest University for Nationalities, as well as Mr. Liu Gang from the Sichuan Prairie Institute）. Made of steel, the tunnel enclosure is shaped in a hexagon, 10 meters long. At first sight, it seems to be without any technical content. Actually, it contains a certain delicacy in its awkwardness. It saves a lot of labor and time when it is used to give an injection or medicine, or shear sheep, weighs something, or transport yaks and sheep. The Southwest University for Nationalities, the Sichuan Prairie Institute and local herdsmen produced it together, including its design, site selection and construction. Eight national     

PEOPLE IN THE BARKOR STREET

<正>Editor's Note:According to local custom in Lhasa,people refer to the area around the Jokhang Temple as"Barkor Street"."Lhasa"is"the Buddha's land"in Tibetan.In the hearts of Tibetan people,the Jokhang Temple is one of the most holy places because a statue of the twelve-year-old Sakyamuni is enshrined and worshiped there.Every year,the temple attracts many Tibetan Buddhist monks and disciples come from far away and pay homage to the Buddha.As time passed,the area of Barkor Street around     

HOW WAS THE SOUL BOY FOUND？

Gyaincain Norbo was determined as the soul boy of the late 10th Panchen Erdeni through the method of drawing lot from the gold urn. He was later enthroned as the 11th Panchen Erdeni. Courtesy of Xinhua News Agencyoqen Benba, an abbot of the Tashilhungpo Monastery Tantric Zacang, led a delegation several times to secretly search for the soul boy of the late 10th Panchen Erdeni. On a winter evening in 1995, we visited him, and were informed of the real facts related to the work. On Januar…     

《牟尼意庄严论》梵文写本及第一章1v1-3v5的转写（英文）

<正>Abhayakaragupta(ca.11-12th century)was an outstanding Indian pandita whose thought strongly impacted Tibetan Buddhism.He is widely known from a number of his compositions.Among the twenty-one works attributed to him by the Derge Tanjur,nineteen are allocated to the Tantra section,one to the Prajfiaparamita section,and two to the Madhyamaka section.Of these,the Munimatalarfikara,in the Madhyamaka section,is one of his most important.The Munimatalarfikara is sometimes regarded by Tibetan Buddhists,e.g.,Tsong     

Living Buddha Dorje Zhaxi and His Things Unusual

Editor‘s Note: Dorje Zhaxi in Garze Prefecture, Sichuan Province,used to be the living Buddha of the Zuqen Monastery, number two monastery of the Nyingma Sect. But he didn‘t reside in the monastery,instead spending his time in the Tagong Grassland helping his welfare school and Buddhist institutes. People call him “Living Buddha Dorje Zhaxi”.     

一个人和一座城

No matter if situated in a noisy city or the tranquilizing dense forest of a mountain area,Tibetan Buddhist monasteries always share many common features.Palkhor Chode Monastery in Gyantse County,however,is one particular exception.The architecture for the roof of Palkhor Chode Monastery lacks the typical bronze double deer figure on either side of a dharma wheel.     

BUDDHA＇S BLESSING WITH MERCIFUL RAIN - A Record of the Visit of the 1 lth Panchen Lama to Yushu

Editor＇s comments： After the Yushu earthquake of April 14th with a magnitude of 7.1, the 11th Panchen Lama sent a consolatory letter with his donation of 100 thousand Yuan to the people of all nationalities in Qinghai Province in conjunction with his requirement that all monks in the Tashilunpo Monastery （which is his home monastery） to pray for the victims of the disaster. On April 20th he held a religious convention in the Xihuangsi Temple in Beijing to release the souls of those people who lost their lives during the catastrophe from purgatory.     

New Duishie Songs That Namgyi Composed

From the point of view of Ngajor Namgyi, the original Duishie songs in Xigaze area are too simple to be called elegant and moving. He has composed many new Duishie songs building on a base of the original ones, and the new songs sound fairer and are more finger-snapping and enjoy a greater welcome from common residents and the people of the upper classes in Lhasa. The songs composed by Ngajor Namgyi include Listen to What Brother Says, Brother Soinam Dorje, Young Moon and seven others that are viewed as a treasure by people in Lhasa and in the entire Tibetan region. Others are as the follows:     

Exhibition of over 1000 Thangkha Paintings on Gesar for Welcoming the Olympic Games Held in Beijing

The exhibition co-sponsored by the China Association for Preservation and Development of Tibetan Culture and the Government of Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province was held from July 30th to August 30th in the Beijing Ethnic Culture Palace.     

Exhibition of over 1000 Thangkha Paintings on Gesar for Welcoming the Olympic Games Held in Beijing

The exhibition co-sponsored by the China Association for Preservation and Development of Tibetan Culture and the Government of Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province was held from July 30th to August 30th in the Beijing Ethnic Culture Palace.