| Nechung Monastery | |
|---|---|
Tibetan transcription(s) Tibetan: གནས་ཆུང་ལྕོག Wylie transliteration: gnas-chung lcog Official transcription (China): Naiqung Gönba Chinese transcription(s) Traditional: 乃琼寺 | |
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Tibetan Buddhism |
| Sect | Nyingma |
| Location | |
| Location | Doilungdêqên District,Lhasa,Tibet Autonomous Region,China |
| Country | China |
  Location within Tibet | |
| Geographic coordinates | 29°40′17″N91°3′21″E / 29.67139°N 91.05583°E /29.67139; 91.05583 |
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Institutional roles |
History and overview |
Nechung Monastery,NechungGompa (Tibetan:གནས་ཆུང་དགོན་པ།,Wylie:gnas-chung lcog,ZYPY:Naiqung Gönba) orNechung Chok (Tibetan:གནས་ཆུང་ལྕོག,ZYPY:Naiqung Jog "the small dwelling",Chinese:乃琼寺), is the seat of the State Oracle of Tibet. It is also referred to as Sungi Gyelpoi Tsenkar, the "Demon Fortress of the Oracle King."[1]
It is about 10 minutes walk down fromDrepung Monastery, and was the residence of the three-headed, six-armedPehar Gyalpo, the chief protector of theGelugs (Yellow Hat sect) and the seat of the State Oracle orNechung Oracle.[2] It is a medium-sized temple which used to house about a hundred monks.[3]
It was the seat of State Oracle until 1959 when he fled with the Dalai Lama to India who now lives in exile inDharamsala, India. The Dalai Lamas traditionally always consulted him before making an important decision.[4]
It was the residence of the ProtectorPehar, a deity of theHorpa, who lived to the east of (Lake)Kokonor. According to tradition, he is held to have been originally brought toSamye Monastery byPadmasambhava who bound him to protect the dharma.[5] An alternative story is that he was brought back by a Bon general, Tara Lugong, who took possession of the meditation school nearKanchow of the Bhaţa Hor, a tribe ofUighurs, about the end of the 8th century CE.Pehar was regarded as the guardian deity of the treasures ofSamye Monastery and, later, as the 'protector of religion'.[6]
During the time ofLobsang Gyatso, the Fifth Dalai Lama (r. 1642–1682),Pehar was first moved from Samye to Tse Gugtang and then to the present site of Nechung Monastery.[5]
Although the State Oracle is aNyingma monk, he has been adopted by theGelugpas and is now chosen for his receptivity topossession byPehar duringtrance.[5] He is considered to be the medium ofDorje Drakden, one ofPehar's aspects.[2]
According to belief, when the State Oracle is possessed byPehar, he becomes very agitated, with tongue lolling, bloodshot eyes and displays superhuman strength, lifting heavy weights, twisting swords, etc. He mumbles words which are recorded and then interpreted by monks and also blesses grain which is thrown to the crowd.[7][8]
Unlike most Central Asianshamans, who are thought to leave their bodies when in a trance-like state and travel to the land of the spirits from where they bring back messages, Tibetan oracles act "as a mouthpiece for the gods or spirits who possess him and speak through him, very often without his own knowledge of what is being said, answering directly the questions of those who consult him." The tradition of oracles was inherited from the pre-Buddhist religion of Tibet,Bön. The "great"Fifth Dalai Lama was "the first to institutionalise the State Oracle of Nächung."[9]
Nechung was almost completely destroyed during theCultural Revolution andannexation of Tibet by China, though now, it has been largely restored and there is a huge new statue of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava) on the second floor.[2] There is a college of debate to the east of Nechung which is once again attended by young students.
A new Nechung Monastery has been built in Dharamsala, India.[10]
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Nechung travel guide from Wikivoyage Media related toNechung at Wikimedia Commons
