Gynatse
Loading the player ...
- Tweet
- Views: 1
More About Gynatse
Video Transcript
Gyantse is town in Tibet known for the The Palcho Monastery.
The Monastery houses three different Buddhist sects that coexist on the grounds harmoniously.
From the monastery grounds you can see the Gyantse Dzong, located on a hill nearby. A Dzong is a Tibetan style fortress. The Dzong at Gyantse has a rich history being built in 1390 to guard the approach to Lhasa.
Within the The Palcho monastery is the Gyantse Kumbum. A Kumbum is a multi storied Tibetan chapel.
The Gyantse Kumbum was founded in 1427 by a Gyantse prince. It has nine levels and is 35 meters high. The shape of the Kumbum is a 3 dimensional mandala, and is meant to portray the Buddhist cosmos.
The palcho monastery is a pilgrimage site and Tibetans from all over come to the monastery to pray. It is truly humbling seeing the Tibetans perform prostrations around the holy site.
Performing prostrations is part of everyday life for many Tibetans. Spinning hand held prayer wheels while circling the monastery is a practice they believe will help them gain wisdom and good karma.
Seeing monks go about their day to day way of life on the Monastery grounds is Amazing, especially if you get the chance to step inside the monastery buildings.
The mantras chanted by the monks are central to Tibetan Buddhism. These are the same mantras you can see on Tibetan prayer flags or prayer wheels. There are many different mantras, all words or phrases that are said to be capable of creating spiritual transformation.
Carvings inside the temple date back as far as the 15th century. Many of the carvings and statues in temple represent Shakyamuni, the supreme Buddha worshiped in most Buddhist traditions.
Sand Mandals are painstakingly created with colored sand, and later manually deconstructed and released in to nearby rivers. A ritual symbolizing buddhist belief of impermanence.
"If you wish for sublime realization, offer hundreds of lights" - Advice from a Buddhist scripture that explains the ritual offering of butter lamps.
Worshipers make offering of yak butter by pouring from a vessel into the lamp. The deep chanting tone achieved by the monks is unique to Tibetan chants and creates a haunting atmosphere.
More Guides soon from Tibet.TV