The Zhaibung Monastery, which in Tibetan is called Duimi or Gyimi monastery and means "an auspicious land," sits at the southern slope gully of the Gebeiwoze Mountain about 5 kilometers west of downtown Lhasa in Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. Jamyang Qoigyi Zhaxi Bendain, a favorite disciple of Gelug (Yellow) Sect founder Master Tsong Khapa, built the monastery in 1416. It is one of the six Gelug monasteries in China, but with the largest area and the highest status since it is the "mother monastery" of the Dalai Lama.
In 1409, Master Tsong Khapa successfully pioneered the Grand Summons Ceremony, also called Molan Qenmo in Tibetan, in Lhasa's Jokhang Monastery. In the same year, he built the Gandain Monastery built due to the popularity of the Gelug Sect among the Tibetan Buddhists. With the official rise of the Gelug Sect, the Zhaibung Monastery was built to accommodate the new situation. When the Zhaibung Monastery was built, Jamyang Qoigyi served as the first of its 23 abbots (also called "Chiba" in Tibetan).
In 1464, the Zhaibung Monastery set up Buddhist colleges, or Zhacang in Tibetan, for monks to learn Buddhist classics. During the period of the 5th Dalai Lama, the Gelug Sect set a ceiling on the number of monks for each Gelug monastery. The number for the Zhaibung was more than 7,700 monks, making the monastery the largest in Tibet - the Gandain and Sera monasteries had about 3,300 and 5,500 lamas respectively.
The Zhaibung Monastery is composed of the Coqen Hall, four Zhacang colleges -- Losailing, Deyang, Ngaba and Gomang Zhacangs --, and the Gandain Phodrang (Palace). They formed the management organ that functioned under Coqen. The four colleges contain a total of 29 Kamcuns, groups of monks formed according to their origins.
Located in the central part of the Zhaibung Monastery, the Coqen Hall covers an area of close to 4,500 square meters. In front of the hall is a stone-paved square. A 17-step stone staircase links the square with the hall. At the entrance are eight pillars. Coqen's Sutra Hall is of a magnificent scale, covering an area of 1,800 square meters and propped up by 183 pillars. All the Buddha statues enshrined in Coqen are lifelike, such as the statue of the Wisdom Buddha and a statue hidden under a white umbrella in the central part of Coqen.
There are two silver dagobas (dome-shaped Buddhist structure) in the wing chambers of the Coqen Hall. These are holy stupas for the 3rd and 4th Dalai Lamas. The Duisong Lakang (Hall) in the rear part of Coqen is the earliest of its kind in the Zhaibung Monastery. Jamyang Qoigyi Zhaxi Bendain used to meditate and study here. Now, the Duisong Lakang enshrines the statues of the 3rd Dalai Lama and two of his favorite disciples.
Zhacang colleges are where Gelug monks studied Buddhism . In the early days of its construction, the Zhaibung boasted seven Zhacangs that were put under the seven major disciples of Jamyang Qoigyi. With the increase in the number of monks hailing from other monasteries for study in these Zhacangs, the seven Zhacangs were condensed into the Losailing, Gomang, Deyang, and Ngaba Zhacangs based on the contents of the disciplines, as well as on the students' origins. The first three Zhacangs are for the study of the open school of Tibetan Buddhism, and the fourth is Tantric College.
Southwest of the monastery is the Gandain Phodrang Palace, residence of the 2nd to the 5th Dalai Lamas.
All the buildings of the Zhaibung Monastery are closely laid out. Each building is composed of a courtyard, a Sutra hall, and a Buddha hall. The terrain rises from the gate to the Buddha halls to highlight the position of these halls. The Coqen Hall is the largest; the Deyang Zhacang is unsophisticated in layout; the Ngaba Zhacang is compact; and the Gandain Phodrang is the most magnificent. All the buildings have golden tops, Dharma wheels, and other religious objects.
The Zhaibung Monastery preserves close to 10,000 ancient classics, more than 100 volumes of Gangyur, and 100 volumes of Dangyur, as well as hundreds of volumes of hand-copied works by Zongkapa and two of his disciples. Lifelike Buddha statues enshrined in various Buddha halls represent a high level of sculpturing in Tibet. Color frescoes in these halls are elegant. All these resources are valuable for study of Tibetan history, religion, and art.
During the Shoton (Sour Milk Drinking) Festival held by the Zhaibung Monastery on the 30th day of the 6th month in the Tibetan calendar, a huge portrait of Sakyamuni (Buddhism founder) will be hung from Genewoze Hill. Tens of thousands of Buddhist followers and visitors come to worship during the grandest event of the year at the monastery.
