Tibet – Land of the Bhikkhu

A land of monasteries and monks

Posted on September 20, 2014

Tibet is a land of monks, in Tibetan referred to as the Bhikkhu

Tibet is a land of monks, in Tibetan referred to as the Bhikkhu, which is an ordained male Buddhist monastic and literally means “one who lives by alms”. Travel through the land of the Bhikkhu and explore the ancient cities and monasteries of Tibet. From Lhasa onto the Tibetan Plateau it is rich in mystery and ancient history.

Tibet is home to numerous ancient Buddhist monasteries with a substantial number of resident monks. The so-called “Tibet Autonomous Region” (which is the area now referred to as “Tibet”), was created by China in 1950 when they invaded and annexed Tibet.

The original borders of Tibet go well beyond these Chinese created borders and include large parts of adjacent Chinese provinces such as Sichuan and Yunnan. Many Tibetans (and Tibetan monasteries) are therefore located outside of the current borders of Tibet.

The list of monasteries inside and outside Tibet is long, and they are ranked in terms of their importance to the Tibetan Buddhist people.

The Jokhang temple and monastery located on Barkhor Square in Lhasa is the most sacred temple to most Tibetan people. The temple was founded in the 7th century and was first constructed by King Songtsän Gampo around the year 642. However, it was closed and boarded up during the reign of King Bönpo who reigned during the years of 838–841 and sacked several times by the Mongols. In more recent history, the Red Guards of Mao Zedong (who ruled China from 1949 until his death in 1976), sacked and desecrated the monastery in July 1966 and thousands of Buddhist scriptures were looted and burned.

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Globerovers Magazine July 2013