Mindroling - Vello Väärtnõu's article on the Nyingma monastery Mindroling

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Author	Vello Väärtnõu
Written	2006

Mindroling Monastery, center of learning for Nyingmapa school of Tibetan Buddhism and also for the aristocrats of Lhasa. Mindroling was founded at the end of 10th century and rebuilt in 1676 by Terdak Lingpa. It lies east of Dranang River in Dranang county. Surrounded in mountains, the monastery has very beautiful scenery. Mindroling has a high reputation in research of astronomy and astrology, medicine and calligraphy. Usually most high lamas teaching in the seminary at Potala were Mindroling lamas. In the past, the Tibetan calendar was compiled at Mindroling. Those won it a title of First Lama Institution in Tibet. Marriage is allowed in Mindroling and the throne of its abbot is passed on from father to son or son-in-law.

The murals painted on the walls of Mindroling are very special. Most Buddhist figures look ferocious, savage and ugly. These rough and exaggerated numina show the typical trantric arts.

Minzhoiling

Minzhoiling,i klooster asus Zhanangis Shanani maakonnas Tiibetis.Selle Hiina pärane nimetus kölab nii Wujinchengshujietuozhou ,mis tölkes tähendab - koht kus kasvavad teadmised ja arenevad vöimed .

See on läbi aegade olnud Ningma koolkonna ametlik peakorter -klooster Tiibetis.Ehitatud 10 . sajandil ja algselt nimetati teda "Tabalin" Hiljem purustati see kohalike koolkondade vaheliste södade käigus ja tehti maatasa .

Aastal 1670 tänu 5. Dalai soovile ehitati uus klooster vana asupaika uuesti yles .Pöhjuseks oli muidugi tolle aegse Dalai enda öpetaja .kes oli punamytsike.Nii et seda kloostri kompleksi hakati nimetama Minzhoilingi kloostriks.

Nagu esimene hoone oli valmis veeti kohale 40 punamytsikest ,kusjuures saabusid nad erinevatest regioonidest Tiibetis.

Aasta pärast oli punamytsikesi juba 300 ja kloostri hiilge aegadel olevat seal elanud kuni 500 ningmaa laamat kohapeal.

Pöhiliselt teenindas Minzhoiling löuna-poolset Tiibeti osa .Öppeaineteks mida kohapeal öpetati oli meditsiin ,tiibetikeel . grammatika , nii Budismi kui Tiibeti ajalugu , Ta erines tolle aja Tiibeti kloostritest veel selle poolest et seal öpetati eraldi distsipliinina matemaatikat.Ningma ja matemaatika päris ,huvitav kombinatsioon , see ei tähendanud matemaatilisi teooriaid vaid eesmärgiks oli suure armee astroloogidele öpetada selgeks planeetide täpstete positsioonide välja arvestamine. Kindlasti ka möni tulevane tiibeti insener sai kah seal enda elementaarse algteadmise rehkendamise kohta.

Traditsiooniks sai aasta-sadadeks et Minzhoilingis öppisid ka köik tolle aegsed Tiibeti omavalitsuste ametnikud ja paljud ylikute feodaalide järeltulijad , kusjuures klooster öpetas ka Potala tulevasi ametnike ja muid körgeid byrokraate.

Kloostris oli omal ajal yks suurimaid Ningma tekstide kogusid ,mida siis usinalt jagati ja paljundati ka punamytslaste tarvis keda jätkus yle kogu Tiibeti.Kloostri varamutes oli peidus suur hulk igasugu mystilisi usulisi objekte ja imet-tegevaid asju.

Hiljem Kommunistliku Hiina sissetungiga Tiibetisse tehti Minzhoiling maatasa.

Ningma klooster kus oli yle 1000 aasta käinud vilgas tegevus seisis mitmed kymned aastad laastatud ja mahajäetuna .

Nyydseks on taas uued kloostrihooned pysti pandud ja punamytsikesed on taas enda kloostris askeldamas.

Milles selle Ningma kloostri tähtsus Tiibeti budismuse ajaloos ?

Ta rajati samal ajal , kui Atisha tuias mööda maad ringi ja reformeeris nii tiibetlaste arusaama budismist kui ka teele ette jäänud kloostreid .

Selleks et seista uutele saabuvatele reformidele vastu tegi ningma kiire otsuse ja liigutuse alustades suure , (lähtudes muidugi tolle aja möötmetest), kloostrikompleksi rajamist ,mis nagu kindlus kaitses Ningma ideoloogiat Tiibetis.

Hiljem kui klooster taas täielikult taastati 5 Dalai poolt oskas Ningma kavalalt sellest teha öppeasutuse suurele karjale tulevikus vöimul istuvatele Tiibeti byrokraatidele ,kelle läbi kindlustas endale möju vöimu ja juurde pääsu Tiibeti poliitilistele kangidele ja pedaalildele Potalas. Seega läbi sajandite oli Ningma teadmise ja kultuuri levitamise atribuut tiibeti budismis ja Minzhoiling oli enda nooruses kindluseks koolkonna traditsioonidele hiljem andis enda panuse ka tiibeti ametkondliku aparaati ja olles taas uuesti yles ehitatud omab punamutsikeste jaoks rolli ka veel tulevikus.

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This translation is provided by AI

Author	Vello Väärtnõu
Written	2006

Mindroling Monastery, center of learning for Nyingmapa school of Tibetan Buddhism and also for the aristocrats of Lhasa. Mindroling was founded at the end of 10th century and rebuilt in 1676 by Terdak Lingpa. It lies east of Dranang River in Dranang county. Surrounded in mountains, the monastery has very beautiful scenery. Mindroling has a high reputation in research of astronomy and astrology, medicine and calligraphy. Usually most high lamas teaching in the seminary at Potala were Mindroling lamas. In the past, the Tibetan calendar was compiled at Mindroling. Those won it a title of First Lama Institution in Tibet. Marriage is allowed in Mindroling and the throne of its abbot is passed on from father to son or son-in-law.

The murals painted on the walls of Mindroling are very special. Most Buddhist figures look ferocious, savage and ugly. These rough and exaggerated numina show the typical trantric arts.

Mindroling

Mindroling Monastery was located in Dranang, in Shannan county in Tibet. Its Chinese name sounds like this: Wujinchengshujietuozhou, which in translation means "the place where knowledge grows and abilities develop".

Through the ages it has been the official headquarters-monastery of the Nyingma school in Tibet. It was built in the 10th century and originally it was called "Tabalin". Later it was destroyed in the course of wars between local schools and razed to the ground.

In the year 1670, thanks to the wish of the 5th Dalai, a new monastery was built up again on the old site. The reason was of course the Dalai's own teacher of that time, who was a Red Hat. So this monastery complex began to be called Mindroling Monastery.

As soon as the first building was ready, 40 Red Hats were brought there, and they came from different regions of Tibet.

A year later there were already 300 Red Hats, and in the monastery's days of glory up to 500 Nyingma lamas are said to have lived there on the spot.

Mindroling served mainly the southern part of Tibet. The subjects taught there were medicine, the Tibetan language, grammar, and the history of both Buddhism and Tibet. It differed from the Tibetan monasteries of that time also in that mathematics was taught there as a separate discipline. The Nyingma and mathematics, quite an interesting combination; this did not mean mathematical theories, but the aim was to teach a great army of astrologers to calculate the exact positions of the planets. Surely some future Tibetan engineer also got there his elementary basic knowledge of reckoning.

For centuries it became a tradition that all the officials of the Tibetan local governments of that time and many descendants of the noble feudal lords also studied at Mindroling, and the monastery also taught the future officials of the Potala and other high bureaucrats.

In its time the monastery had one of the largest collections of Nyingma texts, which were then diligently shared and copied also for the Red Hats, of whom there were plenty all over Tibet. In the monastery's treasuries a great number of all kinds of mystical religious objects and miracle-working things were hidden.

Later, with the invasion of Communist China into Tibet, Mindroling was razed to the ground.

The Nyingma monastery, where lively activity had gone on for over 1000 years, stood devastated and abandoned for several decades.

By now new monastery buildings have been put up again, and the Red Hats are again busy in their monastery.

What is the importance of this Nyingma monastery in the history of Tibetan Buddhism?

It was founded at the same time as Atisha was toddling around the country and reforming both the Tibetans' understanding of Buddhism and the monasteries that got in his way.

In order to stand against the new reforms that were arriving, the Nyingma made a quick decision and move, beginning the founding of a great (by the measures of that time, of course) monastery complex, which like a fortress defended the Nyingma ideology in Tibet.

Later, when the monastery was again fully restored by the 5th Dalai, the Nyingma cunningly knew how to make of it an educational institution for a great herd of Tibetan bureaucrats who would sit in power in the future, through whom it secured for itself influence, power and access to the political levers and pedals of Tibet in the Potala. So through the centuries the Nyingma was an attribute of the spreading of knowledge and culture in Tibetan Buddhism, and Mindroling was in its youth a fortress for the traditions of the school, later also gave its contribution to the Tibetan official apparatus, and, having been built up again, it still has a role for the Red Hats also in the future.

See Also

• The Nyingmapa and Tibet - Vello Väärtnõu's essay on the Red Hat school and the birth of Guru Padmasambhava
• Padma, the Women and King Trisong Detsen - Vello Väärtnõu's essay on Guru Padmasambhava, the Vajra Guru and the classes of tantra
• Mindrolling Monastery
• Vello Väärtnõu

Source

Vello Väärtnõu's own writing "Minzhoiling" (2006)