| Shalu Monastery |
Lying 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of
Shigatse, the monastery was founded in 1040 by Chetsun Sherab
Jungnay. Shalu, meaning New Bud in Tibetan, was named after a
story. His teacher suggested him to built a monastery where his
arrow hit. The flying arrow finally hit a new bud. In 1320,
Buton Rinpoche, one of the greatest religious scholars was
invited to be abbot of the monastery. Buton's religious
knowledge covered so wide a range that he brought together the
one hundred and eight volumes of the fundamental texts of
Buddhism, Kanjur, and the two hundred volumes of "treaties and
commentaries", Tenjur, and attracted over 3,000 monks to attend
his teachings. Shulupa, or Butonpa took form under his
leadership. However since he had no interest in politics, his
sect was not very influential. The most magic feats of Shalupa
were monks learned to raise their body temperature to such a
level that they wore the simplest clothing to resist coldness
and to run at superhuman leaps to cover a long range without
rest. In 1329, the monastery was demolished in an earthquake and
in 1333, Buton rebuilt it under the patron the Chinese Mongolian
emperor. Since many Chinese Han artisans participated the
reconstruction the monastery combined Tibetan and Chinese style
of the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) together, the only one of its
type existing in Tibet.
Shalu Lakhang is the center of the monastery. On the ground
floor, in the Tshomchen, Sakyamuni and his disciples are
enshrined. The chapels flanking it houses Tanjur and Kanjur
respectively. Chapels on the roof floor are typical Chinese blue
tiled structures, housing Sakyamuni, Buton, and Arhats. Massive
delicate and old murals cover the walls of the monastery, mostly
depicting stories from the life of the Buddha. Restoration and
preservation are badly needed to protect those arts.
Shalu has four treasures, which are a sutra board, which is 700
years old and cannot be reassembled once broken apart, a piece
of sutra printed against the board regarded a good luck; a brass
urn, which is usually covered with a piece of red cloth and
sealed, the holy water may clean 108 filths and is changed every
12 years; a stone basin, which was Chetsun Sherab Jungnay's
washbasin; and a stone tablet, which was uncovered in the first
construction of Shalu and on which a mantra, om mani Padme Hum
and four dagobas are carved. |
