Qulong Monastery

　　Guide       Qulong Monastery is situated against a mountain, backed by the majestic Mt. Wodgonggyai and facing the vast Woka Grassland.　　Introduction          Qulong Monastery is one of the early monasteries of the Gelug (Yellow Hat) sect of Tibetan Buddhism. In 1393, at the age of 36, Je Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug sect, “led eight disciples to Woka Quelong for retreat” to propagate the teachings of the Gelug school. At that time, the local chieftain of Woka Dzong, Tashi Lungru, was a devout Buddhist and voluntarily became the patron of these nine master-disciple travelers. The chieftain strongly urged the construction of a monastery for the nine who were meditating in caves. With Tsongkhapa’s approval, a hall measuring 14 cubits in length and 11 cubits in width was built. This hall remained unchanged until 1969, marking the original establishment of Qulong Monastery. Later, “the master recited the Thirty-Five Buddhas repentance prayer, and his fingers and toes were all cracked, leaving imprints on the stones from his hands, feet, and head. He also made a mandala offering on a relatively large, stable square stone slab, rubbing it with his wrists until both were injured and the stone became very smooth.” These two stones were enshrined in the monastery by his disciples, and their traces can still be seen today, serving as the monastery’s most treasured relics. Since then, Tsongkhapa used Qulong Monastery as a base to teach the Gelug doctrines across the Woka region.

　　 Shannan, Tibet