Drigung Monastery
| Drigung Thil Monastery | |
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Drigung Thil Monastery
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| Tibetan transcription(s) | |
| Tibetan | འབྲི་གུང་མཐིལ |
| Wylie transliteration | 'bri gung mthil 'og min byang chub gling |
| THL | Drigung Til Okmin Jangchup ling |
| Chinese transcription(s) | |
| Simplified | 直贡梯寺 |
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| Coordinates | 30°6′23.4″N 92°12′14.7594″E / 30.106500°N 92.204099833°ECoordinates: 30°6′23.4″N 92°12′14.7594″E / 30.106500°N 92.204099833°E |
| Monastery information | |
| Location | Mamba Township, Maizhokunggar County, Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China |
| Founded by | Drigung Kyobpa Jigten-gonpo-rinchenpel |
| Founded | 1179 |
| Date renovated | 1980 |
| Type | Tibetan Buddhist |
| Sect | Kagyu |
| Lineage | Drikung Kagyu |
Drigung Thil Monastery (Wylie: 'bri gung mthil 'og min byang chub gling) is a monastery in Maizhokunggar County, Lhasa, Tibet founded in 1179. Traditionally it has been the main seat of the Drikung Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. In its early years the monastery played an important role in both religion and politics, but it was destroyed in 1290 by Mongol troops under the direction of a rival sect. The monastery was rebuilt and regained some of its former strength, but was primarily a center of meditative studies. The monastery was destroyed after 1959, but has since been partly rebuilt. As of 2015 there were about 250 resident monks.
Drigung Til Monastery is reputed to have the best sky burial ceremony of all. It is said that bodies dispatched here will not fall down into the “3 bad regions."
The monastery is located in the Drikung region of central Tibet. It is on the south slope of a long mountain ridge about 120 kilometres (75 mi) north-east of Lhasa, and looks over the Shorong valley. It is at an elevation of 4,465 metres (14,649 ft), about 180 metres (590 ft) above the valley floor. It commands a panoramic view of the valley. Drigung Thil is in Nita township, 61 kilometres (38 mi) from the county seat, which in turn is 73 kilometres (45 mi) from Lhasa, the regional capital. Three other monasteries of the Drikung Kagyu sect are located in the same region, Yangrigar, Drikung Dzong, and Drikung Tse.
According to legend the founder, Jigten Sumgön, chose the site when he was following a female yak (dri) who lay down at this spot. The monastery and the region are said to be named after the yak, and the monastery has preserved the horns of the yak. A more plausible source says that the region was the fiefdom of Dri Seru Gungton, a minister of King Songtsän Gampo, and is named after him.
Drigung Thil Monastery was founded in 1179 by Jigten Sumgön (1143–1217), the founder of the Drikung Kagyu tradition. The order is one of the eight minor Dagpo Kagyu lineages derived from disciples of Phagmo Drupa Dorje Gyalpo (1110–70), who was in turn a disciple of Gampopa. The monastery was located beside a hermitage erected in 1167 by Minyak Gomring, an illiterate ascetic pupil of Phagmodrupa. The population has fluctuated over the years.
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