The Evolution of Sera Mey Monastery

[Namdrol]

Hopefully new monasteries of Dorje Shugden lineage Shar Gaden and Serpom will go through the same evolution to become strong and powerful monasteries too!

The original Sera Monastery in Tibet


Sera Mey monks in 1972 in India, after leaving Tibet


1978


Sera Monastery now


Sera Monastery now


Sera Monastery now


Sera Monastery now

[harrynephew]

Once a travelling Lama told me that whenever we have the fortune to own/be near the presence of a Lama Tsongkhapa statue, it is likely either our secular lives will flourish and we will have the conditions to meet with Je Lama's teachings in the future. This is a testament that Lama Tsongkhapa's teachings not only provides us on a material level because His practice such as the Gaden Lhagya-ma has encompasses all sorts of teachings such as wealth deity practices and this will ensure not only our material wealth but also that of our spiritual growth and attainments.

Monasteries such as Sera as shared by Namdrol here is another living testament on two levels; Lama Tsongkhapa's teachings ensures that we are taken cared for both spiritually and secularly and on a higher level, where there is truth (ie: Dharma) it will not die down no matter how much suppression both physical and mental is laid upon them. It will only grow grow GROW!

Likewise, with the current ban on Dorje Shugden, there is only ONE WAY to get out of the situation which is to show what the TRUTH behind Dorje Shugden ban is and to continue to educate and create awareness to the people from around the world and one day if not soon, the ban will be lifted!

I wish for that day to come soooooooooooon!

[Big Uncle]

I am not really a proponent of keeping the Dorje Shugden monastery separate from their mother monasteries. I think that once the ban is lifted, the Dorje Shugden monasteries like Serpom and Shar Gaden should be re-absorbed back into their mother monasteries. That is what I think should be done but it will not necessarily happen in reality.

I think none of us really know how long the ban is going to take before it will be released. We are all hoping the current prophecy of 4-5 years from now. If it does that long, then the possibility or uniting the monasteries wouldn't be too difficult. However, if the ban goes on longer than that, then it would be more practical to keep the monasteries separate.

[Vajraprotector]

Here's a complete history of Sera Mey, from its conception to the present time. It is amazing indeed that such a monastery has such a rich history, and is also the Dalai Lama's home monastery. It is good to learn about the history of such monasteries as it helps to inspire us.

INTRODUCTORY HISTORY
The history of Sera Jey Monastery dates back to early 15th Century AD. Founded by Venerable Jetsun Kunkhen Lodroe Rinchen Senge, during the early History of Buddhism in Tibet and at the time of the great Lama Tsong Khapa (1357 - 1419) the founder of the Gelug Order, a highly learned & noble saint and master of the Scriptures on Buddhism with a gift of supreme power of visualization and knowledge.
Following in the footsteps of this Divine Master Lama Tsong Khapa, a devoted and noble disciple, Kunkhyen Lodroe Rinchen Senge, possessing profound knowledge, a master at the Drepung Monastery, who fatedly left to join Sera Monastery where Sera Jey Monastery was formed.

History and legend has borne the records of the magnificent accounts that led to the birth of Sera Monastery and the subsequent establishment of Sera Jey Monastery. It was when Lama Tsong Khapa, the master and founder of Gelug Order, during one of his deep prayer and meditation on Manjushri (Jampel Yang) behold the vision in which he clearly saw the entire text of Prajnyapara-mitta's 20 slokas on Shunyata spread over the sky. The unique moment spelled upon him total insight in the complete knowledge of Tsawasehrab (Fundamentals of Madhyamikka or Shunyata) Text.

Simultaneously, he beheld the vision of a rain like "AA" characters descending from the sky. This was an auspicious symbol to his prophesies on the birth of a great source of learning on Buddh-ism. Which after twelve years, Jamchen Choje Shakya Yeshe acting upon the supreme wishes of his Master, began establishing the proper Seat of learning where knowledge of complete teachings and practices of Mahayana Tradition are imparted and pursued.

Nedong King Dagpa Gyaltsen gave financial support for the construction of a Monastery and laid down the foundation in the year1419. All the subsequent development including installing sacred Images and other objects of worships were completed according to the supreme wishes of great Lama Tsongkhapa. It was soon known as ' the Seat of Theckchen ling (Mahayana Tradition)'. It is said that name 'SERA' came to be attached with this great Monastery from its location being surrounded by raspberry shrubs called 'Sewa' in Tibetan, that formed like a ' Rawa' in Tibetan meaning 'Fence'. In the following years very soon the fame of this great Monastery as a great seat of learning Gelug tradition spread all across Tibet and elsewhere in Buddhist influenced neighbouring countries.
   
JETSUN CHOEKYI GYALTSEN
Jetsun Choekyi Gyaltsen (1464 - 1544) is the author master of the Monastery's entire scriptural syllabus. His Holiness is one of the most distinguished learned scholar in the history of Sera Jey Monastery. During his lifetime, He has extensively written many volumes on philosophical studies and authored several books on the works of Lama Tsong Khapa's two closest disciples. Later his works has been incorporated into the Monastic course, which form the integral part of the study curriculum, and is followed to this present day.

ORACLE & PROTECTING DEITY OF THE MONASTERY   
Tamdin Yangsang (Haya Griva) is the protecting deity of Sera Jey Monastery. It was rightly given this place by venerable Kunkhenpa Lodroe Rinchen Senge, after significantly experiencing various forms of divine predictions and auspicious symbols, which led him to accept and initiate in the worshipping of this sacred and divine deity.
Haya Griva is the wrathful characteristics of Chenre sig (Avalokteshwara). The deity is well known for its supreme power in removing obstacles and also for its healing power.

Tokden Yonten Gonpo, father of Kunkhepa, a learned and firm devotee of Haya Griva deity, during the final days of his life, had offered to is beloved son the complete teachings of Pema Yangsang & Tandin, with the advice to commit oneself in complete devotion & follow them.

Kunkhenpa, as one of the most dedicated disciple of Lama Tsong Khapa, sought the virtuous advice and consent of his master. The all-knowing noble master laid his hand on the head of his learned disciple & scholar, blessing him to give his approval. An indentation mark of the saintly master's palm was left on the head of the devoted pupil Kunkhenpa. Thus leaving a memorable legend to the history of Tamdin Yangsang /Haya Griva's emergence as the sacred deity of Sera Jey Monastery. From thereafter, Kunkhenpa institutionalised Tamdin Yangsang / Haya Griva as the Deity of Sera Jey Monastery.
   
Re-establishment of Sera Jey Monastery from 1959
Ever since Sera Jey Monastery grew and became known to be a great place of Learning, from the time of its great founder & masters in its early history, to subsequent periods spanning decades & centuries to this present age; its prominence & distinction spread far & wide across to India, China and other surrounding Buddhist influenced nations; scores of renowned and saintly scholars were graduated from this Monastery. A historical records indicates that the Monastery's total population strength of monks in 1959 before the communist Chinese troops destruction & persecution of Monastery & monks, at around 5629 monks.
The event of 1959, that witnessed the invasion of Tibet by the communist China, was the darkest period in the History of Tibet and its religious faith - Buddhism. It brought the near end of centuries old Monastic Culture and Practice, by the indiscriminate destruction of monasteries and persecution of monks. And Sera Jey Monastery was one of the most severely affected from this spiritual & cultural genocide.

Sensing the immense threat to the existence, survival and freedom of right to worship the traditional & cultural faith of Buddhism, an integral part & a way of life of Tibetans for centuries, His Holiness The Dalai Lama devotedly acting on the responsibility of His leadership as the temporal and spiritual head of Tibet, took the most tough & noble decision when He took flight to India. Followed by many thousands of Tibetans in His footsteps, who are fortunate to escape the communist Chinese troop's ruthless dragnet to check any Tibetans from leaving Tibet. Few hundred of Sera Jey members comprising of lamas, geshes and monks were fortunately able to escape to India.

Rehabilitation and Restoration
On reaching India in 1959, under the leadership of His Holiness The Dalai Lama, the members of Sera Jey Monastery along with escaped monks of all the four different Monasteries under the four Orders of Tibetan Buddhism, were rehabilitated at a special camp at Bhaksa in the state of West Bengal. This was especially intended by His Holiness concern over the fate of Tibet's culture & religion, which has abruptly come under the terrible threat to its very survival from the appalling cultural genocide perpetrated by the invading communist Chinese at Tibet; and in his visionary effort to preserve and resurrect the unique culture, religion & identity of Tibet in a land of refuge, away from the reach of communist Chinese brutal oppression.
Hence this special rehabilitation of monks, about 1500 no in total from the four Buddhist Orders, was to program for the preservation of our traditional culture and religion in the very first stage. And secondly, from this existing human resource, to develop & prepare for the promotion and education of the younger & new Tibetan generation that will take root in India. At the rehab camp, all the monks were chiefly engaged in learning & teaching Buddhist Text & Philosophy. The younger monks were given special couching on Tibetan language & literature. For a period of 10 years the monks engaged in various religious and educational activities in a complete new environment & life, amidst struggling with the unadepted harsh climate that has inflicted large no of contagious lung infections, where quite many no of them succumbed to it.   

Re-establishment at Bylakuppe   
After almost 10 years of this special task program aimed for preservation & preparation of a knowledgeable human resource, in 1970 the group of 197 Sera Jey monks with 103 of Sera Mey monks was moved to a special site within the resettlement of Bylakuppe in Mysore District, in the South Indian state of Karnataka, for re-establishing the Sera Monastery, under the patronage of H.H. The Dalai Lama and the Central & State Government of India. A forestland area of 225 acres, measuring ¾ acres in ratio per monk were given to the two monasteries. For Sera Jey Monastery the share for 193 monks were given 147. ¾ acres.
The Indian Government sponsored 38 one-room tiled houses for the overall 300 monks of the two Monasteries, with 24 for Sera Jey and 14 for Sera Mey. The monks did all the construction labour. Also the surrounding area of 225 acres bulldozed were cleared by the monks of the two monasteries, and made available for cultivation. Cultivation was done on these lands during the onset of monsoon rainfall season, and there was one harvest in a year, which was then the only resource and means of survival to the entire monks. In the initial years, the monks were more or less obliged to engage for their livelihood & survival.

Each & every individual monk put up their best effort & time to create & harvest resource for the survival of the community in the initial stage, that laid the strong foundation for the development and establishment of a well organised Monastery.

The first Assembly Prayer Hall of the Monastery at Bylakuppe was built in 1976 and completed by the end of 1978. The Prayer Hall has a capacity to hold an assembly of 1500 monks, which was the total no of monks present at the Monastery then. It was inaugurated in the year 1979. Prior to this first Assembly Prayer Hall, a smaller one with asbestos sheet roofing has been built which was used until then.

[Ensapa]

I am not really a proponent of keeping the Dorje Shugden monastery separate from their mother monasteries. I think that once the ban is lifted, the Dorje Shugden monasteries like Serpom and Shar Gaden should be re-absorbed back into their mother monasteries. That is what I think should be done but it will not necessarily happen in reality.

I think none of us really know how long the ban is going to take before it will be released. We are all hoping the current prophecy of 4-5 years from now. If it does that long, then the possibility or uniting the monasteries wouldn't be too difficult. However, if the ban goes on longer than that, then it would be more practical to keep the monasteries separate.

When the ban is lifted, there is really no reason for the monasteries to be separate anymore because there is no more distinction between those who practice Dorje Shugden and those who dont. The only reason why there was a division in the  monastery was because the Dalai Lama called for a more stronger measure to implement the ban and to try and browbeat everyone in the monastery to give up Dorje Shugden but of course, lucky for us there are still those who prefer to follow their Gurus. Else, a clean lineage is really lost.