The legendary temple of Lama Tsongkhapa's four major deeds

[Namdrol]

The biography of Lama Tsongkhapa reads:

"The first great deed of Lama Tsongkhapa was started when he and the eight disciples left their retreat for a while because they'd all received a vision of Maitreya. On account of this they decided to go on pilgrimage to a temple where there was an ancient and highly venerated image of Maitreya, at Dzing-ji Ling. But when Tsongkhapa saw the image, he was so upset that he couldn't help weeping: it was in a virtual state of ruin, badly cracked, and covered with bird droppings. So right then and there, the nine of them made up their minds to restore the image. The trouble was, they were almost completely without money or resources. They sold everything they had except for their robes, but that didn't give them even a fraction of the money they'd need for the work.

But thanks to the intense inspiration and spiritual vigour of Tsongkhapa and his companions, donors and artists were attracted from all over Tibet, and a great 'working retreat' spontaneously got going - refurbishing not just the image, but the whole temple. When Tsongkhapa performed the dedication, several years later, the whole of Tibet celebrated, and miraculous visions of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were seen by everyone present, and by yogins all over Tibet."

So here are some photos of this legendary Dzing-ji Ling today

Namdrol

Pic 1-3 shows the temple today
Pic 4 is a painting in Norbulingka that depicts this legendary work of Lama Tsongkhapa
Pic 5 shows Lama Tsongkhapa's miraculous foot imprint on a stone
Pic 6 shows a Maitreya statue in the temple, but this is not the original one that Lama Tsongkhapa resotred

[Ratna Shugden]

What are the three other major deeds of Lama Tsongkhapa? Do you have pictures to share on them?

[pgdharma]

It is traditionally said that Lama Tsongkahpa did four great deeds during his life, which is:

1) the renovation of the Maitreya statue at Dzing Ji monastery,

2) his extensive work on the vinaya (code of monastic discipline) which is said to have revitalized the tradition of monasticism in Tibet

3) the establishment of the annual Great Prayer festival—monlam—(still going on today in Tibetan monasteries)

4) the founding of Ganden monastery.

[negra orquida]

What a coincidence that I just read about Monlam yesterday... This Great Prayer Festival is celebrated annually on the 4th day of Losar (in commemoration of the day Buddha Shakyamuni performed miracles in Shravati) and the purpose is to pray for world peace.

The story of  Lama Tsongkhapa restoring the Maitreya Buddha statue despite not having any money reminds me of a true story of Ajeka, a layperson in Chatreng who took upon himself the task of coordinating 2,000 villagers to build a magnificent temple with a 22 ft (not sure of the size?) Lama Tsongkhapa statue.  These villagers do not have/receive money to build the temple and are doing it as volunteers.

[harrynephew]

Je Lama, the kindness of all three times' Buddhas culmination into one eminent body of a noble monk. There's so much about him that when you read, contemplate and meditate, so much inspiration arises, empowering you to the next level of your spiritual awakening.

Dzingji Ling, once a broken down and abandoned monastery housing a holy statue of Jampa, or Maitreya Buddha was one of Lama Tsongkhapa's teachings in bodily deeds to us. No matter how learned we are, physical engagement of work is definitely necessary. Je Tsongkhapa taught this to us with His first Great deed by rebuilding and renovating a worned out monastery and restoring Maitreya Buddha's statue back to its glory.

Je Lama raised funds with whatever He and His entourage had left and instilled the sacred Mahayana vows throughout the duration of the restroration event. this was really inspirational because it sets a precedence for future building of monasteries in Tibet.

From this event, many people came to know about the existence of Je Tsongkhapa and his virtues and from there his name and fame shone like the sun in the mid summer skies, blessing everyone. Thank you Namdrol for sharing this historical site with us,. We need to let people know more of what Je Tsongkhapa did!

[Ensapa]

One thing that everyone seemed to have forgotten is that the person responsible for raising funds and building Ganden Monastery is actually Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsen. I have read this somewhere before when I was reading the lineage of Dorje Shugden, and even that when Tsongkhapa passed into clear light, he was offered the position of Ganden Tripa but he refused and gave it to Gyaltsab Je. but unfortunately due to the ban, Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsen has been sidelined and even walled up. We have to educate more people about this and bring out Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsen again.

[dsiluvu]

This is definitely amazing to know that this holy monastery is still around and I wish to one day be able to do a pilgrimage there!!! Je Tsongkhapa truly is one a great Buddha... not because He can refurbished this temple back to its glory but because He was the living, walking, talking Dharma teachings He teaches. Though so great and so highly attained, Je Tsongkhapa remains a simple and humble monk that even when He saw the vision of Manjushri, He did not believe it and His Guru had to confirm it with Him so that He would realise that it was not His imagination. To me Je Tsongkhapa's humility it was makes Him ever more greater!

But what you said below Ensapa is a good point. Much has been forgotten about Dragpa Gyeltsen! They say someone to be great, they must have great assistants and support and well, Lama Tsongkhapa had Duldzin Dragpa who built the great Gaden and took care of all the financial issues, resources so that His Guru Je Tsongkhapa can just focus on turning the wheel of Dharma and teach.

One thing that everyone seemed to have forgotten is that the person responsible for raising funds and building Ganden Monastery is actually Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsen. I have read this somewhere before when I was reading the lineage of Dorje Shugden, and even that when Tsongkhapa passed into clear light, he was offered the position of Ganden Tripa but he refused and gave it to Gyaltsab Je. but unfortunately due to the ban, Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsen has been sidelined and even walled up. We have to educate more people about this and bring out Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsen again.

If every great master has great assistance to help them spread the Dharma by taking care of the mundane secular affairs, imagine what can be achieved by these great beings like His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche, Zong Rinpoche, Domo Rinpoche etc etc...  

[samayakeeper]

One thing that everyone seemed to have forgotten is that the person responsible for raising funds and building Ganden Monastery is actually Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsen. I have read this somewhere before when I was reading the lineage of Dorje Shugden, and even that when Tsongkhapa passed into clear light, he was offered the position of Ganden Tripa but he refused and gave it to Gyaltsab Je. but unfortunately due to the ban, Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsen has been sidelined and even walled up. We have to educate more people about this and bring out Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsen again.

Yes, indeed it is significant to highlight Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsen, Panchen Sonam Dragpa and Tulku Dragpa Gyaltsen for there are the same mind continuum where Dorje Shugden arose from.

[Ensapa]

This is definitely amazing to know that this holy monastery is still around and I wish to one day be able to do a pilgrimage there!!! Je Tsongkhapa truly is one a great Buddha... not because He can refurbished this temple back to its glory but because He was the living, walking, talking Dharma teachings He teaches. Though so great and so highly attained, Je Tsongkhapa remains a simple and humble monk that even when He saw the vision of Manjushri, He did not believe it and His Guru had to confirm it with Him so that He would realise that it was not His imagination. To me Je Tsongkhapa's humility it was makes Him ever more greater!

But what you said below Ensapa is a good point. Much has been forgotten about Dragpa Gyeltsen! They say someone to be great, they must have great assistants and support and well, Lama Tsongkhapa had Duldzin Dragpa who built the great Gaden and took care of all the financial issues, resources so that His Guru Je Tsongkhapa can just focus on turning the wheel of Dharma and teach.

One thing that everyone seemed to have forgotten is that the person responsible for raising funds and building Ganden Monastery is actually Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsen. I have read this somewhere before when I was reading the lineage of Dorje Shugden, and even that when Tsongkhapa passed into clear light, he was offered the position of Ganden Tripa but he refused and gave it to Gyaltsab Je. but unfortunately due to the ban, Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsen has been sidelined and even walled up. We have to educate more people about this and bring out Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsen again.

If every great master has great assistance to help them spread the Dharma by taking care of the mundane secular affairs, imagine what can be achieved by these great beings like His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche, Zong Rinpoche, Domo Rinpoche etc etc...

It's a complete shame actually that when the Tibetans place so much emphasis on lineage only for the Gelugs to forget in totality the existence of Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsen who built Ganden monastery. Without Ganden, there would be no Sera or Drepung, nor would there be Gelug or the Dalai Lamas. It is thanks to Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsen's kindness that Gelugpa is what it is today. And yet, his incarnations has been forgotten and his name has been sidelined from history, especially by scholars that are pro Dalai Lama.

[lotus1]

So beautiful and blessed to know this! Thank you for sharing information about this holy Maitreya statue and temple that is rebuilt by Lama Tsongkhapa. I wish one day I would have the chance to go pilgrimage there.

Lama Tsongkhapa also showed us by example to raise fund and build temple. We should also do that same as to support in building temples or monasteries for Dharma to spread far and wide. Besides, we have Dorje Shugden as protector. If our samaya is clean and our motivation is pure, Dorje Shugden will support us just like he has been supporting Lama Tsongkhapa in fundraising and building Gaden monastery and for the teaching of Je Tsongkhapa to flourish. 

[fruven]

...But thanks to the intense inspiration and spiritual vigour of Tsongkhapa and his companions, donors and artists were attracted from all over Tibet, and a great 'working retreat' spontaneously got going - refurbishing not just the image, but the whole temple. When Tsongkhapa performed the dedication, several years later, the whole of Tibet celebrated, and miraculous visions of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were seen by everyone present, and by yogins all over Tibet."

Is there any further elaboration from the biography on the intense inspiration and spiritual vigour? What Lama Tsongkhapa did that resulted in donors and artists from all Tibet gathered together to restore the image and the temple.

[Ensapa]

...But thanks to the intense inspiration and spiritual vigour of Tsongkhapa and his companions, donors and artists were attracted from all over Tibet, and a great 'working retreat' spontaneously got going - refurbishing not just the image, but the whole temple. When Tsongkhapa performed the dedication, several years later, the whole of Tibet celebrated, and miraculous visions of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were seen by everyone present, and by yogins all over Tibet."

Is there any further elaboration from the biography on the intense inspiration and spiritual vigour? What Lama Tsongkhapa did that resulted in donors and artists from all Tibet gathered together to restore the image and the temple.

Well, Lama Tsongkhapa made 1,080,000 mandala offerings and 3,500,000 prostrations. That is a feat by itself, especially prostrations because they are physically demanding especially when it is done in high amounts. Even today, many people find it  hard to complete just 100,000 prostrations, let alone 3,500,000 of them. These practices. especially those who are high in number are meant to help train us to have spiritual vigour because it takes a lot of determination to be able to do so many prostrations.

[vajrastorm]

It is truly amazing that Dzing Ji Monastery still remains today to remind us of the great deed of Je Tsongkhapa and his eight heart disciples. Je Tsongkhapa had gone into intense retreat when they received a vision of Maitreya retreat. They then decided to visit the abode of this Maitreya. When his eyes fell upon the statue of the Maitreya in ruins and covered with bird droppings,Tsongkhapa could not help but weep at the sight.The nine of them then decided, there and then, that they had to restore the statue.

However, they were without resources . But they had gone into intense retreat just before this. It must be around this time that Je Tsongkhapa, following Manjushri's instructions, completed 3.5 million prostrations and more than 1 million mandala offerings. These spiritual practices were so rigorously carried out the Tsongkhapa's prostrations created hollows in the stone slab on which he had been doing his prostrations. His arms and elbows were bleeding from the numerous mandala offerings he had done. By virtue of these rigorous practices, Tsongkhapa and his eight disciples so inspired people from all over Tibet that donors and artists came in great numbers. So the great deed of restoring the Maitreya was successfully accomplished.

It is said that several years later, when Tsongkhapa performed the dedications , the whole of Tibet celebrated and "miraculous visions of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were seen by everyone present".

It is to be noted that Je Tsongkhapa's eight direct disciples helped him tremendously in accomplishing this feat of restoring the Maitreya. We are also reminded that it was another disciple, Duldzin Dragpa Gyeltsen who built Gaden Monastery for Je Tsongkhapa. hen we see the Gaden monastery in India today, we must be strongly reminded of the first gaden Monastery which Je Tsonghapa's heart disciple, Duldzin, had built.
The construction of temples and monasteries are most important for the growth and spread of Dharma, for the benefit of all beings.

Students have a key role to play in such constructions. In our time and age, there are people like Ajeka to remind us what strong Guru Devotion can accomplish. Ajeka has strong devotion to his Guru, Trijang Rinpoche, whom  he has never met. But this devotion was sufficient to galvanize him into action to mobilize the 2000 villagers in Chatreng to build a temple , with a 22 feet Tsongkhapa statue!       
 

[Ensapa]

It is truly amazing that Dzing Ji Monastery still remains today to remind us of the great deed of Je Tsongkhapa and his eight heart disciples. Je Tsongkhapa had gone into intense retreat when they received a vision of Maitreya retreat. They then decided to visit the abode of this Maitreya. When his eyes fell upon the statue of the Maitreya in ruins and covered with bird droppings,Tsongkhapa could not help but weep at the sight.The nine of them then decided, there and then, that they had to restore the statue.

However, they were without resources . But they had gone into intense retreat just before this. It must be around this time that Je Tsongkhapa, following Manjushri's instructions, completed 3.5 million prostrations and more than 1 million mandala offerings. These spiritual practices were so rigorously carried out the Tsongkhapa's prostrations created hollows in the stone slab on which he had been doing his prostrations. His arms and elbows were bleeding from the numerous mandala offerings he had done. By virtue of these rigorous practices, Tsongkhapa and his eight disciples so inspired people from all over Tibet that donors and artists came in great numbers. So the great deed of restoring the Maitreya was successfully accomplished.

It is said that several years later, when Tsongkhapa performed the dedications , the whole of Tibet celebrated and "miraculous visions of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were seen by everyone present".

It is to be noted that Je Tsongkhapa's eight direct disciples helped him tremendously in accomplishing this feat of restoring the Maitreya. We are also reminded that it was another disciple, Duldzin Dragpa Gyeltsen who built Gaden Monastery for Je Tsongkhapa. hen we see the Gaden monastery in India today, we must be strongly reminded of the first gaden Monastery which Je Tsonghapa's heart disciple, Duldzin, had built.
The construction of temples and monasteries are most important for the growth and spread of Dharma, for the benefit of all beings.

Students have a key role to play in such constructions. In our time and age, there are people like Ajeka to remind us what strong Guru Devotion can accomplish. Ajeka has strong devotion to his Guru, Trijang Rinpoche, whom  he has never met. But this devotion was sufficient to galvanize him into action to mobilize the 2000 villagers in Chatreng to build a temple , with a 22 feet Tsongkhapa statue!     

one of the best ways to express your Guru devotion is to represet the Guru well to all, and it can come by many ways and one of the ways to do so is to realize the Guru's projects, even though it sounds and looks difficult and hard or impossible. From what I have learnt, it was said that the area that Lama Tsongkhapa wanted to build on was not exactly filled with rich sponsors, but his disciples put in all their efforts to raise the necessary funds and to gather resources needed to build it anyway without saying that it was impossible. From here we can see the importance of Guru devotion

[Rinchen]

Thank you for sharing this great historical event here with all of us. It is very important as many of us do not know about what Lord Tsongkhapa has did in his lifetime although we are practicing his prayers.

It is sad to see how Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsen's actions for Dharma has been forgotten and wiped aside because of this ban. He has done so many great things for the Gelug lineage, yet not many people know who he is. More so even now, his emanation's (Dorje Shugden) practices are being banned.

This is really no way to treat a great lineage master. Being forgotten for all the deeds he has done to benefit us.