Trijang Rinpoche’s Sampheling Monastery at Chatreng

Trijang Rinpoche’s personal Monastery in Chatreng District in Kham, Tibet. Hundreds of monks and thousands of lay people are very devoted to Trijang Rinpoche and the practice of Dorje Shugden. Everything is alive and well there.

Sampheling Monastery at Chatreng is the home monastery of His Holiness Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche. It has been rebuilt and active now for the people of the region who has tremendous faith in Trijang Rinpoche.

50 monks stay here (the long flat single storey building), the tall building at the back is Tsongkhapa hall

Entrance to Main Gompa

Entrance to Trijang Rinpoche’s room

Main Gompa

Top of Gompa, Trijang Rinpoche’s bedroom and for receiving guests.

Main Gate to Gompa 2

Main gate to Gompa 1. All hand-crafted by Chatreng’s people

Main Gompa

Main Gompa. Right side of this building is Tsongkhapa hall

Side entrance of Gompa

Amitabha Hall

Brief Introduction to Chatreng’s Monks

• Name of Abbot: Geshe Tanpa – 75 years old from Varanasi, India. He has been the Abbot for the last six years (two terms consecutively)
• Chatreng is the hometown of both Trijiang Rinpoche and Zong Rinpoche
• Three years ago, Gangchen Rinpoche sponsored 50 monks
• The monastery doesn’t have any sponsors. All monks are supported by their families.

Number of Monks

1. 50 monks studying debate as part of the Geshe program. These monks stay in the monastery full time.
2. 20 monks who are full time umzes. These monks stay in the monastery full time
3. 4 monks who do pujas full time in the Dorje Shugden chapel. These monks stay in the monastery full time
4. 4 monks who do pujas full time to other protectors. These monks stay in the monastery full time
5. 590 monks who stay at home due to lack of resources and food
6. 3 full time teachers
7. TOTAL monks: 671

Sponsorship Programe (in RMB = Chinese Renminbi)

1. To sponsor 50 monks 1 month food = 50 monks x RMB 18 x 30days = RMB27,000.
2. If sponsor food for 1 year = RMB27,000 x 9 months only =  RMB243,000 (the balance of 3 months is school holiday, the monks don’t stay at monastery)
3. To sponsor the robes for 1 year = 50 monks x RMB 600 = RMB30,000

More details:-

1. Currently there are 50 monks who are learning debate
2. To sponsor a monk’s daily food, the cost per monk is RMB 18 (for 3 meals)
3. Each year, two sets of monk’s robes are needed. Each set costs RMB 300.  2 sets = 2 x RMB 300 = RMB 600
4. Total monks in monastery is 668 people. This comprises 50 monks (living full time in the monastery) + 618 monks (living in the monastery approximately 7 days a month)
5. To sponsor the monks’s food during puja, the cost per monk is RMB15 (for the full day)
6. There are three Geshes teaching inside the Monastery. Each teacher receives RMB500 monthly salary from the monastery
7. The Monastery also gives RMB150 monthly allowance to each of the teacher for them to buy daily necessities

Some of the monastery’s buildings are still under construction, the monks need to work in day time, do puja, and build the monastery, it has been very difficult for them.

The information above comes from Ajeka:

• Ajeka is 60+ years old, a very sincere old layman. He has been serving the monastery for a very long time without receiving any sponsorship or salary.
• Ajeka was a former County Head, also the Minister of Transport in Chatreng. Ajeka manages up to 3000 people a day, assigning tasks related to rebuilding the monastery. All the monks respect Ajeka very much, and will listen and take instructions from him.
• Ajeka made a camp and lived there so that he could monitor the progress of the construction
• At the time of writing, two buildings have been completed and they are building the third. (Gompa, Tsongkhapa Hall and Amithaba Hall). Each building can fit more than 2000 people.
• The upper floor of the Gompa houses almost 100 monks.