The Karmapa’s Monasteries in the Ancient Kingdom of Jiang
North-west Yunnan and Southeastern Tibet
On the request of the venerable Thrangu Rinpoche, a Taiwan anthropologist, by the name of Ling-Lung Chen and myself travelled to Yunnan in the middle of July, 1998, to begin a documentation of some of the main and most important Kagyu Monasteries in the province, mostly in the counties in the Northwest section of Yunnan Province, on the border of Tibet [Xizang] which includes, Lijiang, Deqing, Weixi and Zhongdian counties.
On this particular trip, we have spent a total of one month in Yunnan. A Rinpoche, by the name of Jiang Trungpa, has been our host and arranged for us to meet appropriate government officials and local historians and scholars.So far, we have been to over 19 Kagyu monasteries and sites, which included every state and condition, some rebuilt, some badly damaged, some undergoing renovation and others in total and complete ruins. Some were destroyed long ago in the invasions from the north by the Mongolians armies and others during the time of the Cultural Revolution in China, in 1966-67.
Some of these monasteries are in awesome settings, high in the mountains, three of them we have been to so far, involved a walk of over three hours, often straight uphill for the whole length of the walk, fortunately sometimes we were able to arrange the use of horses, from the local villagers.
We came to learn from our host Jiang Trungpa Rinpoche, that there were once, an astonishing 594 (Five hundred ninety four) Karmapa monasteries in the ancient Kingdom of Jiang! Which includes most of the Northwestern part of Yunnan, the Southeastern part of Tibet (Xizang) and the Southwestern part of Sichuan.
In the history of Jiang, there were always three Kagyu Lineage or throne holders, for this Kingdom of Jiang, which includes in this order the Karmapas, the Tai Situpas and the Jiang Trungpa Rinpoches.We came to learn that it was Jiang Trungpa Rinpoche who made the initial request to some Kagyu Rinpoches, that we come to Yunnan to do this documentation work project. The present Jiang Trungpa Rinpoche is the 17th incarnation, recognized first at age two then again by the present 12th Tai Situ Rinpoche in 1980’s. In Jiang Trungpa’s present incarnation’s, his name is Pema Tharchin.
So far, we have had the opportunity to interview him in detail on this journey. We have come to know that all the Karmapa’s, from the first, Dusum Khyenpa, in the 12 century, to the 10th Karmapa, Choying Dorje, in the 17th century, all have, at one point, in their lives, come to visit or live, for a period of time in this “Kingdom of Jiang”. The 2nd Karmapa, Karma Pakshi spent 10 years here, the 9th Karmapa did a 4 year and 4 month retreat, in a place where the present Jiang Trungpa plans to build a new monastery, on an island in the middle of a beautiful lake, called Bida Hai Lake, near the town of Zhongdian where Rinpoche currently lives. The 2nd Karmapa explained that this place is the mandala of Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara). The entire place is like a Shangri-La, as there are virgin forests, pristine lakes, amazing powerful rushing rivers and snow capped mountains everywhere.
The 10th Karmapa did the most work here in this area, as he spent over 20 years here. At one time there were 108 monasteries of the Karmapas around the county of Zhongdian. So far, we have come to know of about 11 of these particular monasteries and have actually visited 5 of them. There are 13 major monasteries of the Kagyu Lineage in Yunnan and we have so far been to nine of them.
On our journey we came across many interesting sacred relics of the past, which include footprints and some handprints in solid stone/rock of various Karmapas and Jiang Trungpa Rinpoches at the various monasteries we visited.One of the most amazing monastery sites was at a snow/ice glacier on Mt. Meili (In Tibetan Kawa Kharpo) on the border of Yunnan and Tibet.The mountain’s peak is at an altitude of 6,740 meters. It is truly at an amazing and beautiful place, very near one of the caves of Guru Rinpoche above the monastery. On the invitation of Jiang Trungpa Rinpoche, it is our hope to work together with him in the future to document more monasteries in the area and eventually obtain government approval and funds, to rebuildand reacativate, with the training of monks once again, some of these ancient monasteries of the Karmapa. Jiang Trungpa Rinpoche has invitiedus back to do further documentation on this project, this fall of 1998.
It is our plan to produce a complete video documentary on the accounts of all the sacred power places and monasteries [and their ruins], that we visited and to continue to gather important historical information to be used in the narration of this film production. We will also eventually provide a detailed report of all the monasteries, we visited which will include current photos and some important historical information of the monasteries, on Tsurphu Foundation’s homepage. The video film documentary production, entitled, “In the Footsteps of the Karmapa’s”, will be made available and released for distribution in English and Chinese through Tsurphu Foundation in the spring of 1999.
For more information about this project or for professional people, interested in offering their volunteer service and for those interested in helping through sending money donations, please contact Tsurphu Foundation’s representative, Ageeth Fransen.
– Email tsurphu7@worldonline.nl
– ph/fax+ 31(0)519 293 883
– By Ward Holmes, Tsurphu Foundation director in Lijiang, Yunnan, China on.
– Tsurphu Foundation
