Sangchen Rabten Norbuling (Great Secret, Absolutely Firm, and
Precious Location)Monastery is located deep in the Himalaya
mountains in an incredibly beautiful valley called Kyimo Lung
(Valley of Happiness), near the Nepal-Tibetan border in the central
Himalaya. It is known by Tibetan Buddhist spiritual practitioners
as a Be Yul or “hidden valley”. Although the monastery is small,
it’s untouched beauty and serenity provides an undisturbed
environment for the practice of Dharma.
Sangchen Rabten Norbuling is a place of retreat, contemplation, and
meditation, with awe-inspiring vistas, and many natural power
places which are visited by Buddhists for their blessings. The
monastery itself is on a small and idyllic plateau, crowded with
wild flowers, rhododendrons, holy junipers and other pines
associated with mountain spirits; wild animals roaming around
within feet of a small meadow in front of it.
Sangchen Rabten Norbuling today continues to grow and expand.
Currently, over 60 monks and 45 nuns reside at the monastery.
Recently, retreat quarters have been built on the monastic grounds
for practitioners wishing to do extended retreats.
Sangchen Rabten Norbuling
Ward No. 4, Bi Gaon
Gorkha District, Nepal
Website : http://www.kyimolung.com
Map :
http://ncthakur.itgo.com/districtmaps/gorkha_district.htm
Long ago the Master, Padmasambhava, blessed Kyimo Lung with his
presence (ca. 9th century). Later Jetsun Milarepa also came and
practiced here (ca. 12th century). Sometime after, the first in our
line of sublime guru forefathers, the matchless Chokyi Gyaltsen,
settled in this sacred place. He build Serang monastery and firmly
established the tradition of the Buddha’s teachings.
Since then, up to the present day, an unbroken lineage of ten
generations spanning roughly 300 years has propagated the teachings
of Vajrayana Buddhism starting with Chokyi Gyaltsen’s son Namkha
Kunsang. This father to son tradition was maintained through nine
generations to Yeshe Thinley, and then to his son, Chokyi
Nyima.
The structure of the original monastery, now very old, gradually
deteriorated into a state of serious disrepair (though some of the
most important portions and objects were faithfully preserved). In
1984, Lama Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche spent all of his savings,
property, and possessions as well as donations from others, to
initiate the rebuilding of the monastery.
The geographic isolation of the Monastery causes many hardships. It
is located 6-days walk away from the nearest road, and during the
winter season can be covered in four feet of snow. The Lamas,
Monks, and Nuns suffer from the cold weather and from illnesses
that are not easily treated due to the long distance to medical
care. Additionally, adequate food and water are often in short
supply during certain times of the year.
However, donations from students and patrons that support the goals
of the monastery have always been essential to the survival and the
expansion of the monastery. We appeal to your generosity in order
to continue with our work of providing a place of study and
practice to young people in the Himalayan region.