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| Samye Monastery |
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Samye Monastery is built on the site of the first Buddhist monastery
in Tibet. The original monastery was established by Padmasambhava
– one of the great leaders of early Buddhism – in the
eighth century.
Although a number of Buddhist temples predated the monastery, Buddhism
was still resisted by the aristocratic Bonpo families. In response,
King Trisong Detsen invited Padmasambhava to Tibet to subdue hostile
elemental forces. At Samye, he crushed the local demons and consecrated
the site for Tibet's first monastery.
The monastery suffered considerable damage during the Cultural
Revolution, but restorations are underway. To reach Samye, we had
to cross a river in a wooden boat, then ride for about six dusty
miles in the back of a truck. But, it was worth the effort!
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