The Treasury of Lives

Tashilhunpo, one of Tibet's most important monasteries, is a Geluk monastery in Shigatse that was founded in 1447 by the First Dalai Lama Gendun Drub, whose remains are interred at the site. The location of the monastery is west of the great fortress and above a pre-existing sky-burial site.The monastery serves as the seat of the Paṇchen Lama incarnation line. The remains of the Second, Third, and Fourth Pachen Lama, who was tutor to the Fifth Dalai Lama, are also preserved in a stupa at Tashilhunpo. Reliquaries for the Fifth through Ninth Panchen Lamas were destroyed in the 1960s. The Tenth Panchen Lama was responsible for the construction of a new mausoleum, Dungten Tashi Namgyel, where the remains of his previous incarnations were re-interred. The Jamkhang Chenmo, which was added during the tenure of the Ninth Paṇchen Lama, contains the world's largest gilded copper image that stands 26 meters tall. At its height, Tashilunpo housed close to 5,000 monks. 

Labrang Tashikhyil is a major Geluk monastery in Amdo. It was founded in 1709 by the First Jamyang Zhepa, Jamyang Zhepai Dorje under the sponsorship of a prince of the Qoshot Mongols, who donated the land and paid for the construction. Many incarnation lines have their seats at Labrang Monastery including the Jamyang Zhepa, Amdo Zhamar and Gungtang incarnation lines. Labrang has six colleges, the largest of which is the debate college, Mejung Tosam Ling, which was established by the First Jamyang Zhepa when he built the monastery. The Tantric College has two branches, the Lower, established by Jamyang Zhepa in 1719, and the Upper, established in 1943 by the Fifth Jamyang Zhepa. The Second Jamyang Zhepa built the Kālacakra College in 1763 and the Medical College in 1784. The Fourth Jamyang Zhepa established the Hevajra College in 1879.

Chekar Chode, a Geluk monastery located in Rong in Zangri county, was founded in 1577 by the Third Dalai Lama, who was assisted by the King of Lhagyari, Sonam Rabten. 

Menri, the main Bon monastery located in Namling county in central Tibet, was founded in 1404 or 1405 by Nyamme Sherab Gyeltsen. At one time it housed 350 monks, four colleges, a school of dialectics, and an assembly hall. It was largely destroyed during the cultural revolution, and although some restoration has occured, the site still has extensive ruins and only a small cohort of monks. 

Dargye is a Geluk monastery that was founded in the late seventeenth century by the First Hor Choje, Ngawang Puntsok. Some sources credit Jedrung Sherab Wangpo with the foundation of the monastery in the mid sixteenth-century, but this appears to be incorrect. Dargye is the largest of the so-called Hor monasteries in the region, which were established under the paronage of the Ganden Podrang government in Lhasa.

Tashi Cholung, a Geluk monastery in Nyangpo, was founded by the First Pakpa Lha, Pakpa Dechen Dorje in the fifteenth century.

Tuwa, a Geluk monastery in Amdo that was founded in 1640, was historically a retreat center and later became a small printing house under the leadership of Tseten Zhabdrung Jigme Rigpai Lodro. It is one of the Six Garwaka monasteries under the tutelage of Tsetan Zhabdrung. 

Pari Tashi Choling, founded in the 17th century in Amdo in the place of an earlier Kagyu monastery, is located in Drotsang County. Sumpa Khenpo Yeshe Peljor gave teachings there. It is a branch of Gonlung.

Tsador is a Geluk monastery in Amdo. Originally a Sakya monastery that was founded in 1260, it was converted to Geluk in the mid eighteenth century.

Ditsa Tashi Choding is an important Geluk monastery in Amdo that was founded in 1903 by the Fourth Amdo Zhamar, Gendun Tenzin Gyatso. It is a sister institution to Old Ditsa Monastery, located nearby.

Tashichoedzong, known also as Thimpu Dzong, is located in Bhutan. The site's earliest structure was founded in 1216 by Drigungpa Nyo Gyelwa Lhanangpa Sanggye Rinchen as Do Ngon Dzong, which lies in ruins near the current fortress. Shortly after its founding, Pajo Drukgom Zhikpo of the Drukpa Kagyu took control of the fortress. In 1631 the new dzong, named Tashichoedzong, was completed under the direction of Shabdrung Ngawang Nyamgyel. The Fourth Desi Tendzin Rabgye built a new monastic assembly hall at Tashichoedzong. Shortly thereafter, there was a fire during the reign of the Fifth Desi Gendun Chophel, who oversaw the rebuilding process until its completion in 1698. Additional fires happened in 1760 and 1869, and general reconstructions took place in 1772 and 1777.

In 1962, the Third King of Bhutan Jigme Dorji Wangchuck ordered that Tashichoedzong be extended and renovated in order to accommodate governmental offices in the complex, the consecration for which took place in 1969. Tashichoedzong serves as the Central Monastic body’s summer residence and also houses the offices of the king and cabinet ministers.

Bido Gonchen is a major Geluk monastery in Amdo that was founded in 1402 by Lama Kazhiwa Sherab Gyeltsen, a student of Tsongkhapa, on the site of an earlier Sakya monastery.

Tongkhor Tashilhunpo is a Geluk monastery in Kham that was founded in the sixteenth century by the First Tongkhor, Dawa Gyeltsen. It is the seat of the one branch of the Tongkhor incarnation line.

The Derge Parkhang was established in 1729 by King Tenpa Tsering. It houses printing blocks for the Derge edition of the Kangyur, edited by Situ Paṅchen Chokyi Jungne, and Tengyur, edited by Zhuchen Tsultrim Rinchen, under the patronage of King Lhachen Puntsok Tenpa, as well as a vast collection of other texts from every religious tradition of Tibet.

Kīrti Monastery also known as Kālari Kīrti, was established by Gendun Gyeltsen, who later became known as the First Kīrti, in 1412 in Ngawa, Amdo. It was the seat of the Kirti incarnations until the Fifth Kīrti moved the seat to Kīrti Namgyel Dechen Ling.

Getse Dralek is a Nyingma monastery in Kham that was founded in the eighteenth century by Getse Paṇchen Gyurme Tsewang Chokdrub. It is a branch of Katok Monastery, and is in the Golok area of Kandze county.

Ragya Monastery is an important Geluk monastery in Golok that was founded in 1769 by Arik Geshe Jampa Gelek Gyeltsen, a Mongolian from Kokonor, for the Seventh Dalai Lama. In 1792 or 1793, Arik Geshe transferred the abbacy of Ragya to the Second Shingza, Lobsang Dargye, whose reincarnations have since presided over the monastery.

Tashi Chokhor Ling, a Nyingma monastery located in the Yumchen Tang plain, was founded in 1984 by Khenpo Munsel. The course of study is based on the traditional curriculum of Katok monastery,

Tashilung is a hermitage that was in existence by at least the thirteenth century when Sanggye Gompa Sengge went into retreat there.

Yama Tashikhyil is an important Nyingma monastery and hermitage located in Rebkong, Amdo.  It was the hermitage of the nineteenth-century yogin-poet Zhabkar Tsokdruk Rangdrol, and later of twentieth-century philosopher-artist-historian Gendun Chopel.

The Trandruk temple, founded by Songsten Gampo  in the seventh century, is possibly Tibet's earliest geomantic temple, which suppresses the left shoulder of the supine demoness of Tibetan mythology. While the Jokhang may predate Trandruk, there is no clear consensus as to which site is the oldest.  Later, Trandruk was revered as one of Trisong Detsen's three royal temples together with Samye and Jokhang. It is part of the Yarlung pilgrimage circuit known as "three sanctuaries, three chortens." During the period following the collapse of the Tibetan Empire, it is likely that religious activity may have quietly continued in the area, and toward the end of the eleventh century Trandruk was revitalized. Since around that time, it has been associated with the powerful Gyer clan, of which the Negu, Begu and Khangsar families form branches.  It was converted to a Geluk institution in the seventeenth century and eventually grew to have twenty-one temples.

Tabo is an important monastery located in the Spiti Valley of Northern India. It is considered the oldest continuously operating Buddhist enclave in India and the Himalaya, having been founded in 996. Lha Lama Yeshe O is said to have sponsored the building of the monastery, and Rinchen Zangpo is said to have conceived of the idea. During the tenth and eleventh centuries, Tibetan monks and Indian scholars translated vast amounts of Buddhist texts at Tabo. The site is home to significant works of Buddhist art. Currently, it operates as a Geluk institution, housing monks and nuns, as well offering a school for young children.

Trangu (also spelled Thrangu) is an important Kagyu monastery south of Jyekundo in Kham. The First Karmapa is credited with its founding in the twelfth century, though some sources suggest that it was in existence earlier. It consists of an upper and lower monastery containing well-preserved murals in the Rebkong style. At its height, Trangu was home to around 500 monks. In 2010, an earthquake devastated the monastery. Trangu is is the seat of the Trangu incarnation line; the current Thrangu Rinpoche oversees the monastery from Sikkim, where he lives is in exile at Rumtek Monastery.

Tsashul, a Nyingma monastery located near Derge in Kham, was founded in 1790 by Getse Pandita Gyurme Tsewang Chokdrub. 

Tosamling was a dialectic college at Tashilhunpo Monastery.

Nateng is a Bon monastery in Sharkhok, southern Amdo. 

Dangkhar Tashi Choling, previously known as Lagope Monastery, is a Gelukpa monastery in Dangkhar, the former capital of the Spiti Valley. A hermitage seems to have predated the enlargement and conversion of the complex into a Gelukpa monastery by the monk Sanggye Wozer, a native of Rangrik in Spiti, in 1617. Local archives attest that King Khri Namgyel Drakpa Zangpo De and the queen of Guge, together with the Fourth Panchen Lama Lobzang Chokyi Gyeltsen, laid down the economic basis of the new monastic community by granting ecclesiastical estates.

The monastic community of Lagope/Dangkhar Tashi Choling is traditionally comprised of four monastic congregations composed of monks from the villages of Lhalung, Upper Mane, Lower Mane, and Dangkhar. In 1655, a monk from Dangkhar named Pelden Gyeltsen was enthroned as the Fortieth Ganden Tripa.

Yannick Laurent

Adu Yakgo was a Geluk monastery in Ngawa. It was established in 1395 by Tsongkhapa's disciple Tsakho Ngawang Drakpa. 

Drapu Choling, also known as Tashi Choling, is a Barawa Kagyu monastery in Kyirong. It was established on the site of a village temple in the sixteenth century by Namkha Dorje, who spread the Barawa tradition in the region. It was controlled by the Jampel Dechenling family since the early eighteenth century, and traditionally had close ties with Kagyu Gonsar in the Chumbi valley. It was destroyed in the Cultural Revolution and has not been rebuilt; a new monastery was built in Dharamsala by the Jampel Dechenling family and named Tashi Choling.

Zuru Tubten Tashi Chokhor Ling is a Karma Kagyu monastery in Dzato, Kham.