The Treasury of Lives

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Mejung Tosam Ling (rmad byung thos bsam gling), more popularly known as Tsenyi Dratsang (mtshan nyid grwa tshang), meaning ‘Philosophy College,’ is one of the six monastic colleges of Labrang Tashikhyil (G162 bla brang bkra shis 'khyil) Monastery. The others include a college for medical studies—Menpa Dratsang (sman pa grwa tshang)—and four monastic colleges for tantric studies—Gyume Dratsang (rgyud smad grwa tshang), Gyuto Dratsang (rgyud stod grwa tshang), Dukhor Dratsang (dus 'khor grwa tshang) and Kyedor Dratsang (kya'i rdor grwa tshang).

The First Jamyang Zhepa, Jamyang Zhepai Dorje ('jam dbyangs bzhad pa 01 'jam dbyangs bzhad pa'i rdo rje, 1648–1721/1722) founded Labrang Monastery in 1710 and introduced academic and religious curriculum drawn from the three central Gelukpa monasteries in Central Tibet, in particular, the Gomang College (sgo mang grwa tshang) of Drepung ('bras psungs) Monastery. In 1716, he founded Gyupa Dratsang (rgyud pa grwa tshang), a college for tantric studies.  After that, the non-tantric monastic academia at Labrang Monastery came to be known as Tsenyi Dratsang or the Philosophy School. Administration and infrastructure of Tsennyi was further developed under the Second Jamyang Zhepa, Konchok Jigme Wangpo ('jam dbyangs bzhad pa 02 dkon mchog 'jigs med dbang po 1728–1791).

Sources

Nietupski, Paul. 2011. Labrang Monastery: a Tibetan Buddhist Community on the Inner Asian Borderlands, 1709-1958. Lanham, MD: The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, pp. 19-20.

Biographies

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