The Monastery's Story

The valleys of Khumbu, Rowlang and Khanbalung are mentioned in ancient Tibetan Buddhist texts as being sacred hidden valleys, future places of refuge in times of war and famine. Buddhism became firmly established in Khumbu about 350 years ago by the power and influence of Lama Sangwa Dorje. He established the oldest monastery in Khumbu at Pangboche as well as many other small hermitages. Lama Sangwa Dorje realized the ultimate nature of all phenomena and is said to have been able to perform miracles. Once in Pangboche he hung his monks robe on a sunbeam. Another time, while meditating in Tengboche, his foot slipped and left an imprint in the rock. With clairvoyant wisdom he said this was a sign that it was a very good place and that some day a monastery would be established there. The footprints in the rock can still be seen in Tengboche.

Tengboche Monastery and Rongbuk Monastery on the Tibetan side of Everest are closely linked in lineage and practices. It was Sangwa Dorjes' fifth incarnation Ngawang Tenzin Norbu who founded the monastery in Rongbuk on the North side of Everest and who also encouraged the founding of Tengboche monastery. He also predicted that because of close relationship between himself and Chatang Chotar in previous lives there would be no problems building the monastery in Tengboche and the future would be very good. Taking these instructions to heart Chatang Chotar known as Lama Gulu began the construction of Tengboche monastery in 1916. It took the local Sherpa community three years to build. It was the first celibate monastery to be built in Khumbu and Ngawang Tenzin Norbu attended the opening ceremonies. The monks performed the famous Mani Rimdu dances for the first time and the tradition has continued ever since.

In 1934 an earthquake destroyed part of the Monastery and Lama Gulu passed away a few days later. Ngawang Tenzin Norbu from Rongbuk again encouraged the people of Khumbu to rebuild the monastery. Umze Gelden undertook the work with the monks and the local community. A skilled carpenter from Lhasa who had experience in the construction of monasteries helped with the construction. A well-known artist Kappa Kalden painted beautiful murals in the shrine rooms making Tengboche a treasured and famous monastery. With an increase in mountaineering and tourism the outside world came to know Tengboche as a symbol of peace and beauty.

The monastery was destroyed again in 1989, this time by fire caused by an electrical heater. Tengboche was already internationally known and loved, so not only the Sherpa community, but also people worldwide committed time or money to the reconstruction project.

Slowly Tengboche monastery has been rebuilt under the skilful guidance of Tengboche Rinpoche, the acknowledged incarnation of the founder Lama Gulu. Particular care has been taken so that at each stage the traditional proceedings have been followed. In 1993 in a grand prayer ceremony the new monastery was consecrated. New wall paintings by the famous Tibetan painter Tarke-la adorn the shrine room. They depict the Bodhisattva lives of the Buddha with skill, beauty and clarity. These stories were told by the Buddha to explain essential teachings in a way that everyone, even the most simple of his students could clearly understand. These stories have been translated in to English by Dharma Publishing in a beautifully illustrated book called "Leaves of the Heaven Tree - The great Compassion of the Buddha". It is hoped that these beautiful paintings and inspiring stories will promote an understanding of the principals of compassion that are the foundation of Buddhism.

The newly constructed monastery is slightly larger than the old one and is built in stone rather than wood. In particular the courtyard and storerooms are larger to provide more room for the monks' activities. The main building consists of the prayer hall [Do-khang] which is dominated by a huge statue of Sakyamuni Buddha which is two floors high and can also be seen from the first floor shrine room [Ser sang lha khang]. On either side of the Buddha are Manjushri the deity of wisdom and Maitraya the future Buddha. The scriptures of the Kagyur are on either side. The Kagyur is the original teachings of the Buddha translated in to Tibetan.

At present there are 60 monks within the Tengboche Monastic community and it is expected to increase. This number is quite high as in 1993 there were only around 30. This perhaps reflects an increase in the availability of funds to support the monks.