Tengboche Monastery | Tourist Info

They are daily ceremonies performed in Tengboche in the morning at around am and in the afternoon at 3pm. Two or three times a year there are ceremonies that will last a week or longer and often people order prayers and ceremonies to be performed on their behalf and these will last all day. You are welcome to visit the monastery during the ceremonies but please sit quietly on the right hand side. Please do not take flash photographs or otherwise disturb the ceremonies.

In addition please remember:

* Always walk clockwise around religious shrines, stupas, carved Mani stones and prayer wheels.
* Do not walk over or sit on any religious texts, objects or prayer flags.
* Take your shoes and hats off when entering a temple or shrine room. Wear decent clothes.
* Don't smoke, drink alcohol or make unnecessary noise.
* Please don't be intrusive when photographing monasteries especially when people are performing religious ceremonies.
* It is traditional and welcomed if you make an offering when visiting a temple or monastery.
* Do not kill or cause anything to be killed in Tengboche.

When the monastery is not in use by the monks it is locked to prevent theft. There is a monk who lives in the courtyard of the monastery and who keeps the keys. It is possible to ask him to let you in however we would recommend that you visit the monastery during the official times to cause less disturbance. The best times to visit are between 8 and 10 in the morning and 4 to 5 in the evening.

Meeting the Abbot

It is normally possible to meet Tengboche Rinpoche. Rinpoche lives in a small house in a compound known as the Labrang next to the monastery. It is best to go in the morning after 9am. Many people just go to smile and say hello and to offer the customary white scarf with a small donation. Rinpoche does not speak English so if you have any questions then you will need to have someone with you to translate. If Rinpoche is requested by a group with a translator, he will give teachings on Buddhism. This has to be requested in advance and organized in the traditional manner. Please remember that Rinpoche has many responsibilities in Khumbu and so is not always in Tengboche.

The Tengboche Film

There has been a 30 minute film made by the Danish film producer Steen Stender. The film not only gives information on sustainable tourism but also the monastery and religious life at Tengboche. The film is shown at the Eco Center and visitors are often moved to tears and gain a new insight and appreciation of Tengboche. The film is being translated in to major languages such as French, German, Japanese, Italian and Spanish and will be for sale at the shop and on at sacredland.net.

The Sacred Land Eco Center

The Sacred land Eco Center has a permanent exhibition on Buddhism and Ecology. The exhibition gives comprehensive information on a wide range of subjects from the history of the monastery to medicinal plants. The exhibition will be made available on the net at sacredland.net.

The Shop

In order to help the monastery raise money to support all the different work going on in Tengboche a small shop has been opened. This Gompa shop sells T-shirts, books, prayer flags, Mani stones and incense. Many things like the postcards, the Tengboche film and T-Shirts are exclusive to Tengboche and have been designed especially for the Monastery. The shop is non-profit making and by buying something there you are directly making a contribution for projects which support conservation and Tengboche monastery. The shop is open in the mornings and in the afternoons. It is hoped that a few specialized items will be available to buy at sacredland.net.

Where can I stay?

There are five lodges in Tengboche offering simple small rooms or dormitory accommodation. In addition there are two more lodges in Devoche just twenty minutes down in the next valley. There is also space and public facilities available for camping. You can not stay in the monastery itself.

Can I phone home?

There is now a telephone in Tengboche and it is possible to make international phone calls. The number in Tengboche 977 [0] 19 22011, It is hoped that in the future there will be a communications office established in Tengboche with Internet and Email connections.

Lighting a Butter Lamp

When you visit Tengboche Monastery it is possible to light butter lamps or candles on behalf of your friends and loved ones. Please ask the monks who will help arrange this. In the future we hope to be able to help people who would like to light butter lamps on their behalf at Tengboche but at the moment it is difficult to arrange.

The meaning of Om Mani Padme Hung

This is one of the most commonly seen prayers, or mantra and is pronounced Om Mani Pedme Hung. This mantra of compassion, is said to invoke the blessings of the essence of Chenrezig, or Avalokiteshavra in Sanskrit, the Buddha embodying compassion.

It is difficult to translate in to English but a roughly speaking Om invokes the blessings, and is the essence of enlightened form. The next four syllables represents the speech of enlightenment. Mani has the meaning of compassion while Padme is a lotus. The lotus is our own minds and compassion is inherent within it. The blessing or energy of the mantra transforms our minds, clears away our disturbing emotions which leads us to act in negative ways and so creates all the different kinds of the suffering we experience. Hung represents the wisdom mind of the Buddhas and is like a proclamation of truth. These six syllables have the power to purify the six realms of suffering. To transform the six main negative emotions of pride, jealousy, desire, ignorance, greed and anger into their true nature, the wisdom of the six Buddha families that becomes manifest in the enlightened mind.

Recommended Reading

Many people about the many wonderful books, too many to mention, which have made it possible to write the exhibition and film. For further inspiration and information please have a look at: Journey to Enlightenment and Live of Shabkar, Mathieu Ricard; The Way of the Bodhisattva, Santideva; The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, Sogyal Rinpoche; The Joy of Living and Dying in Peace, H.H. The Dalai Lama; Journey without Goal, Trungpa Rinpoche; The Dhamapada, and Leaves of the Heaven tree, Dharma Publications; Dharma Rain, S.A. Kaza and K. Kraft; Stories and Customs of the Sherpas, Frances Klatzel; Claiming the High Ground, S.F. Stevens, Mountain without Mercy, Brot Coburn; Fundamentals of Tibetan Medicine, MenTseKhang; Buddhism and Ecology, M. Batchelor; Sustainability in Mountain Tourism, Oeko Himal; The Sherpas and SharKhumbu, Sherpa Thupten Lama; Health through Balance, Dr. Yeshi Donden and Tibetan Medicinal Plants by Tsewang J. Tsarong.