Monlam Festival at Labrang Monastery
Labrang Monastery in Xiahe County, northwest China’s Gansu Province, is an annual destination for tourists, Buddhists and pilgrims from around the world. They gather to witness the unveiling of the world’s largest thangka (tapestry) of Buddha, as part of the Grand Monlam Prayer festivities.
Also called the “Sunning of the Buddha” ritual, at this time, Tibetan monks invite a giant thangka about 100-feet long and 65-feet wide of Buddha Amitabha, up a mountain near Labrang Monastery, which is the largest Tibetan monastery outside of Lhasa.
It is unveiled at first light on the side of the mountain so that the first rays of the sun illuminate the sacred painting.
In the past, Labrang Monastery was one of the six leading monasteries of the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, located about four hours south of the city of Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province. Resting in a high mountain valley at an elevation of about 3,000 meters or 10,000 feet, the buildings are traditional and one even has a roof covered with gold leaf.
The ceremony begins with some men trotting out on horses. Then, a line of monks dressed in red and violet robes march out at a swift pace, the ones in the lead playing cymbals and the rest carrying a large rolled-up thangka wrapped in yellow cloth on their shoulders. The procession escorts the thangka to its destination before they unfurl it down a specially prepared slope.
The thangka comprises two layers with two large sheets of cloth acting as covers. These are pulled off like a curtain to unveil the Buddha and the other deity figures surrounding him to the waiting crowd, who toss white scarves (khatas) towards the thangka in prayer.
Labrang Monastery was founded in 1709 during the Qing Dynasty era, exactly 300 years after Gaden Monastery near Lhasa was built.
Due to its location, Labrang Monastery became the focal point of conflicts between the Tibetans, Moslems, Chinese, and Mongolians. During the events of 1959, part of it was destroyed.
In April 1985, the Assembly Hall burned down but was replaced with a new building that was consecrated in 1990. Today, Labrang Monastery is once again a popular destination for young monks and the number of ordained sangha number between 1600 and 1800.
The Monlam Chenmo or Great Prayer Festival was established in 1409 by Je Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelugpa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. The two-week festival begins on the fourth day of the Tibetan New Year and ends on the fifteenth day, the “Butter Lamp Festival (Choe-nga Choepa)”.
During the Monlam Festival, Buddhists pray, rejoice, make offerings to and commemorate the miracles Buddha performed about 2,500 years ago in the Indian subcontinent, the goal being to remember the Buddha and his virtuous activities.
Seeing Buddha images plants seeds of Enlightenment in the viewer’s mindstream, thus the creation of any Buddha images generates merits for the creator. It is said that the merits collected from producing Buddha images is equivalent to the number of atoms that exist in the Buddha image, and for as long as the image exists. So, the bigger the better and this accounts for the very large Buddha tapestry used during the Monlam Festival.
Today, many pilgrims from all over the Tibetan Autonomous Region join the Monlam prayers and teachings, and make donations to the monks and nuns. Many other monasteries also hold special prayer sessions and perform religious rituals – for example, unfolding more huge thangkas to bless all the people and the surrounding land. It is indeed a great sight and very auspicious too that the tradition of the Monlam Festival continues to grow.
Sources:
- https://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/labrang-thangka-festival.htm
- http://www.diversechina.com/CULTURE/2017-04-27/82.html
- http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/china-tibetan-buddhist-monks-unveil-sacred-painting-buddha-labrang-monastery-photo-report-1491636
- https://www.chinatouradvisors.com/Blog/Sacred-Sunbathing-Buddha-Festival-3282.html
- http://www.chineseportal.net/news/article/tibetan-monks-unveil-giant-buddha-painting-in-gansu
- https://www.buddhistdoor.net/news/sunbathing-buddha-festival-at-labrang-monastery-china
- http://www.chinapost.com.tw/news/2002/08/09/29506/buddha-image.htm
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monlam_Prayer_Festival
- https://www.lonelyplanet.com/china/xiahe/attractions/labrang-monastery/a/poi-sig/1239039/355974
- http://www.visitourchina.com/xiahe/attraction/labrang-temple-labrang-monastery.html
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Monlam Chenmo Festival in Tibet and elsewhere around the world is also known as Great Prayer Festival. It is celebrated by Tibetan Buddhist to commemorates the Buddha’s enlightenment .It is the most important Tibetan Buddhist celebration of the year. Many hundreds of thousands of the practitioners took this opportunity to dedicate to all kinds of spiritually positive actions. The Monlam Chenmo was established in 1409 by Je Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelugpa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. This noble tradition is preserved and is practiced in the same way to this day. Labrang Monastery is one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. Every year without missed they will celebrates MONLAM Chenmo festival in full scaled.
Thank you Rinpoche for this great sharing.
Monlam Chenmo also known as The Great Prayer Festival,is the most important Tibetan Buddhist celebration of the year. It is held annually as part of the New Year festivities in Lhasa and the grandest religious festival in Tibetan regions. It is an auspicious day for prayer and practice, as the karmic results of virtuous actions are multiplied exponentially.
Labrang Monastery is one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism The unusual tradition and the sight of hundreds of people dressed traditionally are amazing. Every year, warmly dressed people ascend to the high-elevation Labrang monastery to pray and get blessed. Monks will then carry out a huge thangka scroll painting bearing the image of the Buddha. This sunning of the Buddha ceremony of Labrang Monastery in Xiahe County, northwest China’s Gansu, has attracted thousands of practitioners , non practitioner as well as tourist to witness this auspicious ceremony. Built in 1709, Labrang Monastery is one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Many will take this opportunity to pray, make offerings as to commemorate the miracles Buddha.
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing.
Monlam Festival also known as The Great Prayer Festival, falls on 4th–11th day of the 1st Tibetan month in Tibetan Buddhism. This is the most important prayer celebration for many Tibetans. And is one of the best times for anyone from locals to tourist to experience the real and authentic Tibetan culture and people. As the greatest religious festival in Tibet, thousands of monks will gather for chanting prayers and performing religious rituals. Millions of pilgrims as well as tourist will travel to monasteries to be part of this auspicious event to make offerings , spiritual retreat, praying, studying, and so forth. A very big 30meter by 20 meter thangka will be carried depicting the Buddha to the hill slopes for the worshippers . Carrying such a huge thangka is never an easy task by looking at the pictures tells all. Simply amazing and blessed been able to have a look at it.
Placing huge thangkas to bless everyone and the surrounding areas……such a wonderful sight , i could imagine that.
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing.
This is a very meaningful festival know as Monlam Chenmo or Great Prayer Festival started since 1409 by Gelugpa founder Lord Je Tsongkhapa, to remember Lord Buddha performed miracles and virtuous activities in 2,500 years ago in India.
To create such huge and beautiful Thangka is so meritorious and this really needs team work effort and perseverance.
Hopefully, one day I can be there to witness or contribute to this event and it would be great if we can have this event in KFR
???I thank His Eminence Tsem Rinpoche and writer team for sharing this article.
Very beautiful sharing about this tradition which is held up for the Monlam Festival. It is inspiring to see so many monks and nuns there and many pilgrims join the festival at the Labrang Monastery.
Very good reminder: “It is said that the merits collected from producing Buddha images is equivalent to the number of atoms that exist in the Buddha image, and for as long as the image exists.”
Wonderful to see tradition being upheld at Labrang Monastery with a lot of pomp and fan fare, with a lot of celebration, elaborate rituals. The unfurling of the thangkas is such an amazing sight to see.
Is amazing and bless to see the world biggest Thangka in the world in “sunning of Buddha” ritual. This is the main event in Monlam Festival in Labrang Monastery.. By doing this “sunning of Buddha “, many sentient beings can see Buddha images from far away and this will plant imprint in their minds and in the same time the creator of thisThangka also gain huge merits.
I wish I can visit Labrang Monastery in conjunction with Monlam Festivals future.
Thanks Rinpoche for sharing.
Jason
To celebrate New Year by doing dharma work is very auspicious! Lama Tsongkhapa have created these days for us to collect merits.
Monlam festival at Labrang Monastery is so happening and the Thangka is so huge. It is so auspicious and bless to be able to view such a huge Buddha Images. People are attracted to this huge Thangka and the celebration. It is a skillfull methods by Lama Tsongkhapa to plant Dharma seed to many peoples who come to Labrang Monastery.
Yes, may the tradition of the Monlam Festival continues to grow far and wide. In future I pray may Kechara hold Monlam Festival like the one held in Labrang Monastry yearly.
It’s such blessing to be able to see all the pictures of Monlam Festival in Labrang Monastery. The thangka is so beautiful and it is amazing that the size is so huge. I believe they need at least a hundred monks to carry it up the hill. Thank you Rinpoche for sharing.
Interesting ….about this Monlam Festival whereby all the monks worked hand inhand to bring such a big thangka up to the mountain top for display on such a auspicious day .Monks carried the silk painting thangka and unveiled it before dawn, hoping the first rays of sunlight would illuminate the sacred painting.Merely seeing a Buddha image plants the seeds of enlightenment and be blessed. During the Monlam Festival, Buddhists from all over will pray, make offerings to commemorate the miracles Buddha. As the greatest religious festival in Tibet, thousands of monks will gathered at the monasteries for chanting prayers and performing religious rituals. And to pray for the long life of all the holy Gurus of all traditions, for the survival and spreading of the Dharma in the minds of all sentient beings, and for world peace.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing .
It is super exciting to know that the tradition of the Monlam Festival which began with the incomparable Lama Tsongkhapa of the Ganden tradition continues to be celebrated in such a big way at the Labrang Monastery in China.
Labrang Monastery was established by the first Jamyang Zhépa, Ngawang Tsöndrü (1648–1721), who was a native of Amdo and, after studying at Drepung Monastery, was invited by the local Mongol king to return and teach Buddhism there. As the first Jamyang Zhépa was educated at Drepung, the lineage has subsequently belonged the Gelug.
I rejoice!
It is really wonderful to see something different and interesting. It is really amazing to see the monks carrying the great huge beautiful thangka up the hills for this Monlam Festival at Labrang Monastery. Feel truly blessed to see these pictures of this event . Thank you so much Rinpoche and blog team for this wonderful article and amazing pictures. ??
For those who have yet to connect with the Buddhadharma, this will serve as a first connection with spirituality. It plants seeds of Enlightenment in the viewer’s mindstream.
For those spiritually and religiously inclined, this festival is a great inspiration and blessings, It also serves as an inspiration to stay on the path. It reminds them of the miracles Buddha performed about 2,500 years ago in the Indian subcontinent, the goal being to remember the Buddha and his virtuous activities. The merits one can accumulate in making such humongous images encourages participation in the making of these giant thangkas.
It is very inspiring to witness this Monlam Festival being celebrated in the monasteries as it was celebrated all those years ago when it was first started in 1409 by Je Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism.
Thank you for sharing this article with the beautiful and awe-inspiring photos of the “sunning of the Buddha”.
The founder of the Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism, Je Tsongkhapa established The Monlam Chenmo or Great Prayer Festival in 1409. The main purpose is to pray for the long life of all the holy Gurus of all traditions for spreading dharma to the ten directions. Buddhists will pray, rejoice, make offerings to the Buddha and celebrating all the Buddha’s virtuous activities. This is a 2 weeks festival begins on the 4th day of the Tibetan New Year and end with the “Butter Lamp Festival” on the 15th days.
The Monlam Chenmo has attracted many pilgrims and tourists witness the“Sunning of the Buddha” ritual. By seeing Buddha image, it plants seeds of Enlightenment in the viewer’s mind stream. Besides, there are prayers and rituals where everyone offered their faith, generating merits to overcome difficulties for everyone to have peace and harmony. During Butter Lamp Festival, thousands of butter lamps will be lighted up, significant banish of darkness and clarity of mind. It is very auspicious and meritorious when everyone appreciates and preserves this traditions celebration for future generations.