Chetsang Regional House Headquarters
(byes gtsang)

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Images of Chetsang Regional House Headquarters

THL Reference Number: s008

College Affiliation: Jé (byes)

Regional House Affiliation: Jétsang (byes gtsang)

sBa ti regional house is traditionally said to be the parent khang tshan of six smaller houses (mi tshan). Byes gtsang (the gtsang pa regional house of the byes College) is one of these. The original structure was demolished in the shelling of the monastery in 1959. It was completely rebuilt with private donations beginning in the 1980's, and it was dedicated in 1990 or 1991. At present, there are no senior monks living here.

Before 1959 gtsang pa regional house was renowned for the erudition of its monks. Monks would come from other khang tshan to listen to the monks of tshang pa debate in intra-khang tshan debate sessions held in the central courtyard. gTsang pa khang tshan also produced some of the most important scholars, tutors and administrators in the monastery. Among the more important of these in the last generation are khri zur lhun grub brtson 'grus (94th holder of the throne of dga' ldan, d. mid 1950's?), mkhas zur lhun grub thabs mkhas (former abbot of Se ra Byes, and after the monastery was reopened in the 1980's, abbot once again, d. early 1990's), and dge bshes ngag dbang dge 'dun (d. 1958/9). dGe bshes lhun grub bzod pa, Professor Emeritus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA, and founder of the Deer Park Buddhist Center, is the senior-most monk of this khang tshan today.

The temple has been restored, and contains beautiful murals of various deities (left as one enters), and of the "deeds of Atisha" (right as one enters). The main altar contains statues of Tsong kha pa, various deities, various scholars of the khang tshan, and the funerary stupa (gdung rten) of mhhas zur lhun grub thabs mkhas.

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