Sera Jey Dro-Phenling Monastery

Details: Category: Monasteries; Published: 01 May 2016; Hits: 5787

Introduction:
Do Phen ling Gompa, the new Monastery established by Sera Jey Monastery was inaugurated by His Holiness The Dalai Lama on the 26th of May 2005. The Gompa is situated on the foothills of the hillock – LhaSolsa (Puja Offering Place) at Chandmari - Gangtok in the North Eastern Indian state of Sikkim.

How the Gompa came into being:
History records that this special hillock where the Gompa is built was gifted by the Chief Buddhist Priest of Sikkim to the community of devotees in Gangtok in the year 1947 exclusively for Puja Offering purpose. Thence the special place was reserved by the community for prayers & offering ceremonies, becoming the main venue for making offering ceremonies on all important festivals and the place for devotees to fly their Lungta (Wind Horse).

This special Hillock received a unique name - Lhasolsa (offering place)from the communities. And ever since then this special place was devotedly taken care by the five Joint Tibetan Regional Communities of Gangtok.

Community's Role:
Sera Jey Monastery was brought into the role of the community of devotees in Gangtok – Sikkim, when special requests were received at the Monastery from devotees of Gangtok for dispensing puja and prayer offerings for the community. Respecting the enthusiastic and dedicated devotee wishes, the Monastery deputed 10 monks to Gangtok in 1998 for the spiritual mission. The devotees were overwhelmed of the beneficial spiritual service of our Monastery's monks and contemplated the Monastery on setting up a branch at Gangtok.

Upon this contemplation, the community of devotees of Gangtok requested Sera Jey Monastery for establishing a branch Monastery in Gangtok, to avail puja & prayer offering service and for the spiritual development of the community at large; and the five Joint Tibetan Regional Communities dedicated a land plot at the vicinity of the special hillock for the establishment of the Monastery.

Local & State Government Support
The entire project of establishing this new Monastery received due support from the Local and State Government facilitating all aspects of the project. After allotting the land plot and handing over the site to Sera Jey Monastery for the construction of the new Monastery, a committee headed by Ven. GesheLobsangGyaltsen was assigned by Sera Jey Monastery and commenced the initial construction work in the year 1999. The committee was encouraged by the good will and ardent support of devotees, communities, Local and State Government.

On the occasion of His Holiness The Dalai Lama's 69th Birth Anniversary celebration at Gangtok in the year 2004, the Chief Minister of Sikkim granted a financial assistance of Rs.5,00,000.00 towards the concluding construction work and a sum of Rs.51,000.00 for the inaugural ceremony.

Inauguration Ceremony:
By March 2005, the entire construction & interior work was completed. On the 26th of May 2005, His Holiness The Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso inaugurated this new Do Phen ling Gompa. Guest of Honorand other prominent guests include the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary, Member of Parliaments, Department Secretariats, Teachers of Government and Private schools,...etc. Tens of thousands of devotees attended the inaugural ceremony.

His Holiness The Dalai Lama's message:
On the occasion of inauguration ceremony His Holiness The Dalai Lama expressed His serene happiness on the establishment of this Monastery; and reiterated the monastic obligation of disseminating the Buddha Dharma in true faith, respecting other existing beliefs and faiths of the community.

His Holiness hoped that the monastery will serve to benefit the spiritual needs of the community, and to eventually develop to a learning institute of Buddhist Philosophical Studies for the privilege of local & surrounding communities.

Contact information

Address
Sea Jey Dro-Phenling Gompa
Chandmari,
P.O. Raj Bhavan,
Gangtok 737101 (Sikkim) INDIA

Tel: +91-3592-203351
Fax: +91-3592-203351

Current serving officials

Khenpo Choekhor Rinpoche (Lhopa)
GesheDhamchoe (Tsangpa)
GesheJampaDelek (Ngari)

About Us

Current Core Offices

104th Ganden Tripa

Lobsang Tenzin
Lobsang Tenzin

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Former Abbots

61st Khensur Ngawang Gyatso
64th Khensur Lhundup Thapkhe
65th Khensur Lobsang Wangchuk
66th Khensur Lobsang Dhonyoe
67th Khensur Dhondup Topgyal
Khensur In Tibet Lobsang Sherab
68th Khensur Ngawang Legden
69th Khensur Lobsang Thupten
70th Khensur Lobsang Tsering
His Eminence Geshe Lobsang Tsering, the 70th abbot of Sera Jey Monastery, was born in Tibet in 1923. He was ordained at the age of five and started his Buddhist philosophical studies at twelve. At the age of seventeen, he joined Sera Jey Monastery and underwent rigorous philosophical studies. He served as a philosophy teacher at his native monastery for three years. In 1959 he was imprisoned by Chinese authorities for seven years and had to undergo extreme hardship. In 1969, he fled Tibet under immense hardship, to India for exile. At Sera Jey Monastery in South India, he earned the first position in his Geshe Lharampa Examination in 1978. In 1986, he was enthroned the 70th abbot of Sera Jey Monastery and made several developments in both spiritual and administrative fields. He devoted his entire life to teaching the Buddhist philosophy to scores of aspiring students.
71st Khensur Jampa Theckchok
His Eminence Jampa Thekchok, the 71st abbot of Sera jey Monastery was born in Phenpo, Tibet in 1930. He was ordained at the age of eight and began his study of major Buddhist texts around the age of ten. His eminence arrived in exile in 1959 and continued his studies in major Buddhist texts. He taught Buddhist studies at Central University of Tibetan Studies, Sarnath, for seven years and travelled aboard to give teachings. In 1993, he was enthroned as the abbot of Sera Jey Monastery and he served the monastery in great length in both spiritual and administrative fields.
72nd Khensur Lobsang Dhonyoe
His Eminence Jetsun Lobsang Donyo, the 72nd abbot of Sera Jey monastery, was born in 1925. At the age of nine, he joined Lhatse monastery, gained basic Tibetan education and memorized all traditional monastic scriptures and studied basic Buddhist epistemology. At the age of nineteen, he joined Sera Jey Monastic University and studied all major Buddhist texts.

In 1961, he left Tibet to take exile in India and continued his study at Buxar in north India. He has served as proof-reader at monastery’s printing office. In 1967, he studied at Central University for Tibetan studies, Sarnath and received the Acharya degree.
In 1999, he was enthroned the 72nd abbot of Sera Jey Monastery and made great contribution to both spiritual and temporal affairs.
73rd Khensur Lobsang Palden
His eminence Jetsun Lobsang Palden, the 73rd abbot of Sera Jey Monastic University, was born in 1936. At the age of twelve, he joined Dhargye Monastic School and memorized all traditional monastic scriptures as well as studied basic Buddhist epistemology and other texts.

At the age of seventeen, he joined Sera Jey Monastery and studied all major Buddhist texts. In 1959, he fled to India and continued his studies at Buxar in north India. In 1965, he studied at Central University for Tibetan studies, Varanasi, and received the Acharya degree.
In 2005, he was enthroned as the 73rd abbot of Sera Jey Monastic University and made great contribution to both spiritual and administrative fields. Moreover, he devoted most of his time to give teachings and oral transmissions on Buddhist scriptural resources to scores of pupil monks.
74th Khensur Lobsang Delek
His Eminence Jetsun Lobsang Delek, the 74th abbot of Sera Jey Monastery, was born in 1939 at Karze district in Tibet. At the age of seven, he joined Karze Monastery and started memorizing traditional monastic scriptures. His given name is Lobsang Delek and received ordained name as Ngawang Soepa while he was newly ordained at age of seventeen. In 1959, he fled to India and continued his Buddhist philosophical studies at Buxar in north India. In 1968, he received the full-ordained vows from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. In 1982, he was honored with first position of Lharam Geshe degree. Moreover, in 2005, he was enthroned as the abbot of Gudme Tantric Monastery, and he became the 75th Sera Jey Abbot on 6 May 2012. Generally, he devotes his precious regular time in giving teaching and conferring different initiations and oral transmissions.
75th Khensur Gedun Choephel
His Eminence Jetsun Gedun Choephel, 75th abbot of Sera Jey Monastery, was born in 1941 at at his native Kartze province in Eastern Tibet and was initiated at the age of 8 in his native Kartze monastery. He joined Sera Jey Monastery – Tibet in 1955. In 1969 left Tibet for India and was among the foremost member monks to re-establish the monastery at exile in South India. He has received the highest monastic scholastic award of Lharam Geshe – Doctorate in Buddhist Philosophy, and has dedicated his entire life to teachings at the monastery. He was enthroned the 75th abbot of Sera Jey Monastery on 18th July 2016.