New Assembly Prayer Hall

Details: Category: History; Published: 01 May 2016; Hits: 3015

Since the beginning of the early eighties, many young Tibetans began to flee Tibet. Majority of them were of teenage years and some at pre teenage. They were either monks or laypersons. On reaching India, they received special audience & blessing from His Holiness The Dalai Lama. To their historically & genetically spiritual binding background, the past experienced life of repression & curtailment of religious freedom and human rights have created a vacuum of spiritual faith in almost every single new arrivals from Tibet. Which is evident from the vast majority of them joining Monasteries spread across in most parts of Tibetan settlements in India.

As this Monastery is recognised for its principal & renowned learning institution and its affiliation to the various sub & smaller monasteries spread across various regions of Tibet, the no of recipients of these new arrivals is by far the greatest in this Monastery. During the initial exodus in the early eighties they number in several hundreds at every single year that by late nineties the total no of member of the Monastery has reached an unprecedented record level crossing over 3000.

This dramatic increase in population has resulted in the shortage of residential accommodation, and especially the total inadequacy of the Assembly Prayer Hall. This inadequacy was the major & compressing issue for resolution. Hence in 1995, the General Board Members of this Monastery unanimously proposed for the construction of a new Assembly Prayer Hall. This was a gigantic project, for the construction involved was an unprecedented enormous one, with the expected project cost estimating to a mind-boggling amount.

The arduous task of making available the needed financial fund was the second biggest mission undertaken since the re-establishing at Bylakuppe. The Monastery geared up for an unprecedented Fund Raising Project, by organising various activities and programs.

For three consecutive years there was incessant program of rigorous work schedule both in and off the field project. With the construction work in full progress, and the fund raising programs spontaneously generating generous sponsorships and & funds. That finally after 3 most eventful & most busy years, saw the completion of the new Assembly Prayer Hall.

This new Assembly Prayer Hall is a magnificent creation, its sheer massive size & enchanting holy ambience has set an unprecedented new & inspiring monastic experience. The main assembly hall has a glorious 31-foot high spacious area measuring 23,275 sq ft, supported by 110 haughty pillars. It has created a distinct place in the history records of this Monastery. And undoubtedly it has gained a significant position in the circles of Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries, notably for its significance of the huge assembly surpassing 3500 no of monks conducting prayers in a single Monastery.

The construction of this new Assembly Prayer Hall was a marvellous achievement that the Monastery and its entire monks are extremely proud and happy, and nevertheless immensely grateful to every single donor, sponsors, supporters and to each & every devotional volunteers - member monks & lay devotees, for their committed hard labour and time.

His Holiness The Dalai Lama graciously inaugurated the new Assembly Prayer Hall on 31st December 1997.

About Us

Current Core Offices

Ganden Tri Pa

Lhundup Tsundue
Jedrung Thupten Kunga

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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.