Tharpa
Choeling Nunnery
Just near the gompas and mandirs of the
pilgrimage site Muktinath-Chumig Gyatsa one can find another two
Tibetan Buddhist gompas:
Garwa Gompa and the above Tharpa Choeling
Nunnery.
Founding
Tharpa Choeling Nunnery is located at one of the places where the great
Tibetan Buddhist yogi Shangpa Rinpoche
stayed and 'turned the wheel of Dharma'. Last century he built many
monasteries and stupas in the area.
Shangpa
Tulku Rinpoche (1960) is recognized as his reincarnation. Many of
the current practitioners and lay devotees were his past life disciples,
including the Mustang
King Jigme Palbar Bista.
It was under his invitation that Shangpa Tulku Rinpoche made his first
trip back to Muthinath in March 1994. At that occasion a piece of land
near the pilgrimage site Muktinath was donated to Rinpoche, where Tharpa
Choeling Nunnery now stands.
Construction
The nunnery consists of a gompa (shrine hall), nuns quarters and a retreat
room for abbot Shangpa Rinpoche. The ground breaking ceremony was held
on 13 July 1995. The construction of the nunnery has been completed
and the opening ceremony was held on the 4 October 2000. Presently,
there are about 24 nuns from Muktinath Valley staying at this nunnery.
Nuns'
education
Beside their religious education the nuns living at Tharpa Choeling
get a sound general education. At this moment local tradition seems
to prevent
the setup of one educational centre for the general education of all
the Buddhist nuns present in Muktinath Valley. The MFI hopes this will
change when time goes by. Meanwhile the setup of the Kagyu
Tharpa Choeling Nunnery proves that for good general education the mountain
women can stay in their own local social, cultural and religious enviornment.
Tharpa
Choeling Nunnery is sponsored by The
Shangpa Foundation. You can make a donation via Paypal.
For more backgrounds on the nunnery of Shangpa Rinpoche, please click
here.
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