To the History of Drepung Monastery

Abstract

Introduction. The article examines the early history of Drepung Monastery, which since its foundation in 1416 has become one of the most important Buddhist educational centers in Tibet. The importance of Drepung for the Tibetan Geluk school and in general for the religious, cultural and political life of Tibet and the Mongolian-speaking peoples is enormous. However, its true scale is still not fully appreciated. Especially important is the information from the original Tibetan sources related to the name of Tsong-kha-pa (1357–1419) and his relationship with his direct disciples, such as ‘Jamyang Choje (1379–1449), the founder of Drepung Monastery.  The purpose of the research is to study the main aspects of the history of Drepung Monastery, a brief biography of the founder, and some items of the monastery's material and spiritual culture. Materials and methods. The work is based on the study of “The History of the Foundation of the Four Monasteries [Sera, Ganden, Drepung and Tashilhunpo] and the Two Tantric Datsans of Gyuto and Gyume” (Grwa sa chen po bzhi dang rgyud pa stod smad kyi dkar chag pad dkar 'phreng ba), compiled in 1744 by Purchok I Ngawang Jampa (Phur lcog ngag dbang byams pa, 1682–1762). Results. The presented materials allow us to trace the main stages of the life of Jamchen Choje, the prosperity and decline of Drepung in Tibet. It is noted that the recreated “Indian” Drepung almost completely preserved all the basic elements of religious activity, the administrative and disciplinary structure of the monastery as well as the regional kantsen communities that existed in Tibet before 1959.