The monastery of Tashilhunpo (Tibetan བཀྲ ་ ཤིས ་ ལྷུན ་ པོ ་; Wylie: will bkra shis lhun Po ), built in 1447, is a monastery Gelugpa of historical and cultural importance to Shigatse, with the Tibet. Located on a hill at the center of the city, its complete name in Tibetan means " all fortune and happiness gathered ici" or " heap of gloire".

The monastery is the traditional seat of the successive Panchen LAMA S, the Tulku of the line of the second spiritual authority of the Tibet.

History of Tashilhunpo in Tibet

In 1447, the monastery of Tashilhunpo was founded by the 1st Dalaï Lama, Gendun Drub, with Shigatse, second plus big city of the Tibet. With Séra, Ganden and Drépung, it is one of the 4 large monasteries of the Tibet Central has to be supervised the Dalaï Lama S and the Panchen LAMA S of the tradition of the Gelugpa (or “yellow bonnets”).

During the life of the 10th Panchen LAMA, Lobsang Choekyi Gyaltsen, there was more than 3.000 monks to the monastery and in 1959 there were 5.000 of them, with 2.000 more monks affiliated to the monastery living out of Tibet.

The Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959 and the Cultural revolution of 1966-80 involved the destruction of the monastic institutions of Tibet, causing the loss of many invaluable writings, statues and religious representations. Many monks were killed or were imprisoned and only 250 could follow Dalaï Lama in exile.

In 1995, Chadrel Rinpoché was the abbot in exercise of the monastery of Tashilhunpo. He discovered Gendhun Choekyi Nyima, the reincarnation of the 11th Panchen LAMA which is officially recognized by the Dalaï Lama. Chadrel Rinpoché was accused by the Chinese government of collaboration with the Dalaï Lama and was condemned to 6 years of prison. According to TCHRD, Chadrel Rinpoché was released with one year of delay, in January 2002 of the prison number 3 of Chuandong in the province of the Sichuan. For as much, it was placed at once under house arrest. In 2007, it is 67 years old.

Réétablissement of Tashilhunpo in India

In 1972, under the aegis of the 14th Dalaï Lama, the monastery of Tashilhunpo was réétabli in the Indian state Méridional of the Karnataka. The monastery is composed monks who come from the Tibet and of the areas of the Himalayas of Spiti, Khunu, Ladakh, Ghashar and Sangkhar. Occupying a central position in the refugee camp Tibetans of Bylakuppe, there is more than 250 monks of which many Tulkus studying various practice nuns.

Many monks escape from the Tibet, fleeing the imprisonment or death that it risky while trying to practice Buddhism inside Tibet. The surge of new refugees puts a tension on the monasteries réétablis in exile. The monastery of Tashilhunpo is one of poorest monasteries Tibetans réétablis in exile.

In 1960, much the old ones spangled left the Tibet and contributed with réétablissement of new monasteries in India, with the Nepal and the Bhutan. The last Panchen LAMA did not leave the Tibet and consequently much the old ones spangled Monastery of Tashilhunpo remained inside Tibet. Therefore, while the other monasteries in exile developed under the direction of old spangled, Tashilhunpo remained in a difficult situation.

The monastery of Tashilhunpo gives an education of the Buddhist religion as well as a modern education, and has a vital role in the safeguarding of Buddhism.