Songzanlin Monastery
Climb a mountain, visit a temple, fulfill a dream.
Ganden Songzanlin Temple, also known as Guihua Temple, is not only the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple in Yunnan Province, but also the center of the Gelugpa Yellow Sect in Sichuan and Yunnan, and plays a pivotal role in the entire Tibetan area. Because it looks similar to the Potala Palace in Tibet from afar, it is known as the "Little Potala Palace".
The name "Ganden Songzanlin" has a profound Buddhist meaning. Legend has it that heaven is divided into "six heavens," the fourth of which is called the Tusita Heaven. It has become solemn, sacred, and beautiful, like a painting, by the power of Maitreya Bodhisattva (Strongpa Buddha), and is called the "Maitreya Pure Land." "Ganden" refers to this "Tusita Heaven" (also known as the Happy Feet Heaven, Maitreya Palace). In 1410 AD, Ganden Monastery was built in Lhasa, and Tsongkhapa presided over the grand opening ceremony. Therefore, the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism took Ganden Monastery as its main temple. Songzanlin's title "Ganden" firstly means the beautiful Tusita Heaven that people yearn for, and secondly indicates its lineage with the Ganden Monastery founded by Tsongkhapa, the ancestor of the Gelugpa sect.
In Buddhism, Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are called "Three Treasures", Sutra, Vinaya, and Abhidharma are called "Three Pitakas", and the world is called "Three Realms". Buddha statues are divided into "Three Buddhas". Undoubtedly, "Three" has a profound meaning in Buddhism. "Songzan" in "Songzanlin" refers to three places of recreation, three levels of Indra, Virupaksha and Visvavasu form three heavens, namely the Thirty-Three Heavens. "Song" also has the meaning of three. According to the Fifth Dalai Lama, it is to practice the three studies of precepts, meditation, and wisdom, and to get rid of the three poisons of greed, anger, and delusion. It is a place where monks gather. "Lin" means "temple", which is the blessed field of the six paths of beings.
Opening Hours
07:30~18:30
Construction Date
1679
Tour Duration
2-3 hours
Ticket Price
¥90.00
Telephone:
Inquiries telephone:15758459023Office telephone:0887-8229411
Complaints telephone:15758459024Emergency telephone:15758459020
Address:
No.3, Niwang Road, Shangri-La City, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province
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Copyright: Shangri-La Songzanlin Scenic Area Protection and Development Co., Ltd.