Drubgyud Choeling

The construction of Drubgyud Choeling Monastery in Lumbini, which is the birthplace of Lord Buddha, has just been completed. Lumbini is situated 150 km southwest of Kathmandu in Nepal, it is a symbol of peace and compassion of the Lord Buddha for all the sentient beings.

A pillar built by King Ashoka marks the exact location of Shakyamuni Buddha's birthplace in Lumbini. As the birthplace of Lord Buddha, Lumbini holds special significance for all Buddhists. It represents the potential within each sentient being for enlightenment and freedom.

Lumbini Development Plan

In 1967, the United Nations' secretary - general U Thant, called upon the international community to create a pilgrimage and tourist centre in Lumbini.

Lumbini

This led to the formation of an international Development Committee for the project. Based in New York, the Committee comprised representatives from 16 nations. One of their first tasks was to engage Professor Kenzo Tange of Japan, world renowned for his distinctive, unique and vernacular architecture, to conceptualise the master plan for the development of Lumbini.

The Lumbini Development Trust was formed in Nepal in 1985 to implement and administer the master plan with assistance from international funding.

The Monastery

In 1996, Venerable Shangpa Rinpoche accepted a request by the Dharmo Dhaya Buddhist Committee to undertake the construction and management of a Monastery, within the master plan, on a 1,500 square meters plot of land.

The Monastery is two stories high. It is designed and built according to traditional Tibetan architecture. It comprises a main shrine hall, a library, a dining hall, a kitchen and living quarters. The main shrine hail will feature a 8ft high statue of Buddha Shakyamuni and several hundred gold plated statues of Lord Buddha, each standing 200mm high. Its walls will be decorated with paintings detailing Lord Buddha's life from his birth to his parinirvana. The hall has a seating capacity for about 300 people. The library will contain a comprehensive collection of books written in both Tibetan and English. Texts covering the traditions of Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana will be available for reference. The classrooms will be used for conducting courses of study. The dining hall and living quarters will provide sustenance and accommodation for members of the Sangha and pilgrims.

Inauguration Ceremony for Drubyud Choeling Monastery on 21 November 2001

The major external construction work has been completed. The Tibetan artist has now completed the painting and decorating of the inner shrine hall, with paintings on the life of the Buddha; as well as the painting of the Six Great Indian Masters (known as the Six Ornaments), and the two main disciples of the Buddha (known as the two Supreme Ones) who beautified the Buddha's teaching and made them accessible to all through their commentaries.

Drubgyud Choeling Monastery
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The Grand Inauguration Ceremony of the monastery took place on 21 November 2001.

New Images of Drubgyud Choeling Monastery

These images were taken recently (July-Nov 2001), and show the current state of construction of the monastery. Please click on the thumbnails to view larger versions of the images: