Dzongsar Monastery

Dzongsar Monastery is a Buddhist monastery in Dêgê County in the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan, China, southeast of the town of Derge and east of Palpung Monastery. Historically it lay in the Kham region of Tibet. Founded in 746 and destroyed in 1958, it was rebuilt in 1983.

The monastery belongs to the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism and was the main seat of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö. However it is noted for its eclecticism of the Rimé movement and its openness to most of the teaching sects of Tibetan Buddhism.

History

Old monastery

Dzongsar Gonpa was originally founded in 746 AD by a Bönpo Lama. Originally there was just a very small temple at this site, called Jowo-Lha-Chig-Kar-Chig and the Bönpo shrine remained until 1958. The original Bönpo Gonpa was later transformed into a Nyingma and a Kadampa temple at some stage but it wasn't until 1275 that it was founded as a Sakya monastery by Drogön Chögyal Phagpa on his return from China.