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Monasteries
The Asura Cave Temple is the retreat center where the monks from Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery complete the traditional three-year retreat. It has also recently been expanded and offers retreat facilities for visiting practitioners interested in serious retreat practice.
The retreat center is situated at the village of Pharping, a picturesque village on the southern rim of the Kathmandu Valley. Here, at the upper cave of Yangleshö (more commonly known as Asura Cave), the great master Padmasambhava practiced and attained the Mahamudra level of enlightenment.
One of the final wishes of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, was that his sons, Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche and Chokling Rinpoche, build a monastery in Lumbini. This, he saw, would serve as a great inspiration for innumerable sentient beings and bring extraordinary benefit. Now, through the aspirations and heartfelt commitment of the sangha, this vision is about to become a reality. The monastery, which will be known as Pal Thubten Shedrub Ling, is about to be built on land granted by the Government of Nepal as a national heritage site and the architectural plans have already been drawn up.
As a major seat for the representations of enlightened Body, Speech and Mind, the monastery will house three large statues representing the Buddhas of the past, present and future. In addition, the monastery will house 1000 exquisite, golden representations of all the Buddhas of this Fortunate Aeon. Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and his sons have aspired that Pal Thubten Shedrub Ling will come to serve not only as an important monastic seat of learning and practice, but also as a source of immediate and ever-lasting peace and well-being for all sentient beings..
Drong Monastery is the Tibetan seat of Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche's re-incarnation lineage. Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche is the seventh incarnation of the Drikung Kagyü Lama, Gar Drubchen, a Tibetan siddha who founded this monastery in Nakchukha, Central Tibet. Before the Chinese occupation the monastery was residence for 500 monks and lamas but it was later destroyed during the cultural revolution. Currently, the monastery has been partly restored and plans are under way to fully develop this seat to its former state.
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