Chudo Jampa Ling
Chudo Jampa Ling, aka Palden Chudo Jampa Ling (Tib. དཔལ་ལྡན་ཆུ་མདོ་བྱམས་པ་གླིང་, Wyl. dpal ldan chu mdo byams pa gling) aka Chöding (Tib. ཆོས་ལྡིང, Wyl. chos lding) is a Geluk monastery in northern Powo.
Location
Chudo Jampa Ling lies in the northern part of Powo (aka Potö), close to Pulung Rinchen Ling, and is located above the junction of the Potö Chu with its tributary the Yarlung Chu.[1]
Foundation
Chudo Jampa Ling was founded by Gar Dampa Zhonnu Dorje, aka Gar Dampa Chodingpa (who appears in the Garchen Tulku Incarnation Line) around the year 1215, at Lungsho.
Description
The monastery structure comprised of several buildings, such as an assembly hall, a protector temple, a guest house and storage facilities. The shrine of the monastery was arranged in the Geluk style along with statues and stupas containing the relics of the abbots of Chudo Jampa Ling as well as many relics of important Geluk lamas. [2]
Developments
Since its foundation, Chudo Jampa Ling was closely connected to Pulung Rinchen Ling, and was later offered to Tsongkhapa. Chudo Jampa Ling was visited in that time by many masters of the early Geluk, such as Tsongkhapa‘s two main disciples, Gyaltsab Je (1364—1432) and Khedrup Gelek Pelzang (1385—1438), Jamchen Choje Shākya Yeshe, founder of Sera Monastery and Neten Jangchub Bum.
Sonam Lhundrup who was in charge at the time, invited Neten Sangye Drakpa from Guge, a personal student of Tsonkhapa, to take charge of teaching sutra and tantra at the newly established college with the financial help of the king of Kanam. [3] The Second Chakra Tulku, Choje Ngawang (lcags ra sprul sku 02 chos rje ngag dbang)1525-1591 served as the sixth abbot of Chudo Jampa Ling.
There has been thirty-two head lamas in charge of the monastery since the adoption of Chudo Jampa Ling to the Geluk tradition.
As Chudo Jampa Ling was closely connected to the Geluk tradition, it benefitted from the support of the Central Tibetan government from the reign of the Ganden Podrang onwards.
As such, Chudo Jampa Ling was one of the ten affiliated monasteries belonging to Sera Je college, religious teachers and administrators were sent. The first of the succession of abbots was Beso Chökyi Gyaltsen (Wyl. bas so chos kyi rgyal mtshan).
There are four more monasteries connected to Chudo Jampa Ling, forming the so-called group of five monasteries of Chudo:
- Mugu Chakta Gön
- Nenang Gön
- Ngönpo Thing Gön
- Kharukha Gön
Main practices held
When it was established, Chudo Jampa Ling followed the Drikung Kagyü tradition, as was the case for Pulung Rinchen Ling (both were founded by Gar Dampa Zhonnu Dorje). Phulung Rinchen Ling remained Kagyü, while Chudo Jampal Ling began to follow the practices which were to become the Geluk.
Main Teachers
The main incarnation lines were those of the Garchen Tulku and of the Chakra Tulku.