Yong He Gong Lamasery

The grand imperial entrance to Yong He Gong Lamasery, a rather impressive Chinese Tibetan Buddhist monastery...

Over the weekend, I was in Beijing for a business meeting with a client there. I heard so much about Yong He Gong and I decided to go check it out while I was there. What I saw blew my mind away as I didn't anticipate so much Tibetan Buddhism is entrenched in Chinese history and culture in such a big way like this. 

Apparently, Yong he Hong was built during the reign of Emperor Kangxi known to the Tibetans as the incarnation of Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen or better known as Dorje Shugden, initially as a palace quarters for eunuchs and then as the residence of the Royal Prince, Prince Yong. When Prince Yong ascended the dragon throne as the Emperor Yongsheng, he converted his royal quarters into a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in honor of his parents. 

I had the honor to discover this in Beijing and was delighted to pay homage to the Chinese Lama Tsongkhapa image enshrined in the huge Falun Hall. I made prayers there for my parents and loved ones and took a stroll around the temple complex.

Lama Tsongkhapa just looks resplendent here and represents a very powerful link between the Chinese people and that of Buddhadharma. Perhaps one day, an image of Dorje Shugden would be constructed by the temple authorities when the ban comes down. 

This 18meters tall statue of Maitreya rendered in the Indo-Tibetan style is just spectacular. Apparently, it is carved out of a single trunk of a large Sandalwood tree. This is also the largest statue in this temple. I fortunate enough to be able to capture almost the entire statue within this picture. 

Halls with shrines to the Tantric deities and the great Dharma Protectors of India, Tibet and China. These living evidence of Tantra having been practiced by the great Sangha of Yong He Gong. 

The temple museum showcases some of Yong He Gong's most refined statues of the Yidams and Dharma Protectors. According to inscription, the statues were mostly the result of some of the finest Nepalese, Tibetan and Chinese craftsmen. The fusion of style has resulted in these fantastic devotional statues. 

Made good prayers here but I had to rush off as this was just a short trip but will plan future trips to a more lengthy prayer and sight-seeing around the temple complex. All in all, Yong He Gong came out to be a nice end to a hectic business trip to Beijing.