MINDROLING MONASTERY

Founded in 1676 by Minling Terchen, the Mindroling Monastery - whose name means Perfect Emancipation - becomes a great Nyingmapa scholarship center. Burned in 1718 by the dzounguys, it was rebuilt even larger and sometimes houses up to 300 monks. Minling Rimpocket, his superior and theoretical leader of the Nyingmapas, was replaced by Dudjom Rimpoche because his main practice, the dream yoga, did not make him available for teaching. He is currently living in Clement Town, northern India.

Despite an ongoing renovation, what strikes most during the visit is the perfection of the walls of the monastery. The stones are all of identical size, perfectly adjusted. On two floors, several chapels contain the stûpa of education (kadam-chörten) and remarkable frescoes. Mindroling currently has about twenty monks.