Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley with Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba and other dignitaries at the Tharpaling consecration

Tharpaling Shedra 20 August, 2010 – Hundreds of devotees gathered at the Tharpaling monastery in Chumey, Bumthang yesterday to celebrate the consecration of a new lhakhang for Tharpaling shedra.

Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley inaugurated the three-storied shedra, which is spread over a 45 sq ft area and overlooks the Chumey valley. The shedra, located 11 km uphill from Gyetza village in Chumey gewog, has about 30 novices.

Lyonchhoen was accompanied by the works and human settlement minister, Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba, parliamentarians and other government officials. “The works and human settlement minister and parliamentarians are at the consecration ceremony on behalf of His Majesty, the government and the people of Bhutan,” said Lyonchhoen.

A Tibetan buddhist scholar, Kuenkhen Longchen Rabjam, who first introduced the Ngingma tradition to Bhutan, founded Tharpaling monastery in the 1300s. Tharpaling shedra’s khenpo Karma Leki said that the tradition of shedras, drubdras and moenlam chenmo originated from Tharpaling – one of the eight sacred places where Longchen Rabjam resided. The first moenlam chenmo was held in Tharpaling in 1937 during the second king Druk Gyalpo Jigme Wangchuck’s reign.

Lyonchhoen interacts with the public during tashi lebay at the end of the ceremony

Referring to the guiding development philosophy of GNH, the prime minister said that it has to do with balancing the needs of the body and the mind.

“While greed can never be fully suppressed, the GNH philosophy stresses the importance of developing spritual needs as well,” he said at the consecration ceremony. “To this end, it has been the government’s endeavour to improve the physical well being of the people and to raise their material comfort. However, the pursuit of spiritual wellbeing must be the effort of the individuals, communities and religious organisations.”

He praised the contributions made by various past students of Tharpaling shedra, including four, who became Je Khenpos; while many became abbots and renowned teachers in the country. With the expansion and improvements in the shedra, Lyonchhoen expressed his confidence that the shedra will play a pivotal role in enabling Bhutanese to balance their material prosperity with spirituality.

He also praised Lopen Nado of Nado Poizokhang for the singular effort that he has made, with some support from others to build the new temple. The construction of the new shedra lhakhang began in 2008, with funding of almost Nu 10.21M from lopen Nado. Khenpo Karma Leki said that they required almost Nu 0.8M more to build the Lungta phodrang inside the temple.Source: Kuenselonline