Yerpa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yerpa. Also: Druk Yerpa, Dagyeba, Dayerpa, Trayerpa. The entrance to the Yerpa Valley is about 16 km northeast of Lhasa on the northern bank of the Kyichu. From there it is another 10 km to the famous ancient meditation caves in the spectacular limestone cliffs of the Yerpa Valley.
These cliffs contain some of the earliest known meditation sites in Tibet, some dating back to pre-Buddhist times. Among the more famous are those traditionally connected with Songtsän Gampo (604–650 CE), (traditionally the 33rd king of of the Yarlung Dynasty and first emperor of a united Tibet), and Padmasambhava or Guru Rinpoche (late 8th to early 9th century), who meditated and practiced tantric yoga with his yogini Yeshe Tsogyal here. Atisha (982 - 1054 CE) preached extensively in the valley.
The famous legendary hero Gesar of Ling is said to have visited the valley. The holes his arrows left in the cliffs are believed to be evidence of his presence.
The ancient Kadampa gompa was destroyed and the caves ransacked during the cultural revolution but there has been some rebuilding; new statues have been made and images repainted in the caves.
Later histories record that both Songsten Gampo and Trisong Detsen (756-797) founded temples at Yerpa.
It was from here that Lhalung Pelgyi Dorje set out to kill the anti-Buddhist Bön king Langdharma in 841 CE who is said to have assassinated the revered King Ralpachen in 838 CE.
There is an ancient sky burial site opposite the main caves.
[edit] References
- Dowman, Keith. The Power-places of Central Tibet: The Pilgrim's Guide. 1988. Routledge & Kegan Paul. London. ISBN 0-7102-1370-0
- Gyaltsen, Sakyapa Sonam. The Clear Mirror: A Traditional Account of Tibet's Golden Age. Translated by McComas Taylor and Lama Choedak Yuthok. 1996. Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, N.Y. ISBN 1-55939-048-4
- Richardson, H. E. 1985. A Corpus of Early Tibetan Inscriptions. Royal Asiatic Society. ISBN 0-94759300-4
