Larung Gar, a spectacular Buddhist academy

The planet is full of amazing corners but even the richest in the world will not have time in his life to know them all. So in Hard Hobbit To Break We have set ourselves the objective of showing you some of the most spectacular so that, at least, you can meet them online.

Today, for example, we move to Tibet to discover Larung Gar, an impressive city that is actually a Buddhist academy. Yes! Yes! As you are reading it! Would you like to discover more details about this amazing place? Well you know what you have to do! Do not miss anything we tell you below!

Exorbitant growth

As we were telling you, today we moved to Larung Gar, a Buddhist academy also known as the Shertar Institute that is located in the Larung Valley, specifically in the city of Sêrtar (Garze Prefecture, Tibet). Founded in 1980 by Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok, lama of the Nyingma tradition, in an uninhabited valley, the academy has grown exorbitantly. In fact, today more than 40,000 people are located in what many consider a city. As you can imagine, it is one of the most important places for Tibetan Buddhism. Apparently, the construction of this academy has been possible thanks to private donations.

Wooden houses

As you can see for yourself in the images that we offer you in our gallery, this kind of Buddhist university campus is really huge. The most surprising thing, without a doubt, is the change that the valley has undergone in just 30 years: from being completely deserted to having numerous wooden houses that fit perfectly with the style of other homes in the area. As you can see, they are totally packed together. Although each of them has between 2 and 3 rooms, the truth is that they do not have a bathroom or drinking water, since these are services community. On the other hand, although women and men are accepted into the academy, they do not live in the same place, but are separated by a huge wall. Thus, monks and nuns can only be seen when they meet in common areas, such as the main hall of the monastery.

Students of different ethnicities

One of the great peculiarities of the Shertar Institute is that it is open to anyone interested in this branch of Buddhism, including Chinese students. In fact, classes are held in Mandarin. There are also students from Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. And although he is known for his religious and secular education, the truth is that there are also classes in philosophy, astronomy, English, Chinese and even computer science. Yes! Yes! As you are reading it! Even Buddhism is being influenced by new technologies.

A complicated and long road

Although many travelers are curious to approach this great Buddhist academy, the truth is that the path is not easy at all. In fact, the closest city is Chengdu, which is 650 kilometers away. And the problem is not only that the road lasts from 13 to 15 hours, but it has to be done on quite dangerous roads. In addition, it is important to bear in mind that many times the Government decides to close the path to foreigners. If you finally decide to visit this place, you should know that foreigners will not be able to go to the religious side of the city, but will have to stay in the secular part, especially if they are western tourists. Then we leave you with our Gallery, where you will find more images of this amazing place located in Tibet. Do not miss it!

Larung Gar Buddhist Academy - Under Threat (May 2024)