Milarepa's Cave

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Overlooking Pelgyeling Gompa at Milarepa's cave, Tibet
Overlooking Pelgyeling Gompa at Milarepa's cave, Tibet

Milarepa's Cave is a cave where the great Tibetan Buddhist philosopher and Vajrayana Mahasiddha Milarepa spent many years of his life in the eleventh century, 10km north of Nyalam in the roadside near a tiny village called Zhonggang in Tibet.

A path leads down from the roadside through the village and down a hillside where a small monastery (gompa) named Pelgye Ling[1] has been built. (The name of the gompa is sometimes spelt Phelgye Ling[2]). Milarepa's cave is entered from the gompa's vestibule. Pilgrim's offerings of decorated stones along the path and sweet-smelling herbs and wild flowers growing all around make this a place of great peace and beauty. The cave itself is kept as a shrine by two monks, guarding a statue of Milarepa enclosed in a glass case.

Restoration work within the cave and the monastery was undertaken by artists and craftsmen from Nepal[3] and was financed by the Chinese government in the 1970's.

Milarepa statue, Pango Chorten, Gyantse, Tibet
Milarepa statue, Pango Chorten, Gyantse, Tibet

[edit] In art

The cave and the Pelgye Ling temple hae been the subject of Richard Gere's artisic photo work, Milarepa's Cave, Nyelam Pelgye Ling Temple, Tibet (1993).[4]

[edit] External links

  1. ^ Tibet: Highlights in Brief
  2. ^ Karl-Heinz Everding, "Tibet: lamaistische Klosterkulturen, nomadische Lebensformen und bäuerlicher Alltag ...", p. 260. ISBN 3770148037
  3. ^ Dowman, Keith. 1988. The Power-places of Central Tibet: The Pilgrim's Guide. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London & New York. ISBN 0-7102-1370-0, p. 282.
  4. ^ MARGARETT LOKE, "Art In Review" Column New York Times, November 28, 1997


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