Sera Ngakpa College Information

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THL Reference Number: f1167

College Name - Wylie: sngags pa

Number of Monks Prior to 1959: 1000+

Total Number of Monks 2002: 100

Number of Monks 2002 (official): 100

Number of Monks 2002 (unofficial): 0

Tutelary Deity:

Protector Deity:

Author of Textbook:

Founder:

Founding Date: early 17th century

Construction Date of Current Temple: 1419

Construction Patron of Current Temple:

Description:

The Ngakpa — or Tantric — College of Sera is the youngest, and also the smallest, of Sera's three colleges. It was founded in the early 18th century as the personal ritual college of the then ruler of Tibet, Lhazang Khang (lha bzang khAng, d. 1717). When Lhazang Khang came to power, he promised to build a new assembly hall at Sera (the present Great Assembly Hall), on condition that the old assembly hall be converted into a private Tantric Ritual College or Kurim Tratsang (sku rim grwa tshang) that would devote itself to the performance of rituals on his behalf. In this way, the old Sera Assembly Hall became the temple and headquarters for the new Tantric College. This makes the Tantric College temple the oldest temple at Sera, portions of which may date to the very founding of the monastery.

Before 1959 it seems that all of the monks of this college came strictly from Central Tibet. To gain official admission, monks would have to memorize all of the various ritual cycles, and take a series of formal oral examinations. The Tantric College is exclusively dedicated to tantric ritual practice (i.e., there is no philosophical curriculum). Throughout the year, the monks engage in five major ritual cycles (chos thog): Sangdü, (gsang 'dus, 12th Tibetan month), Jigché ('jigs byed, 6th Tibetan month), Demchok (bde mchog, 10th Tibetan month), Künrig (kun rig, 4th Tibetan month), and the nine long-life gods (tshe dpag lha dgu, 2nd Tibetan month). Before 1959, the Ngakpa College had no living quarters for its monks, and those monks would have to find rooms in the regional houses of the philosophical colleges. In recent years, the College has undertaken a renovation of a large apartment building located behind the College, and this serves as its principal residential complex today. Unlike the Jé and Mé Colleges, who share an abbot, the Ngakpa College has its own abbot. However, as with all of Sera's colleges, it is the "Democratic Governing Board" that runs the affairs of the Ngakpa College today.

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