Larung Gar Buddhist Academy: The Marvelous Red Valley amidst Tibet

Not filled with dreamy or overflowing romantic blooms like other tourist spots, yet Larung Gar Valley brings you an entirely fresh perspective on faith, life, and purity.

Larung Gar Buddhist Academy: The Marvelous Red Valley amidst Tibet

Larung Gar Buddhist Academy is situated in the Larung Valley, Sêrtar County (Sichuan), within the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sêrtar, Sichuan Province, China, approximately 15km from Sêrtar town. This area is renowned for its terraced architectural complex with tens of thousands of world-renowned red wooden houses.

Larung Gar – the land of mystique

Established in 1980 by Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok – an influential Lama of the Nyingma sect, Larung Gar Buddhist Academy aims to infuse new vitality into Tibetan Buddhism and convey goodness to all humanity.

Initially, Khenpo selected the Larung Valley area to establish the academy because of its significance in the Tibetan Buddhist Nyingma tradition – where high lamas often meditate in pursuit of the Diamond Sutra and realization of the Four Noble Truths.

At that time, this valley area was still remote. However, due to his reputation, the academy continued to grow and became one of the most influential Tibetan Buddhist centers in the world.

Larung Gar serves as the residence and study place for over 10,000 Buddhist monks and nuns. Moreover, the academy offers online education programs for tens of thousands of individuals worldwide.

About 10% of the students are Han Chinese and are enrolled in programs taught in Mandarin, while most programs are conducted in the Amdo Tibetan language. Additionally, the academy houses a nunnery with approximately 4,000 nuns – a rarity among Buddhist centers across Asia.

Embracing the Essence of Eastern Buddhism

Stepping into Larung Gar, many are stunned by the sight of countless red wooden houses built closely together in a vast, windy valley.

Due to its elevation of over 3,800m above sea level and perpetual cold air, the residents here have learned to combat harsh weather conditions. Apart from wearing layers of thick clothing or constructing heat-retaining wooden houses, they also rely on Buddhist scriptures as an effective means to ward off the biting cold. Deep within, the residents believe that the compassionate Buddha will always warm the souls of their beloved children.

Furthermore, Larung Gar is renowned as the largest Buddhist Academy in the world, with over 50,000 monks, novices, and nuns congregating here. Naturally, they must embrace a secluded life – or in other words, completely detach from the outside hustle and bustle to delve into meditation and achieve enlightenment on their arduous path.

Living in a vast valley with a plethora of strict 'monastic rules', yet the practitioners here still enjoy basic amenities such as: venturing to the market to buy a few bottles of distinctive condensed milk in the early morning, freely exploring mystical spiritual areas at the Academy, and most importantly, still being able to use smartphones like any other ordinary individuals.

From the early morning, while everything is still in deep slumber, the venerable monks have already started making their way to the academy in warm, subdued red attire with prayer beads in hand to engage in meditation and study Buddhism or Eastern philosophy.

In a fixed cyclical pattern, they only return home and cook vegetarian dishes when the sun has descended after the twilight. Larung Gar at night is also splendid with thousands of glittering lights stretching from the valley's peak down to its very base. This place resembles a miniature city amidst the backdrop of vast wilderness in the remote land of Tibet.

Every year, around 1,000 wooden houses are newly built here, thanks to both professional laborers and local monks and residents.

Explore where time stands still

To set foot in Larung Gar, you must traverse through many regions with extremely harsh natural conditions. But rising amidst those challenges is an abundance of stunning beauty that makes millions of people around the world secretly yearn.

The nearest city to Larung Gar is Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, China. Of course, from Chengdu to the Buddhist valley, there is still a journey of over 865 kilometers along extremely treacherous roads.

You will have to traverse snow-capped mountains all year round, cross vast fields of golden rapeseed flowers in the early morning sun. However, few are interested and pay attention to the breathtaking scenery. Because their ultimate goal is to witness the majestic beauty of the red valley of Larung Gar.

In contrast to the inherent hustle and bustle, the Buddhist sanctuary in the heart of Tibet exudes a strangely tranquil and serene atmosphere. The sounds of bells and the recitation of Buddhist scriptures haunt people throughout their journey in this new land. It's a dreamlike atmosphere hidden behind the hazy eyes of travelers from various countries around the world.

And now, Larung Gar seems to be gradually losing its inherent beauty. Perhaps never again will people be able to enjoy the pure and tranquil air like at Larung Gar – the largest Buddhist 'sanctuary' on the planet.

From Young Knowledge

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Reference: Travel Guide from Mytour