Monastery Features

Monastery buildings have a lot of features in Tibetan architecture as its status in Tibetan social system.

Tibetan Architecture - Monastery Features

Leaning Buddhism scripture is the most important activity of monasteries. In general, Exotoric Buddhism and Esoteric Buddhism comprised of a Buddhism Monastery.

The monastery buildings were constructed like a Chinese character of ?. The great hall of the monastery is called Cuoqen which literally means gathring palace. The scripture hall of Cuoqen hall of Drepung Monastery is the gathring place of more than 2000 square meters.

2. Besides the learning of the scriptures, monks in the monastery in Tibet would also like to learn language, writing, poems, medicines, astronomy, and maths caculation. Monastery also takes charge of print, libruary, and architecture.

3. Many monasterires also takes charge of executive functions. As Tibetan monastery usually owns a manor, it is absolutely a individual economy system. Drepung Monastery owns 185 manors, a plough of 51000 mu and more than 300 pastures. Acutally 40% plough has been used by Tibetan monasteries.

4. Besides those three kinds of features above, Cuoqen and Zhacang are mainly regarded as the center of a Tibetan monastery. The layour and structure is flexible. Cuoqen hall is an activity center of the whole monastery but also the the Tibetan architecture center of this building.