Shechen monastery is located in the eastern Tibet where there are nearly a hundred and sixty monasteries. It was founded in 1695 by Rabjam Tenpai Gyaltsen who had been sent by the fifth Dalai Lama to Kham with the mission to find a Nyingma monastery. Shechen Monastery is one of the six primary monasteries of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.
The original Shechen Monastery was located southwest of Langduo Township in Kham on the route to Dzogchen Monastery in what is now Dege County, Garze Prefecture, Sichuan, China. it has an altitude of 3,950 meters above the sea level. It is approximately around 20 kilometres west of the Dzogchen monastery. The monastery became extremely influential in the 18th and 19the centuries with up to one hundred and sixty monasteries dotting the hillsides. The monastery was destroyed in the 1950s as part of Cultural Revolution.in 1985 when Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche returned to Tibet he found nothing but ruins. Due to his inspiration and to the unchangeable strength of mind of the Tibetan people the monastery is now rebuilt and despite the difficult situations, its activities have been resumed. About thirty of its affiliated monasteries have been rebuilt, but an enormous amount still needs to be done.

The Shedra (which is Tibetan name for the monastic school) was reconstructed and is operating with full enrolment and a waiting list of candidates from surrounding monasteries. The rebuilt three-year retreat needs to be expanded so that more people can participate. The fund is needed to complete and improve the buildings in the monastery complex.
In the 1980s, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche transplanted the rich tradition of the original Shechen Monastery to a new home near the Great Stupa of Boudhanath in Kathmandu, Nepal. In 1996 Rabjam Rinpoche with the participation of dedicated volunteers and donors built Shechen Monastery in Bodhgaya India.

Shechen monastery rapidly became one of the six principal monasteries of the Nyingma or ancient tradition. It was renowned for the pure spirituality of its teachers and hermits, for the quality of the teaching at its philosophical college and for the authenticity of its sacred arts such as ritual, chants, music and dance. Many great masters originated from Shechen Monastery including Shechen Gyalstab, Shechen Kongtrul, Khempo Gangsar, and the sage Mipham Rinpoche. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Chogyam Trungpa and many other important 20th century teachers took teachings at the monastery.

Shechen Monastery in Nepal serves as the main seat of the Shechen tradition outside of the Tibet. There are more than 300 monks at Shechen Monastery. the monastery teaches music, dance, painting and Buddhist philosophy. Its elementary school provides a modern education for children between five and fourteen years of age.
The Present abbot is the seventh Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, the grandson of Dilgo Khyentse. Prominent members of the monastery include the reincarnation of Dilgo Khyentse, Matthieu Richard and Changling Rinpoche.

Shechen monastery is located in the open valley of Base village, which is about 20 kilometres from the road intersection that connects Maniganago in the east and Sershul County in the west. It is about 80 km west from Manigango, the only pass between these two sites is the 4,500 meters Hai-Zi La pass, it takes nearly 3 hours to cover this distance.
Sershul is about 150 northwest of Shechen, which may take 3-4 hours to cover this distance, and Sershul County is about another 3.5 hours drive to Yushu airport, which has a direct flight to major cities of China, such as Beijing, Xining. Alternative, Garzer Gesar airport will be the nearest airport to this site when it is completed at the end of 2018.

How to Travel to Shechen Monastery:
There is no bus to reach Shechen Monastery, the possible way that you can use are:
1. To take the bus from Garze town to Sershul, get off the bus at San Ca He, from which you will need to hitchhike for 20 kilometres to reach the valley entrance to Shechen Monastery, which is about 300 meters westward at the bottom of the valley.
2.  The simpler or easier way is to rent one local minibus from Manigango to Shechen, which may cost RMB 700.00 to 800.00 for a round trip within a day.
Through the year, Shechen monks organize events for the public and serve the spiritual needs of the local community. Every summer the monks participate in the traditional summer retreat practised since the time of the Buddha.
Along with exploring the Shechen Monastery one can also explore the beauty of the surrounding area and also explore the tradition and culture that they follow and practice today.

If you have any questions for your travel to Tibet or need information on particular places in Tibet, please feel free to write us at [email protected]. We, Explore Tibet is local Tibetan owned travel company in Tibet and we are happy to guide you into our culture and beautiful landscapes.