Zhayaba was one of the four major places at which Buddhist masters practiced mediation. Located in the Lhari Nyingbo Mountains about 20 km northeast of Lhasa, the area features grotesque peaks, strangely shaped rocks, streams, grassland, caves and a monastery. Its long history, the holiness of the environment, and the unique scenery combine to confirm the sayings often heard in Lhasa that “Lhasa is the holy land of Tibet, and Yaba is the holy land of Lhasa”; and “To miss Yaba while in Lhasa is like making a jacket without a collar”. From this we can see the importance of Yaba in the eyes of the Tibetan Buddhists.
Driving eastwards from Lhasa one reaches the Najain Power Station. After crossing a steep mountain behind the station and following Mountain Yaba Gully into the Lhari Nyingbo Mountains, one reaches the Zhayaba Cave area.
Zhayaba teems with small temples. The most important of these is the Zolhakang, where the Tubo king Songtsan Gambo's Tibetan concubine, Mamsa Trizun, worshipped the statue of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism. Sang'aling monastery was built by Kezhugyai Geleg Besang, the first disciple of Zongkapa, founder of the first disciple of Zongkapa, founder of the Yellow Hat sect. The monastery is famous for a three-storey-high statue of the Qamba Buddha (Maitreya), the highest of its type in the Lhasa area.
Hayaba is famous throughout Tibet for the caves where Buddhist masters mediated. Legend has it that there are 108 such caves in the area, including the Moon Cave where Master Padmasambhava conducted his mediation, the Master's Cave in which Adixa, who came from India and who lectured on Buddhism in Ngari, resided; and the Lhalung Cave which, according to legend, served as the secret residence of Lhalung Bedo, a Tantric monk who Killed the Tubo king Dama Wodongtsan who was responsible for the suppression of Buddhism in Lhasa in the mid-9th century. |
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