Houzang Zhi

Author: J?āna Nātha
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-09-01
Features: When introducing the famous scenic spots and historical sites in the Yarlung Tsangpo River Basin, J?āna Nātha is not bound by sectarian prejudices. He treats equally the monasteries, sacred sites, and the deeds and legends of eminent monks and masters of all major Tibetan Buddhist schools, including Bonpo, with an impartial and objective approach. This is a rare and commendable feature of the book. The author adopts a straightforward descriptive style, which is another distinctive characteristic of the work. The book records over one hundred temples and sacred sites, with varying levels of detail. For general historical sites, the author concisely introduces their miraculous relics or anecdotes. For important towns such as Gyantse, Baling, and Rikaze, he lavishly praises their abundant resources, spiritual significance, outstanding people, flourishing Buddhism, and glorious history. For influential and historically significant monasteries like Tashilhunpo Monastery, Nyingma Monastery, Gartong Monastery, Manling Monastery, and Tsuglagkhang Monastery, he dedicates extensive to detailing the origins and construction of the monasteries, the layout of their halls, the miraculous statues, the precious scriptures, rare religious facilities, stories of sacred relics, the deeds of famous monks, the origins of their teachings, the lineage of their transmissions, the genealogies of their abbots, the historical achievements of their rulers, and their contributions to promoting Buddhism. The book is thus a comprehensive temple chronicle, making the entire work a harmonious blend of historical records and biographies—a further distinctive feature of the book.