Ralung monastery

The Ralung monastery can be traced back to one of the great Tibetan Yogi Jetsun Tsangpa Gyare Yeshe Dorje, born in 1161 in Ngang To, Shigatse prefecture. Je Tsangpa Gyare was one of the fortunate masters who had a chance to meet the great Yogi Je Lingrepa Pema Dorje. 

History of the Ralung monastery

After meeting his master in the village of Ralung, he later established the magnificent monastery of Ralung near the mountain and a river (a great place for retreat) in the year 1180. Ra means Goat and Lung means place or oral transmission. From my knowledge, I have a deep feeling that the name Ralung is connected to one of the greatest Tibetan Yogi ( Jetsun Ra Lotsawa )

In the short biography of Jetsun Lingrepa Pema Dorje, it states that he met a master, namely Ra Lotsawa. Since Ra Lotsawa was one of the Tibetan masters said to have lived for around 180 years, it might be Jetsun Ra Lotsawa from whom he received the teachings of Yamantaka Buddha, or it might be another master, namely Ra.

Je Lingrepa Pema Dorje was one of the Tibetan masters having a precious lineage from Jetsun Milarepa's disciple Jetsun Rechungpa, and Jetsun Gampopa's disciple Jetsun Phakmo Drupa. Another great lineage from Jetsun Ra Lotsawa. 

Drukpa Kagyu 

There were around seven schools; now there are four major schools. 

1. Nyingma school 
2. Kagyu school
3. Sakya school
4. Gelug school 

Three other schools are the Kadampa, Shije, and Jonang schools. The Kagyu school is divided into four major Dakpo Kagyu schools and eight sub-Pagdru schools. 

Four Major Dakpo Kagyu Schools

1. Karma Kagyu
2. Barom Kagyu
3. Tsalpa Kagyu
4. Pagdru Kagyu

Eight sub-Pagdru schools

1. Drigung Kagyu
2. Drukpa Kagyu
3. Taklung Kagyu
4. Martsang Kagyu
5. Shugseb Kagyu
6. Trophu Kagyu
7. Yamzang Kagyu
8. Yelpa Kagyu

The Kagyu school is famous for focusing on meditation and retreats. ( The school of the Yogi wanderers ) The name Drukpa refers to the Bhutanese. The compassion of Tibetan masters from the Drukpa Kagyu school is one of the beautiful influences behind the name of Bhutan ( Druk ), meaning Dragon. 

Ralung monastery is the principal monastery of the Drukpa Kagyu school of Buddhism in Tibet. During those centuries, the Drukpa Kagyu school was one of the most popular Buddhist schools in Tibet. There is even a saying (One-third of the people in the world are Drukpa Kagyu school disciples ). That is the reason the Monastery was once a huge Buddhist college. 

Beauties of the Drukpa Kagyu

The Drukpa Kagyu school focuses on meditation, as did their great ancestors, starting with Je Dorje Chang, Je Tilopa, Je Naropa, Je Marpa, Je Milarepa, Je Rechungpa, Je Dakpo Laje, Je Phakmo Drupa, Je Ling Repa, and Je Tsangpa Gyare. The school has many great, crazy wisdom masters, including the three crazy masters from the Tsang Shigatse area.

1. Je Drukpa Kunley
2. Je Tsang Nyon
3. Je U Nyon

A few other very compassionate masters from the Drukpa Kagyu school that I have the merit to know the names are: 

1. Je Gotsangpa Gonpo Dorje 
2. Je Yanggonpa Gyeltsen Pel

There are so many great Yogis from the Drukpa Kagyu school that I have no merit to read the biographies.  I have a deep love for the Drukpa Kagyu school because it focuses on the walk rather than the talk. They are the ones who spent many decades in solitude at the retreat. They are the real wandering Tibetan Sadhus sleeping at the retreat area and playing with the Sentient Beings like a mother plays with her son. 

Modern-day Ralung monastery

The reason I would like to recommend Ralung monastery to Travelers is the monastery's genuine atmosphere. There are barely any tourists here because most travel agencies focus on bigger, more popular tourist sites, so it's essential that Tibet Travelers include Ralung to see the genuine spiritual beauty.

Our three travelers visited Ralung monastery in 2025.

The monastery is not as huge as other monasteries in Lhasa or Shigatse. The monastery's principal relic is the statue of the Drukpa Kagyu founder Jetsun Tsangpa Gyare. For people with lots of good karma, the statue can be seen smiling. For people with a lot of evil karma, the statue can seem a bit sad. Ralung monastery is located around 20km from the Karo La Glacier and a  few hours' drive from Yamdrok Lake. 

Conclusion

Ralung monastery, Sakya monastery, and a few other countryside monasteries are excellent recommendations for Travelers. We highly recommend Ralung for Travelers loving spiritual beauty. For Tibet travel information or booking a tour to Tibet. Email Tibet Travelers at info@tibettravelers.com