List of Tibetan monasteries

This list of Tibetan monasteries is a listing of historical and contemporary monasteries in Tibet sorted according to the five principal orders of the Tibetan spiritual traditions that have been recognized by the present Dalai Lama, including monasteries that were within Tibetan borders when extant, or were culturally included within the Tibetan tradition:

Bön

• Menri
• Yungdrung Ling
• Triten Norbutse
• Bon Gyal Monastery, Repkong, Amdo,aka Tongren, Qinghai

Kadam/Geluk

The three most important centers of the Gelugpa lineage are Sera, Drepung and Ganden Monasteries.

• Alchi

Drepung Monastery

• Drepung — the home monastery of H.H. the Dalai Lama

Ganden Monastery

• Ganden — the seat of the Ganden Tripa
• Jokhang — said to have been built by King Songtsen Gampo in 647 AD; a major pilgrimage site.
• Kirti Gompa — Ngawa City, the main city in Ngawa County, within the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in northwestern Sichuan
• Tradruk Temple — the largest, oldest and most important monastery in the Yarlung Valley. Said to have been built by King Songtsen Gampo

Labrang Monastery

• Labrang
• Reting
• Pabonka Hermitage
• Sera — the largest monastery in Tibet, containing numerous colleges.
• Spituk
• Samstanling, in the Nubra Valley in Ladakh, India.
• Tabo — the largest monastery in Spiti.
• Tashilhünpo — the seat of the Panchen Lama
• Yerpa - famous meditation site of King Songtsen Gampo and Padmasambhava.

Jonang

• Jonang

Kagyu

Many Kagyu monasteries are in Kham, eastern Tibet. Tsurphu, one of the most important, is in central Tibet, as is Ralung.

• Drigung
• Palpung Monastery — the seat of the Tai Situpa and Jamgon Kongtrul
• Riwoche - seat of the Taklung Kagyu lineage
• Surmang Monastery — the seat of the Trungpa tülkus
• Tsurphu Monastery — the seat of H.H. the Gyalwa Karmapa

Drukpa Lineage

• Druk Sangag Choeling Monastery
• Hemis Monastery in Ladakh
• Kardang Monastery, the main monastery in Lahaul
• Namdruk Monastery
• Punakha Dzong, the winter home of the Central Monk Body
• Ralung Monastery -- the seat of the Gyalwang Drukpa
• Tashichödzong, Thimphu which houses the Central Monk Body in summer

Nyingma

The Nyingma lineage is said to have "six mother monasteries," although the composition of the six has changed over time:

• Dorje Drak
• Dzogchen Monastery
• Kathok
• Mindrolling Monastery
• Palyul
• Shechen

Also of note is

• Samye — the first monastery in Tibet, established by Padmasambhava and Shantarakshita
• Yarchen Gar - the largest monastery in the world.

Other Nyingma monasteries:

• Tsozong
• Tibet Institute Rikon in Switzerland. Note: Since 2007, the monastery comprises representatives of all four great traditions of Tibetan Buddhism: Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug.

Sakya

• Ngor
• Sakya — the seat of H.H. the Sakya Trizin
• Shalu