TOM KELLY

Shechen Mahabudha Vihara celebrated its centennial this week (pictured) in Kathmandu with a gathering of monks, devotees and pilgrims from all over Nepal.

The respected Buddhist monastery is dedicated to the preservation of Himalayan Buddhist culture and has a total of 350 apprentice monks, 85 per cent of them from Khumbu, Mugu, Dolpo and Mustang. The monastery includes a philosophy college, which is training teachers for the future University of Lumbini that the government is planning to set up.
The monastery also runs an art school and an archive with a collection of over 15,000 documents on Himalayan Buddhist art. Shechen Publications have reprinted over 300 volumes of Buddhist scriptures over the last 30 years. The Shechen Clinic treats 50,000 patients every year from all parts of Nepal, most of them for free.

The monastery was founded by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910-1991) who was a luminary of Buddhism, respected throughout the world for his teachings. The centennial celebration was a gathering to honour the great master who has put Himalayan culture and Nepal on the international Buddhist pilgrimage map.

The monastery says it is a non-political institution, devoted solely to the preservation of culture and preaches non-violence and compassion.