Gruschke on Schyachung

Gurschke states that Shyachung’s name (the Amdo pronunciation of Bya khyung dgon pa, full name Bya khyung bshad sgrub gling, Chn. Xiaqiong Si, Xiaqun Si) means a Roc or giant eagle, and that the temple gained such a name from the mountain behind it, which is said to resemble a great bird (40 1). He describes it as one of the first places that the young Tsongkhapa (1357-1419) studied before travelling to Central Tibet, and Gruschke suggests that the location of Shyachung – on the ridge of a mountain – might have led Tsongkhapa to build his Ganden also on top of a mountain ridge (40 2). Gruschke cites Wylie 3 and Xie 4 when stating that the monastery was founded in the fourteenth century by Chos rje don grub rin chen. He describes briefly the ties between the emerging Gelugpa sect of the fourteenth century and its Kadampa roots in Shyachung, mentioning on the basis of the HHZG 5 that Shyachung shifted from Kadampa to Gelugpa in 1599.

Gruschke describes several religious sites in the temple complex, providing background legends for some of the ones associated with Tsongkhapa. He gives a rather detailed description of many of the monastic buildings, including giving details of their connection to historical figures. For example, he cites a story from David-Néel 6 to describe the construction of a stupa for Don grub rin chen (1309-1385), the founder of a lamasery and teacher of Tsongkhapa. His layout includes mentions of historical events, detailing which were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, and which were subsequently reconstructed. He mentions many reconstructions on site, some as recent as 1996. He also lists the various relics, statues and collections of texts found at Shyachung (citing Xie 7 and CMCR 8, including the complete works of Tsongkhapa and a 0.8 meter gilded statue of him (42 9).

Gruschke concludes his description of Shyachung with some considerations as to its population at different times. He states (citing Rockhill 10, Pu 11, and Schram 12) that it had 20-25 subsidiary monasteries in its heyday and had a population of over 3000 monks, though it is uncertain if this included the subsidiary monasteries (42 13). He gives rather exact figures for several different dates, concluding that shortly after the Cultural Revolution there were fewer than a hundred monks in residence at Shyachung.

• 1. Gruschke, A.. The Cultural Monuments of Tibet's Outer Provinces: Vol 1. The Qinghai Part of Amdo. White Lotus Press, 2001.
• 2. Gruschke, A.. The Cultural Monuments of Tibet's Outer Provinces: Vol 1. The Qinghai Part of Amdo. White Lotus Press, 2001.
• 3. Wylie, Turrel V.. The Geography of Tibet According to the 'Dzam-gling-rgyas-bshad. Roma, 1962.
• 4. Xie, Zuo. Qinghai De Siyuan [Monasteries of Qinghai], Edited by Ben Gesang and Ling He. Xining, 1986.
• 5. Huangnan Zangzu Zizhizhou Gaikuang [A Survey of the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Huangnan]. HZZG. Xining, 1985.
• 6. David-Néel. Unbekannte tibetische Texte. München-Planegg, 1955.
• 7. Xie, Zuo. Qinghai De Siyuan [Monasteries of Qinghai], Edited by Ben Gesang and Ling He. Xining, 1986.
• 8. Chinese Ministry of Cultural Relics, CMCR. Zhongguo Wenwu Dituji [An Atlas of Chinese Cultural Relics: Qinghai Volume]. Beijing, 1996.
• 9. Gruschke, A.. The Cultural Monuments of Tibet's Outer Provinces: Vol 1. The Qinghai Part of Amdo. White Lotus Press, 2001.
• 10. Rockhill, William Woodville. Diary of a Journey through Mongolia and Tibet in 1891 and 1892. Washington, 1894.
• 11. Pu, Wencheng. Gan Qing Zang Chuanfojiao Siyuan [Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries of Gansu and Qinghai]. Xining: Qinghai renmin, 1996.
• 12. Schram, Louis. "The Monguors of the Kansu-Tibetan Frontier, Second Part." Transactions of the American Philosophical Society 47, no. 2 (1957): 1-164.
• 13. Gruschke, A.. The Cultural Monuments of Tibet's Outer Provinces: Vol 1. The Qinghai Part of Amdo. White Lotus Press, 2001.