Tana Yelpa monastery is also known to be Monastery of King Gesar of Ling. The Tana Yelpa Lineage is the lineage of King Gesar. King Gesar of Ling is known to be greatest dharma king of Tibet and his life story is a long epic story with many volumes. 

As part of Sangye Yelpa many enlightened activates, he became the root guru of King Gesar of Ling’s direct family. Later the descendants of Gesar of Ling offered all their valuable property and their wealth, to Sangye Yelpa including Gesar of Lings’s sword, bow, armor, the armor of the thirty ministers and many other precious items. These items still remain in Tana Monastery in Tibet to this day. While some precious items were lost during the Communist Revolution, the previously mentioned items and the Stupas containing the relics of the thirty ministers of Ling’s still exist in the Tana Monastery in Tibet today.

To read more about the Tana Lineage, click below.

Receive our free monthly newsletter

The practice of Tana Yelpa Kagyu lineage is mainly the six doctrines of Naropa, the path of method and Mahamudra meditation, the path of liberation. The Tana Yelpa Lineage has been past down till now from Sangey Yelpa a founder of Yelpa Kagyu to Tana Yangonpa to all past Tana lineage masters to present master Tana Dungsey Tulku Pema Rinpoche. 

Tana Lineage

We are working to create hope and the opportunity for a better world.
But we can only do it with your help. Join with us in our mission and donate now.

Since the descendants of King Gesar of Ling offer all their possession to their Root Guru Sangey Yelpa. Sangey Yelpa kept them in the Tana Yelpa Monastery in a way so that they have become one of the most revered and heritage treasured in all of Tibet event to this day. During the Chinese Communist Revolution, Tibetan monasteries were burnt down, however, due to the Tana Lineage being connected to the lineage of King Gesar, the Communist sent word to save the Tana Monastery, unfortunately that word came late and part of the Monastery was destroyed, however all of the possessions of King Gesar were saved, and the Monastery was quickly rebuilt and protected by the Chinese Communists. 

The Tana Yelpa Lineage 

Tana monastery in Tibet was built in more then 800 years ago in year 1168AD by Drogon Sangey Yelpa Yeshi Tsekpa, a seat of Yelpa Kagyu, which is among the eight junior Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism and one of the major lineage of Tibet. The Tana Monastery one of the earliest monasteries in Tibet, it was founded in a place known as “Tana”, meaning “Horse Ear” in Tibet in 1168AD by the Protector Lord, Sangye Yelpa, founder of Tana Yelpa Kagyu.