Dharma Enclosure where Virtue Increases

- (chos ra dge 'phel gling). This small monastery called partially escaped destruction during the Cultural Revolution. It is situated at an altitude of 3900m at the upper limit of the forest, in the Lower Triangular Plain (chos 'byung ma thang) of Lapchi (see LNY, p.74). It consists of a small temple surrounded by walls and rooms for the monks that form a monastic courtyard, or "Dharma enclosure" (chos ra) about twenty-five meters square. After Shabkar completed the construction, most of the precious images and relics in the valley were transferred and preserved in the temple. Chief among them (GL, p.57/b) was the "Nasal-blood Image" (mtshal khrag ma), a statue of Jetsun Mila made by Rechungpa, after Milarepa himself had prepared the clay, mixing it with blood from his nose and veins, and with his saliva. Most of these precious images are no longer extant except for a painted-clay statue of Shabkar. (Personal communication by T.Huber). MR-ShabkarNotes]