Zezhol Monastery

Zezhol Monastery is the largest monastery of the Tibetan indigenous religion, Bon. It is situated at an altitude of 4,800 meters (15,748 ft) on Zezhol Hill, 37 kilometers (23 miles) from Tingchen County in Chamdo. Out of all the existing Bon monasteries, Zezhol maintains the rites of the religion most strongly. 
Zezhol literally means 'six peaks' in Tibetan because the halls, colleges and dormitories are distributed over six peaks. However according to the scriptures' records, these six peaks represent that Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva helps all people to free themselves from their troubles using her mercy and wisdom, and they also represent Bodhisattva's Six Perfections: giving, morality, patience, perseverance, meditation and wisdom, which can defeat the sins of the people. The history of Zezhol Monastery dates back more than 3, 000 years when a Tibetan King built thirty-seven sites for practicing Bon religion, Zezhol being one of them. In the following years, it went through many ups and downs. From its emergence, Bon spread widely and became the orthodox religion for a very long time. However, in the seventh century, Buddhism was promulgated by the Tibetan government, replacing Bon as the main religion in Tibet. Today, the Bon sect and its monasteries can only be found in a few remote and undeveloped places. In the middle of the fourteenth century, an eminent Bon monk restored and extended Zezhol Monastery. Being the largest and one of the oldest monasteries of Bon sect, it became the Holy Land for Bon followers.   Zezhol Monastery teaches traditional Bon sutras and practices methods that include the ancient and mystic supreme-yoga. It is said that Amitabha Buddha once came to Zezhol Hill to promote Buddhism and made a wish that Zezhol Hill would have far-reaching influences to the development of Bon, and that this area would give rise to many supreme Masters of the Bon religion. In over 3, 000 years there have been eighty-two Masters, who left footprints and handprints in their meditation caves as a result of their supernatural powers.  For pilgrims, it is not easy to get to Zezhol Monastery because of its altitude, though in recent years a road to Zezhol has been built at the instigation of the present Living Buddha of the monastery, Zezhol Dingzher. Late June to mid August is the best time to visit Zezhol. In late June, every twelve years according to the Tibetan calendar, the monastery holds a festival with naked religious dancing. Naked religious dancing is a tradition of Bon, but today in Tibet only Zezhol Monastery keeps this tradition exactly the same as it originally was. Like many other religions, Bon also worships Sakyamuni and its doctrines advise people to be honest and do good deeds. This theme is also related through the religious dances. In its religious dancing, Yama, the King of Hell, judges people of different ranks and classes from the emperor to the civilian, from the common man to monks by weighing the things they have done in their lives and deciding where they should go after they die. The dancing tells that only good people will have happy endings and it makes people examine their own consciences. Since the festival is held every twelve years, the pilgrims greatly look forward to the chance of viewing the dancing themselves and they strongly believe that this will make their minds re-born and eliminate their burden of sins. The festival attracts thousands of pilgrims and tourists.