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Sani Monastery (also written Sanee), Sa-ni-(), is located next to the village of Sani where the Stod Valley broadens into the central plain of Zanskar in Jammu and Kashmir in northern India. It is about 6 km to the northwest of the regional centre of Padum, a gentle two hour walk. Like Dzongkhul Monastery, it belongs to the Drukpa Kargyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, and is the only one of this order in Zanskar which has nuns.〔Gutschow(2004), p. 99.〕 It is thought to be the oldest religious site in the whole region of Ladakh and Zanskar.〔Rizvi (1998), p. 254.〕 ==History== The gompa is built to accommodate an ancient chorten 6 m (20 ft) high〔Osada, Allwright and Kanamaru (2000), p. 302.〕 and of unusual shape, known as the Kanika Chorten, is presumed to date back to the time of the famous Kushan emperor, Kanishka.〔Rizvi (1998), p. 254.〕 Kanishka's era is now thought to have begun in 127 CE. 'Kanika' is a commonly used form of Emperor Kanishka's name. He is famous in Buddhist literature as a promoter of Buddhism and he is said to have sponsored an important Buddhist conference in nearby Kashmir. This seems to be the only monastery in the region other than Gandhola Monastery in Lahaul which has a history which purportedly goes back to Kushan times. The 17th century ''Chronicle of Zaṅs-dkar'' (Zanskar) says that the (semi?) mythical, ". . . high King Ge-sar Gesar of Gliṅ came to this blessed Zaṅs-dkar, where the religion of heaven and earth arose, and he broke the whole earth with his feet. 'U-rgyan-pa-dma Padmasambhava came, and exorcised the demons; he kept down the bad Sa-bkra (Sa-dgra, 'enemy of the earth'? ). The female ogre was as if she had fallen on her back. The Sa-ni and Ka-ni-ka monasteries were erected at the head of the region, the Gña-nam-gu-ru monastery of Pi-pi-tiṅ on the heart, and the Gña-nam-gu-ru () of Byams-gliṅ on the feet." 〔Francke (1926), p. 156.〕 It is of interest to note that, although they are dated here to the time of Padmasambhava (late 8th to early 9th centuries), the Sani and Kanika monasteries are the first ones mentioned. Padmasambhava, or Guru Rinpoche, is said to have dwelt for five years in the small 'Gamshot Lhakang' squeezed between the main building and the corridor, to the right of the Kanika chorten. Inside may be seen a figure of Guru Rinpoche and historical scenes in half relief on both sides of the statue.〔Schettler (1981), p. 153.〕 Apparently, one can just see the white opening to a cave in a cliff across the river from the monastery where Padmasambhava is also said to have meditated for several years and it is still used as a meditation cell.〔Loram (2004), p. 196.〕 The monastery is also claimed to be connected with the famous Indian Yogi Naropa (956-1041 CE). There is now small room next to the Kanika chorten where it is thought that Naropa meditated in which there is a veiled bronze statue of the yogi.〔()〕 A group of Kargyu nuns established a small retreat centre at "Starkhugnza" in the 1990s. It is a site above Sani which was founded by Ngawang Tsering (1657-1732), a famous Zanskar meditator. All of the nunneries in Zanskar are under the spiritual authority of the monks and few have much in the way of endowments.〔Gutschow(2004), p. 101.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Sani Monastery」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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