塔尔寺

塔尔寺, originally uploaded by crassus08.

Legend has it that when Tsongkapha was born, blood from his umblical cord dripped into the soil and out grew a bodhi tree that is still standing to this day. We were shown the stupa that was housing the tree (photography not allowed as a mark of respect) and according to the guide, the roots of the tree merged with another outside the temple and managed to stay alive!

It was said that the tree had sprouted 1000 leaves and on each leaf was the facial image of a buddha. Thus it is somehow no wonder that Tsongkhapa is the teacher of the 2 greatest living buddhas (Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama) of today.