Depository in Tashilhunpo Monastery where Buddhist texts are stored has already been opened to public, learned recently from Tashilhunpo Monastery of Shigatse City, Tibet. Chinanews reported.

On Aug. 4, the Buddhist texts depository, situated between Champa (Maitreya) Buddha Hall and Namgyalma (Ushnisha Vijaya) Buddha Hall, where the 7th Panchen Lama Stupa Hall was once located, was officially completed its building.

"Construction of the Buddhist texts depository in Tashilhunpo Monastery had been started since 2015. Covering an area of more than 1,000 square meters, the whole building is stone-wood structure with three layers,” said Zonggar Aten, deputy director of Tashilhunpo Management Committee, adding, "our monastery raised capital on our own for its construction investment, interior decoration, painting murals, adding Buddhist classics as well as casting statues of Buddhas and so forth.”

"In order to meet reading demand of all the readers, the depository has opened to public soon after it's completed. Actually, the main reason we build the depository is because we want to see readers sit down in cozy chairs to read in a quiet atmosphere instead of just visiting the depository and leaving,” said Zonggar Aten.

It's reported that there are many Buddha statues displayed at the first floor of the newly-built depository, including the Buddha of immeasurable life, thousands of tara, statues of successive Panchen Lamas, statue of Lama Tsongkhapa and so on. Furthermore, on the second floor, there are a large amount of Buddhist classics in Chinese and Tibetan version, and on the third floor, about 4,000 volumes of classics, including Kangyur, Tengyur and so on are preserved.

Zonggar Aten said, "the depository reserves classics not only about the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, but also about Sakya, Nyingma and Kagyu school. what's more, in order to provide convenience for people to read those classics, the depository is designed as a library, which means tables and chairs are prepared there for the public."

According to Tsering, director of Tashilhunpo Management Committee, work of sorting out and putting those Buddhist classics in the depository is under way in Tashilhunpo Monastery, aiming to provide a better environment for people to read and study Buddhist scriptures.

Editor: Zhi Xinghua