Buddha by the name of Khamoyong was busy searching a site for construction of a Buddhist temple in his native place, what is now Xiahe County, Gansu Province. As he was looking around, a hill not far away caught his fancy, and he thought that something miraculous was hidden here. On his instruction, people began digging and before long, a huge conch was unearthed. As it turned out, the conch was unique not only for its size, but also for its shell with the spirals winding from right to left. It so happened that a shepherdess came by and she told the living Buddha: “Look at the river beyond. It looks exactly like the conch as it winds round the hill, from right to left.” Living Buddha Khamoyong thought the scenery fitted descriptions given in Buddhist texts for a sacred place, and he lost no time to build a temple on a piece of flood land rock-strewn and overgrown with grass.
    A few months afterwards, Labrang Monastery(tib.Bla-brang) or “Golden Palace,” appeared with full splendor. It is the youngest of all the six holy shrines for the Dge-lugs-pa sect of the Tibetan school of Buddhism, but definitely not the least influential. As I discovered during a visit to the monastery, it can be compared to a university, where Tibetan culture has been passed on from generation to generation.
    School of Philosophy I have good reason to call Labrang Monastery(tib.Bla-brang) a “great university.” First, it has six “zha cangs” that specialize in philosophy, astronomy, arts and other disciplines, exactly like colleges or schools in a university of the secular world. Second, it offers degrees, depending on the length of schooling and student monks’ performance in study, which are equivalent to the master, bachelor and doctoral degrees offered by a university.
    My guide was a lama wearing a long red robe, who looked gentle and mild. He was a student of the Wensi Zhacang, or school of philosophy, where students are required to study for 15 years for the highest degree, known as “duorenba.” My guide said he had already studied in the school for 11 years. According to the guide, the degrees offered by “temple universities” amount to recognition or confirmation of recipients” qualification as scholars of Buddhism. Just that. “These are different from the degrees offered by universities of the secular world, which invariably affect the recipients’ earthly well-being,” the guide explained.
    When building Labrang Monastery(tib.Bla-brang), Living Buddha Khamoyong meant to develop it into a most important center of Buddhist studies while a shrine for Buddha worshipping. His “dream,” so to speak, has long been a reality. While taking charge of the six “zha changes” of Labrang Monastery(tib.Bla-brang), the current Living Buddha Khamoyong doubles as president of the Beijing-based China Advanced Institute of Tibetan Buddhism.
    Of the six “zha cangs” of Labrang Monastery(tib.Bla-brang), the most important is “Wensi School” - the School of Philosophy, where basic training in Tibetan school of Buddhism is provided. A student monk is required to study for 12 years for the “ranrenba” and “garenba” degrees. With approval of the Platform of Buddhist Law, the monastery university’s highest academic committee, the student may take part in examinations for three more years of study to obtain the highest degree, “duorenba.” The highly competitive examination is held twice a year, in January and July by the lunar calendar, with 120 candidates for each examination, from among whom only two will eventually be chosen for the most advanced study. After receiving the “duorenba” degree, a student may be assigned to work as the “sutra teacher” for a living Buddha or stay at the monastery with the same title. After he dies, he will be given the honor of having an incarnation chosen to succeed his title.
    To choose candidates for the examination is an elaborate process. A student monk needs to obtain the approval of the head of the monastery”s academic committee for permission to register for the examination. One month before the examination is held, Living Buddha Khamoyong will have an interview with each and every applicant to eliminate those whom he thinks are not qualified for the examination. Those who are eliminated in the process and those who fail in the examination will not be eligible for the examination throughout their lives.
    During its heyday, the school had more than 3,000 students, and produced some of the most prominent scholars of Buddhism and Tibet studies. One is Xirao Kyacuo (1863-1968), author of An General Review of Tibetan Culture. He was vice-governor of inghai Province in the 1950s and before he died, he was chairman of China Buddhist Association.
       I had the privilege of entering the school for a visit. Greeting my eyes were a group of student monks playing football in front of the main hall. Suddenly, ever so suddenly, they stopped playing and filed into the main hall. It was time for sutra chanting. Amid the chanting I saw pilgrims get down on their knees, knocking their heads on the ground to pay tribute to Buddha while saying prayers for peace and happiness.
    On the slope of the hill, there were student monks who seemed to be picnicking. The guide told me that student monks led a simple life, their tuition and living expenses all covered by their families. In this and neighboring areas, he said, almost every Tibetan family sends a child to study at a Buddhist temple. I did see several “child monks” in the monastery, the youngest not older than six or seven. Tibet now boasts a system of modern education complete with kindergartens, primary and second schools and institutions of higher learning. In this area, as in many other areas with ethnic Tibetans living in compact communities, temple schools still exist.
   Before the 1950s, there were no modern schools in ethnic Tibetan areas. A temple was invariably a school. The most important Buddhist shrines like Labrang amounted to universities, which had produced numerous eminent monks who doubled as artists, philosophers and other experts.