The Je College

Kunkyen Lobsang Rinchen Seng-ge, one of the great scholars of Buddhism and a disciple of Tsongkhapa, established the Je college. He was born in a family which took practice in ancient tantric. Later he left for the central Tibet where he received a good command on tantrism and mantrism as a disciple of Tsongkhapa. Then he submissively acknowledged Gedun-drup and Jamyang Choje as his masters, and learned Buddhist theory from them, covering a variety of subjects. Later took part in teaching Buddhist texts at Zur-khang in Drepung monastery. Being annoyed by certain competitive scholars there, he returned to Sera monastery with fond memories of Jamyang Choje's knowledge. While at Sera, he trained numerous scholars so well that all of the abbots, and common monks alike, paid sincere tribute to him. When he was offered to take the seat of honour in Nechu chapel, the statue of Pagpa Yanlag-Jung, hands clapped, said to have spoken words as such:
A man from Je, leaving Je, has brought us goodness, The all-knowing Master, leaving Je, has brought us goodness, It's the erection of the victory of Banner, the symbol of Law.

Thus this poem brought the name Je to this college. His teaching of Buddhist logic to his disciples and other monks from Gya, Dromteng and Tod colleges made je known as the college of numerous scholars.
There were seventeen houses under Je college as follows; Hardong, Trehor; Dhagpo, Ngari, Epa, Lhopa, Jadral, Bati, Denma, Jetsang, Gomde, Jetsa, Lawa, Nyalwa, Samlo, Gyeje and Powo. The ten hermitages belong to this college follows: Phurchok, Drupkhang, Kardo, Dargri, Keutsang-shar, Rakka-drag, Keutsang-nup, Gorsar-tse, Rigya and Nenang.

The ten sub-monasteries to which the abbots were sent by this follows: Thoding-gon and Rutok in Ngari, Lhundrup Coding-gon, Zong-ga Pelgye-ling, Shok-gonpa, Sha-gonpa, BudeRinagon, Chuwo Chudo-gon (in five sections), pemako-gon, Tagring-gon in Nakchu.

The monk population of the college: There were 5629 monks in the year 1959, among whom 69 were incarnated Lamas. The present Je college was founded in 1743 by phurchog Ngagwang Jampa and the Regent Phola Sonam Tolgye. The assembly hall, 100 columns in all, covers a follr space of 1702 square metres, measuring from the other line of the wall.