Riwoche

Riwoche lies in a fertile valley of the Dzi River, a tributary of the Mekong in eastern Tibet. Its great monastery eventually became the principal seat of the Taklung Kagyu tradition in Kham, renowned for learning and meditation. The valley and its monastery formed an important religious centre among the mountains west of Chamdo.

Sangye Ön founded Riwoche in 1276 after leaving Taklung in central Tibet. From then on the tradition had two principal seats: Taklung itself, called the upper branch, and Riwoche, the lower branch. The historian of the Blue Annals described Riwoche as a monastery of exceptional reputation in Kham, with a large community of monks. Its teachers carried the Taklung lineage into the religious life of eastern Tibet.