The Iron Rod Monk: Discipline at the Edge of the Secular World
Ultimately, temples and monasteries are places that spread compassion and gentle teachings. Yet, if you have visited a Tibetan monastery, you will see that everything there embodies the original meaning of the Tibetan word for “monastery” (དགོན་པ)—the edge of the secular world: dim light, crimson robes, swirling incense, deep chants, and even the fierce faces of the wrathful deities. Works by Li Zhongjun, Secular Edge.
Together, these religious elements forge an ambiance of mystic reverence within a bounded, hallowed area, where solemnity permeates without exception. The space casts a cool, dispassionate glance upon the mundane realm, as though compelling the faithful who wander through to acknowledge the transience of all phenomena, the anguish inherent in every act of grasping, and the essential reality that no enduring self resides in the cosmos. It likewise signifies the tranquil terminus of Nirvana, an expanse of profound stillness. And within that sacral enclosure dwells a figure that seems to gather every trace of sovereign might into its singular form.
The Iron Rod Monk, the monastery's disciplinarian, is also referred to in Chinese as "iron rod monk." In Tibetan, he is generally called "Gegyi" (དགེ་སྐོས/དགེ་བསྐོས) or "Jho-e" (ཞལ་ངོ), and is additionally known as "Qucheiba" (ཆོས་ཁྲིམས་པ). Clad in a heavy scarlet cloak, he carries a square iron rod and paces back and forth amidst the rows of monks. At each step, he brings the rod down heavily, the sharp, crisp sound underscoring the strictness of monastic discipline. This image, dated 1938, captures him during the Tibetan New Year in Lhasa. Image source: wikimedia.
According to Berthe Jansen's research at Leiden University, this term is a translated form of the Sanskrit upadhivārika—not a literal translation—with origins in Buddhist Vinaya texts, where it means "manager." In that Vinaya text, the Buddha specifies that the position's duties include sweeping dust off seats; meanwhile, Japanese scholar Takeuchi's analysis of a Dunhuang document (Pt.1119, now in the French National Library) revealed that Gegyi also had responsibility for lending and borrowing grain from the temple granary. The first two terms translate respectively as "skilled practitioner" and "face manager," while the latter means "enforcer.
In this document, two seals were discovered: one likely belonging to the grain borrower, and the other presumably that of the contemporary Gegyi. From this, it can be inferred that the term "Gegyi" was later linked to disciplinary functions within Buddhism. In Tibetan monasteries, the system of rules and regulations is known as བཅའ་ཡིག, as defined in the image source: Buddhist culture Monk Manager Jai.
In the initial collection of "jai," the term "gegyu" did not appear; instead, other nouns, such as "panniwa" (བན་གཉེར་བ), meaning "supervisor of monks," were used to designate those responsible for upholding monastic discipline. Tashilhunpo Monastery (འབྲི་གུང་མཐིལ), a well-known institution in Tibet, boasts a long and storied history.
According to Berthe Jansen, the term used for the maintainer of discipline did not emerge until after the fifteenth century, a conclusion based on the dating of a set of rules in one of the monastery’s jai texts. That text is attributed to Khendzong Nga (སྤྱན་སྔ་གྲགས་པ་འབྱུང་གནས། 1175-1255), who served as the fourth abbot of Tashilhunpo Monastery from 1235 to 1255, so the regulations were probably written during this period. The jai text explicitly declares, "You panniwas must supervise the study of scriptures and rules for new monks.
At Gerdeng Monastery, for instance, the recitation of regulations happens twice during each of the 8 annual courses held per year. Meanwhile, disciplinary officials in temples, including monks like Ge Gui, help draft these regulations and are responsible for publicly reciting them, known as "jae" in Tibetan, at specific occasions and times. (Image: Tashilhunpo Monastery, 2005, photo by Mark Evans, source: Wikipedia.)
During the Lhasa Prayer Festival, monks from Drepung Monastery would hoist the monastery's regulations onto their shoulders and parade through the main hall. The 1957 Lhasa Prayer Meeting, captured in a photograph by Chen Zonglie, shows monks patrolling the main hall of Zhebang Temple to keep order. At Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, the abbot of the Great Hall is referred to as the Mani Association. In Tibetan, he holds the title of Geshe, which stands as the most representative role of its kind.
Jamyang Qoigyi Zhabdan (1379-1449), founder of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery—which began with only eight monks—is traditionally said to have been personally instructed by Je Tsongkhapa (1357-1409). During a daily ritual at the monastery, the eight monks started shoving one another, and one suffered a leg injury. Witnessing this, Jamyang Qoigyi Zhabdan observed, "Today, with such a small number of people, we have such a crowded situation. This is an auspicious sign.
The election of the chief monk in the main hall of Tashilhunpo Monastery involves a highly complex process and ritual. After he heard the words "In the future, countless disciples will come here in a continuous stream," he gave an immediate order for the selection of a Geshe to take charge of discipline. The iron rod that Geshe used back then is still preserved in the Manjushri Temple of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. An artwork titled "Panorama of the Temple of Philosophy: Folk Celebration," from the late 18th century, is housed at the Royal Museum of Art and History in Belgium.
To select the 2 co-chiefs, each of the Tashilhunpo Monastery's 10 designated departments nominates a candidate for the preliminary examination, a process that starts in early June of the Tibetan calendar. Once the preliminary exam is over, all candidates must travel to Loblingka by June 15th for the final examination. After completing all exams, they return to their respective monastic residences and wait for the results.
Two messengers will proclaim the exam outcomes, and the chosen applicants will offer them yogurt, ginseng fruit, and other foods as a favorable omen. Based on their credentials, the messengers will then appoint the chief and deputy chiefs.
The Shoton Festival starts on the 29th day of the 6th month in the Tibetan calendar. At Drepung Monastery, a Tibetan opera performance is to be held before the steps of Gaden Podrang. Both the outgoing and incoming kyorpon must be present; the outgoing kyorpon is to appear in complete monastic dress with monks accompanying him, while the incoming kyorpon is dressed more plainly. Also among the Rubin Museum of Art's New York collection is "Panoramic View of the Zebi Temple" from 1898.
On the 30th of June, a large thangka will be unveiled at the Potala Palace in a formal ceremony that will also mark the official installation of the new kyorpon. As part of the festivities, which include a Tibetan opera performance, the two newly appointed kyorpon will take up the iron rods for the first time, guided by the monks. Following the conclusion of the thangka ceremony, they will head the procession carrying the thangka back to the main hall, where they will occupy the kyorpon seats for the first time as well.
When the incoming kyorpon assume their positions, the departing kyorpon remain especially vigilant, since monks who felt wronged during their term might attempt to retaliate.
In 1992, at the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa (Source: flickr), a monk wearing a red robe and holding an iron rod appears. Unlike typical monks, his outfit is designed to reflect the Dharma's strictness and dignity. The attire consists of a red-and-yellow silk undershirt, which is covered by a kanjur, plus a one-foot-long shoulder pad known as 'apo' (ཨ་འབོག), and an outer crimson woolen robe. He also wears a high-quality zhedangbiji monk skirt, woolen boots, and a pointed high hat.
At important assemblies, he moves slowly and with great solemnity around the hall, holding a gold-edged iron rod, while also wearing a crimson cape decorated with embroidered strips and various buttons (སྒྲོག་ལུ), and a golden gawu box (གའུ) hangs from his neck. Image source: Internet. He serves not only as an enforcer of the law but also as one who himself is subject to punishment under that same rod.
Daily discipline is the Gé Gé’s main responsibility, covering checks on whether monks dress suitably and behave in a civilized manner; occasionally, he also handles monks’ leave requests.
At Jyelpa Monastery, the Tax Administrator was once tasked with levying taxes on the small businesses that frequently operated within its grounds. The exact rates are not recorded, though the "Selected Historical Texts of Tibet" states that butchers paid a tax of five qian per jin of beef. Meanwhile, the two administrators had an obligation to offer alms during the annual winter puja, so they collected additional taxes at that time.
All disputes within the monastery are resolved only through the intervention and verdicts of the disciplinary officials, whose decisions are based on the monastery rules. Meanwhile, these rules, along with the monks, require that the officials act with fairness and strictness. Although tax revenues are not fixed and may vary annually, the administrators still gain a substantial income from these collections. Image source: Buddhist Culture
According to a document preserved at Dzongkar Tashilhunpo Monastery, if a culprit evades punishment because of a supervisor's carelessness, that supervisor is required to prostrate five hundred times as a penance. Alternatively, if the oversight stems from an inspector's negligence, the inspector must perform one thousand prostrations.
A letter of reprimand from the Thirteenth Dalai Lama to two disciplinary officials is also preserved; its tone is severe, as he charges them with dereliction of duty and calls for immediate correction. In it he writes: “Know that the welfare of sentient beings depends on the monks, especially the strict observance of the rules in the three great monasteries...”
Though you are the guardians of the law, you have neglected your obligations, giving a band of offenders free rein to openly undermine both the well-being of sentient beings and the monastery’s good name—while also wasting their own virtue through self-indulgent habits: drinking alcohol, smoking, gambling, summer outings, winter meetings in the halls, improper dress, and the like.
It is clear that even the most severe monks must preserve a sense of awe and respect in order to travel along the world's edge safely and shield the monastery's monks. As teachers and disciplinary officials, you have long been responsible for these faults; still, since it was expected that you would mend your ways, no punishment has been handed down thus far. Any additional carelessness, however, will result in the ruin of both your name and your practical condition. This serious caution must not be underestimated.
In “Iron Rod Monk,” Sadao Guishou poses the question: what purpose does this iron rod hold for me? It is met with reverence, and met with strictness. Reference: Berthe Jansen. The Disciplinarian (dge skos/ dge bskos/ chos khrims pa/zhal ngo) in Tibetan Monast eries: his Role and his Rules བློ་བཟང་ཕུན་ཚོགས། འབྲས་སྤུངས་ཚོགས་ཆེན་ཞལ་ངོའི་འབྱུང་སྟངས་དང་། དེའི་འགན་དབང་དང་བྱེད་སྒོའི་སྐོར། བོད་ཀྱི་དགོན་སྡེའི་རིག་གནས་སྤྱི་བཤད་མེ་ཏོག་ཕྲེང་བ།