Samye Monastery

The main building at Samye, around 2004.

Samye Monastery was the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet, built during the reign of King Trisong Detsen. According to tradition, the construction of the monastery was begun under the guidance of the abbot Shantarakshita around 763, but it was only completed with the supernatural aid of Padmasambhava, who tamed the local spirits in order to remove obstacles to its construction.