Tsurpu Monastery

Tsurpu Monastery, located in the boundary of Tohlung Dechen county on the upper reaches of the Tohlung river to the west of Lhasa, was built by the first Kamapa Lama Dusum Kyenpa in 1187, and rebuilt in 1263 by the Second Karmapa, Karma Pakshi (Kar-ma Pak-shi). The monastery is representative of the Karma Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism.

Tsurpu monastery is the home of Karmapa, who is is the true 'living little Buddha' C the new reincarnated leader of the black hat sect. From then on, it was at the beginning for the leaders of Tibetan Buddhism to pass on the Esotericism. Karmapa told his disciples that he would reincarnate and pointed out the location of the second Karmapas reborn. In contrast to Yellow Caps, the Karmapa Kagye are regarded as the Black Hat, because the Mongolian Khan Monge had given to the 2nd Karmapa Lama a gold-rimmed black hat.