Samye Monastery was the first monastery ever built in Tibet. It was probably constructed during the 770’s under the patronage of King Trisong Deutsan, with the work being directed by Padmasambhava and Shantarakshita, the two Indian masters the king had invited to Tibet to help consolidate the Buddhist faith. The monastery was designed on the plan of the odantapuri temple in present-day Bihar, India and mirrored the basic structure of the universe as described in Buddhist cosmology. The central temple represents Mt. Sumeru, the mythical mountain at the center of the cosmos. Around it are four temples called “Ling” which represent the four continents (Ling) situated in the vast ocean to the north, south , east and west of sumeru. To the right and left of each of these temples are two smaller temples called “ling-tren” representing the sub-continents (Ling-tren) of the Buddhist universe. There are even two chapels representing the sun and the moon. The entire monastery was surrounded by a circular wall topped with numerous small stupas and four great stupa in four colors (white, red, blue and green) stood facing the south-east, south-west, north-west and north- east corner of the main temple respectively.

This incense is from Samye Monastery in Tibet.