The Residing-in-Tibet Dharma Studies Group (Liú Zàng xuéfǎ tuán 留藏學法團) was an ill-fated group of Hàn 漢 Chinese monks who tried to go to Tibet to study Tibetan Buddhism in the late 1920s.
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In April, 1925, Dàyǒng 大勇 changed the name of his Tibetan Language College 藏文學院 to the "Residing-in-Tibet Dharma Studies Group." This group came out of Dàyǒng's idea, inspired by Dorjé Chöpa 多杰覺拔 (one of the school's teachers), to send Chiense monks to study Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet. With funding from Tāng Zhùxīn 湯鑄新 and Hú Zǐhù 胡子笏, they set out for Tibet. In the fall of 1925, the group, which included over 20 people, reached Xīkāng 西康 from Sìchuān 四川. They remained there until the spring of 1927, during which time they studied Tibetan and Translated Tsong Khapa's 菩提道次第略論.
In 1927, they reached Garzê 甘孜 province with a military escort, but while there, the Tibetan officials misunderstood they aims of the group, and believing that theirs was a governmental group, refused to allow them entry into Tibet. The group stayed at Zhájiā Temple 札迦寺, where they continued their studies.
In the fall of 1928, Amdō Geshe 安東格西[1] arrived at the temple where they were staying, and taught the monks more about Tibetan Buddhism. Dàyǒng died on August 10, 1929. On September 17, 1929, Master Zhájiā 札迦大師 passed away. Two or three members of the group had already died. Others abandoned the group. At this point, Fǎzūn 法尊 took charge.
In the spring of 1931, Lǎngchán 朗禪 and Chángguāng 常光 finally made the journey to Lhasa, while Fǎzūn and Huìshēn 慧深 stayed in Qamdo to receive abhiṣeka 灌頂. They arrived in Lhasa in October of 1931. Of the original troupe of more than 20 members, only four had attained their goal.
Section Editor: Erik Hammerstrom
Those who did not go all the way to Lhasa (either due to death, or because they turned back)