Gyuto (also spelled Gyütö or Gyüto) Tantric University is one of the great monastic institutions of the Gelug Order.
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Gyuto (Tibetan རྒྱུད་སྟོད་ , Wylie rGyud sTod) was founded in 1475 by Jetsun Kunga Dhondup and is one of the main tantric colleges of the Gelug tradition. In Tibet, monks who had completed their geshe studies would be invited to join Gyuto or Gyume, another tantric institution, to receive a firm grounding in vajrayana practice. Both of these monasteries used to be in Lhasa, Tibet, but they have been re-established in India. At the time of the Chinese invasion in 1950, about 1000 monks were part of the monastery. 60 Gyuto monks fled to India in 1959. After initially gathering in Dalhousie, India, the monastery was established in Tenzing Gang, in Arunachal Pradesh, India. The main monastery is now based in Sidhbara, near Dharamsala, India. Today, there are nearly 500 monks in the entire order. Ramoche Temple in Lhasa was located inside Gyuto Monastery.
Gyuto's monks are known for their tradition of overtone singing, also described as "chordal chanting" which is said to have been transmitted by their founder. It achieved renown in the West following the release of recordings made by David Lewiston in 1974, and in 1986 by Windham Hill Records.
In 1995, a group of Gyuto Monks traveled to the United States and performed during a series of concerts with the Grateful Dead.[1] Under the name "Gyüto Monks Tantric Choir", they appeared on the Mickey Hart/Planet Drum album Supralingua.
In 2003, a group of Gyuto Monks performed at the wedding of Australian actress & singer, Toni Collette. [2]
In 2008, the Gyuto Monks assisted in the preparations for the five day visit of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, at the Dome in Sydney Olympic Park. As tantric masters, Gyuto monks play a very specific role in the Gelug tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and thus were able to advise on, and carry out, the ritual requirements necessary for His Holiness’s program throughout the five days.
They created a full-size 2 metre Sand Mandala of Chenrezig (also known as Avalokiteśvara) in honour of the Dalai Lama, Buddha of Compassion himself and subject of the Initiation Ceremony.[3]
In December 2008, the Gyuto Monks held their Happiness Tour of Australia at Bondi Beach Pavilion with a program of activities[4] that included meditation, tantric art class and public talks.
In February 2009, the Gyuto Monks performed a harmonic chanting ceremony at the Sydney Premiere of the Tibet: Murder in the Snow [5][6] documentary at Chauvel Cinema,[7] Paddington, New South Wales.
In May 2009, they hosted early morning meditation sessions for attendees to the Happiness and its Causes conference in Sydney.[8]