Multi-scale spatial patterns of Gelugpa monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism in Tibetan Inhabited Regions, China

Gelugpa is the most influential extant religious sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The spatial patterns of Gelugpa monasteries have been affected by complex terrain, multiple Tibetan culture, and different socioeconomic levels. Given the diversity and complexity of Gelugpa monasteries surroundings, the geographical distribution of the monasteries presents spatial heterogeneity. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt a multi-scale perspective to provide insights into macroscopic rules on large scales and special features in the locality. The objective of this research is to propose a multi-scale framework for analyzing spatial patterns of monasteries at three scales of Tibetan Inhabited Regions, based on a new geodatabase of Gelugpa monasteries. The results show that the Tibetan Inhabited Regions present a south-eastern and central polycentric aggregated pattern with one super-center and several multilevel centers. Among the Three Tibetan Inhabited Regions of U-Tsang, Kham, and Amdo, U-Tsang appears a highly aggregated “dual cores” pattern, while Amdo emerges a highly aggregated wide-ranging “dual cores in one center” pattern. There is a distinct “dual parallel strips” pattern in Kham. The results also elaborate the connection among the multi-scale spatial patterns, having distinctive features but sharing some common rules. The multi-scale spatial patterns analysis can provide scientific evidence for the protection of Gelugpa monasteries by revealing the spatial variations.