LIFE AT GADEN SHARTSE TIBETAN MONASTERY Following is a very brief explanation of life at Gaden Shartse as I experienced it in December. Where
I stayed, the monks, young and old, woke at 5:00am (those who had
kitchen duty were up at 4:00am) and began reciting prayers while they
washed and prepared for the day. The younger monks would clean the
grounds of their house before setting off to retrieve breakfast from the
monastery kitchen which consists of Tibetan butter tea and a large,
pancake style loaf of bread. Following breakfast the majority of the monastery
population began their classes, while the house managers and those
assigned to service in the monastery began their work. The youngest monks in the monastery are around 7
years old and are generally learning Tibetan grammar and writing as well
as beginning the ongoing task of memorizing prayers and texts. As they
get older they may acquire more responsibilities and their studies move
forward into the preliminary levels of debate, science, philosophy and
general education. The older monks, generally in their early twenties
to mid thirties, 'c are immersed in intense study and
memorization. Every night at 9:00pm (with the exception of Monday which
is everyone's day off) these older monks slip off with rosary and
cushion in hand to hone their skills in the fine art of debate, which
takes place in the wooded courtyard at the old temple (now the
elementary school.) Textbooks needed for Gaden Shartse's curriculum are
supplied to each student by the monastery, although if they wish to
study other texts they must either check them out at the library or
purchase them on their own. The texts range from forty to a few hundred rupees. (100
rupees are roughly equivalent to 2 U.S. dollars.) As you may know, most of the
monks have set their goal on achieving the wisdom and title of a Geshe,
something similar to a doctorate degree, which can take more than 20
years of intense study to complete. There are three levels to the Geshe
degree of which Lharampa is the highest. The final phase in obtaining
the Lharampa degree is an oral exam during the winter debates. This is
the annual gathering of the three great monasteries in the Tibetan
Buddhist Gelugpa tradition over which His Holiness the Dalai Lama
generally presides. The number of Geshe Lharmapas
existing today are few, and those who have taken their education beyond
the intellectual level are even more rare. Those monks who have completed
their studies, earning any of the three levels of a Geshe degree are
generally requested to teach. Others, unable to complete their studies
for various reasons, move into administration or other services to the
monastery depending on their individual skills. These include drivers,
tailors, ritual performers and many more. Several of the senior monks are
still teaching and participating in prayer services, while some have
even continued their administrative duties. One elder monk in particular
continues to go to work every day, walking up three flights of stairs
with a very bad knee. He, like many other monks, has been serving the
monastery office as a volunteer for several years more than the required
term. Lunch and dinner at the
monastery both consist of rice and some form of lentil or potato dish as
well as bread similar to that served for breakfast. Gaden Shartse
recently removed the occasional meat from its menu and is now completely
vegetarian with the exception of private meals served for guests. Monks
young and old generally do not go to bed until 11:00pm, finishing the
evening with further study or memorization. Although the monks have such a
tight schedule, education can sometimes be slow due to the mandatory
attendance of all monks to special prayer sessions. Whether it is for a
holiday or for those who are sick or dying, the monks will begin
extensive prayer sessions after breakfast that continue throughout the
morning and often resume after a noon-time break. What I was most impressed with
is the sense of unity that exists in each of the houses. Although some
houses are not as large or well off as others, the monks take care of
each other like a family. The younger monks have no shortage of guidance
from those who have once been at their level, the older monks often
pausing on their way through the house to listen to the recitation of
the younger monks and gently, sometimes teasingly {and sometimes
roughly} pointing out where they missed a word or pronunciation. The young monks where I stayed
had their ears examined and cleaned on a daily basis having come from a
remote Himalayan village where ear infections, and loss of hearing are
prevalent. Often times monks are taken to the nearest city, more than an
hours drive, for checkups or other medical needs which are paid for by
the monastery. One thing I noticed that was
lacking most everywhere is dental care... some of the monks have only
half of their teeth due to a childhood sweet tooth or old age. Many of
the senior monks are also in a great deal of pain with old injuries and
aging bones. (If you or anyone you know wishes to
send pain medicine, or more specifically 1000mg Glucosamine Sulfate I
will be happily forward it on to those who need it.) At the beginning of each year,
known as Losar, each monk is given a new pair of shoes, or new robes if
they are needed and an offering of money from the monastery. Throughout
the year all monks will receive small offerings, either from those monks
who have completed a certain term of service to the monastery, sponsors
who make offerings during teachings or {for those monks who have
sponsors abroad} through your contributions. In a letter sent out last year I
mentioned that a percentage of each sponsorship is given to the monk you
are sponsoring - the remaining amount, as I learned during my visit, is
deposited into a reserve account, which is separate from all other
monastery accounts, and is to be used if the monastery experiences
financial difficulty and is unable to support the monks. There are now more that one
thousand, five hundred monks residing at Gaden Shartse. The population
is made up mostly of Tibetan refugees, both from India and Tibet, and
from Tibetan border regions such as Sikkim, Spiti, Ladakh, Nepal and
Bhutan. There are also students from Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam and handful
of western countries. Many of the boys enter monastic life by choice,
but poorer ethnic families and refugees will admit their children
knowing that they will receive a better life and education in the
monastery. I would like to thank you again for your kindness, and all those who have helped Gaden Shartse and the other monastic institutions to survive and grow. Lara (from Thubten Dhargye Ling - 3500 E. 4th St, Long Beach, CA 90814, USA. Tel: 562-621-9865) Visit http://www.tdling.com |