July 2006
July 13, 2006INAUGURATION OF DEER PARK INSTITUTE AND SI INDIA
On March 31, 2006, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche inaugurated Deer Park Institute in Bir, India with a 5-day teaching on The Sutra of Recollection of the Noble Three Jewels. In 2004, when Dzongsar Institute moved to nearby Chauntra and was renamed Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö Institute, the old facilities in Bir were left empty but not abandoned. Since then, Rinpoche has realized his vision of turning the old institute in Bir into a space where nonmonastics, especially Indian and western students, can come to study and explore classical Buddhist traditions. Rinpoche named the new school Deer Park Institute, referring to the place in Sarnath where the Buddha first taught.
Modern Nalanda:
In keeping with the ecumenical tradition (rimé in Tibetan) upon which the original Dzongsar Institute in Tibet was founded, the courses at Deer Park will be taught by masters from all traditions of Buddhism, including the Zen and Shravakayana traditions of Japan, Thailand, Burma, and elsewhere. Rinpoche wishes for Deer Park to become a modern Nalanda University, where scholars, bhikshus, and lay people applied themselves to the study of Buddhadharma. Although the scale of Deer Park is much smaller than that of the original Nalanda, the mission is just as grand—to keep these wisdom traditions alive and accessible to all who are interested. With the proper resources and the already apparent interest, Deer Park has the potential to do just that, in true Nalanda tradition.
Courses will be offered on philosophical texts, commentaries, and other essential teachings, as well as classical languages, culture, aesthetics, literature, history, and poetry, and will vary in length to accommodate the schedules of people from all walks of life. The primary language of instruction will be English.
Siddhatha’s Intent India:
Deer Park Institute operates under the newly formed Siddhartha’s Intent India (SII). Rinpoche serves as president and chair of the board of directors of SII. Joining him on the board are Vice President Deepak Kumar Thakur and General Secretary Naresh Sahai Mathur, who are both lawyers. Also on the board are Secretary Prashant Varma, a social worker; Treasurer Raji Ramanan, a writer; and executive members Vidya Rao, an Indian classical singer, and Kajoli Khanna, a social worker. Members of the Deer Park advisory board are Professor Prabodh Parikh, a poet and philosopher at Bombay University; filmmaker Suresh Jindal; Professor Wangchuk Negi, a Buddhist scholar at the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies in Sarnath; and Professor V.S. Negi, a Buddhist scholar at Himachal Pradesh University.
Please visit the KF website to read Raji Ramanan’s eloquent description of the new institute. For further information, please contact Prashant Varma at Deer Park School, P.O Bir, District Kangra, Himachal Pradesh - 176 077 India; or email deerparkindia@gmail.com.
BERKELEY APPROVES KF DISTINGUISHED PROFESSORSHIP IN TIBETAN BUDDHISM
The University of California at Berkeley has approved a new faculty position in Tibetan Buddhism, formalizing Khyentse Foundation’s commitment to establish the Khyentse Foundation Distinguished Professorship in Tibetan Buddhism.
In his letter to Khyentse Foundation confirming the new faculty position, Anthony Cascardi, Interim Dean of Arts and Humanities, College of Letters and Science, UC Berkeley, wrote, “The addition of a faculty expert in Tibetan Buddhism will advance the campus’s programmatic and intellectual vision to promote teaching, research, and a greater understanding of the central significance of Tibet in the history of Asia, and of Tibetan Buddhism in the history of Buddhism, generally.”
This position, jointly held by the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures and the Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies, is further supported by five additional units in the university: the Department of Linguistics; the Department of Art History; the Group in Buddhist Studies; the Berkeley China Initiative; and the Program in Religious Studies. In all, seven separate units are backing this position, an indication of the university’s multidisciplinary approach to the study of Buddhism.
The university has been authorized to begin the search to hire the faculty member in Tibetan Buddhism in the fall of 2007, with the new professor to start in the fall of 2008.
DZONGSAR INSTITUTE: CHAUNTRA MOVING INTO THE 21st CENTURY
In March 2006, with the guidance and encouragement of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö Institute in Chauntra, India, formed a management committee that is responsible for the administration and development of the Institute.
This is a significant step toward modern management of the Institute, which follows the century-old heritage of the original Dzongsar Institute in Tibet, established by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo and Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö.
Khenpo Kunga Wangchuk, who has been the principal for almost 20 years, has been in one-year retreat since January 2006. Under the present principal, Khenpo Jamyang Lösel, <
• English Program. The Institute has a 13-year study program. Students concentrate on traditional Buddhist philosophy for the first 7 years. English was introduced to the curriculum this year, and a program on Hindi will soon be offered to senior students. Read about Pema Maya’s experience teaching the first class of this new generation of monastic students on page X.
• Health and Lifestyle. Also during the spring, the Institute opened the on-campus medical clinic to meet the health care and hygiene needs of over 500 students and teachers. (See the story on page X.) Computer skills courses have also been introduced, and Nikhil Kashyap, a computer engineer, will visit the Institute this summer to assess their computer needs and to train a number of monks in computer operations and maintenance.
RAJI RAMANAN ON THE NEW DEER PARK
Rinpoche invited Raji Ramanan to joing the Board of Directors of the new Deer Park Institute as Treasurer. Raji is a well-known writer living in Delhi. This is Raji eloquent description of the new institute.
Centuries ago a realised one walked into the small suburb of Nalanda on the outskirts of Rajagriha. He was the Buddha, the realised one. The mango grove welcomed him, spreading its branches, the cuckoo bird with its sweet melody sang the praise of thatagata. As years rolled by and the teachings of the Buddha resonated in every part of the little place, kings, scholars, and students visited the place to tune themselves to the teachings and understand the Buddha dharma. A great tradition in the form of a university called Nalanda was born. The little mango grove was now a centre for learning. Monks were on the study of supreme reason and were searching out the deepest principles of intelligence. There were sangharama; a garden of priests finding delight in silent contemplation. Scholars, bhikkhus, and students from far off countries flocked to the place for instruction. The halls of this glorious institution witnessed great teachings and debates.
Centuries later a Buddhist teacher from the land of snows looked at the beautiful image of the Buddha with eyes that spoke of his vision. Tucked away in the Dhauladhar mountain ranges in a small place called Bir, he had envisioned the Deer Park Institute. This was what he wanted to do; bring back the spirit of ancient Nalanda with the freshness of contemporary expression. This would be a place, he thought, where scholars , bhikkhus, and lay people would commit themselves to the study of dharma. Now does this teacher mean only the Buddhadharma? No. His canvas of learning is as vast as the sky; or is the sky itself his canvas? His dream is to paint this most beautiful picture of coming together of the study of classical language, culture, history, arts, logic, science, and the dharma of all denominations which when merged would be a magnificent rainbow of all colours. It was neither a distant dream nor an unreal one!
Nalanda was a centre of learning, one of its kind in the entire world where dwar Pandits (gate professors) guarded entry to the institution’s numerous discourses. Scholar monks and renowned acharyas put the aspiring students to difficult tests to assess whether they were ready to receive instructions. Personality, behaviour, and intellect of the candidates were under scrutiny. With the pinnacle of the building kissing the skies and the surrounding beauty that eclipsed the splendour of the moon, poetry and reasoning went hand in hand in Nalanda. Libraries had beautiful names like Ratnasagar (sea of gems), Ratnodadhi (ocean of gems), and Ratnaranjaka (delighter of gems). Learning of Sanskrit grammar, Vedas, arts, science, logic, and Buddhadharma were done both at the knowledge and the practical levels. Discussion and debates were encouraged to facilitate education. The student looked up to the master with reverence and respect, and the teacher treated the student with deep affection.
Today, centuries later, a simple Buddhist teacher was standing with a twinkle in his meditative eyes and a gentle smile on his compassionate face under the vast expanse of the sky, surrounded by students, dharma practitioners, lay people, and scholars. In front of him was the magnificent statue of thatagata. The sweet melody of the Manjusri and Saraswati mantras chanted augured well for an auspicious beginning, a beginning that promised a future of enormous scholarship. The door to the Deer Park Institute had indeed been opened, inviting people across the globe to learning. The sky above, resplendent with the sun’s rays, appeared to bestow its blessings on the congregation. The atmosphere was filled with feelings of expectation, affection, and a deep reverence, for what the teacher reflected was love and compassion. His confidence and enthusiasm spoke volumes. How could it be otherwise, for the teacher is no ordinary one, he is a rinpoche, a bodhisattva, one who has come back to earth to remove the sufferings of other sentient beings.
The teachings from 31 March to 4 April, 2006, took one back lifetimes. While listening to The Sutra of the Recollection of the Noble Three Jewels, one marvelled at the continuity of these teachings. Has anything changed at all? Has not the student community gathered here transcended the barrier of nations, language, and belief systems with a single motivation, to learn under the guidance of this acharya, as they perhaps did in Nalanda? People spoke different languages and opined different ideas, and yet the teacher listened to one and all with the rapt attention of a student.
The spirit of Nalanda is pulsating again under the loving kindness of this teacher, whose vision is to offer a space where dialogue would be possible, where debates would be held with love and compassion, and where intellect and heart would go together, where this unique tradition would be accessible without any trappings under the able professorship of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche.
The sangharama seal of the institute, depicting the wheel of dharma with two gazelles, is a gentle reminder that great traditions would always take back the people to the path of dharma. The journey of the Deer park Institute, a vision of Ven. Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, has indeed begun!
VISION FOR A NEW NALANDA
Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche had this to say about the idea behind Deer Park and the rimé tradition:
“Buddha said that at the core of Buddhist practice, three things one should avoid—desire, anger, and ignorance. Rimé liberates one from these.
The spirit of rimé should not be understood as a sort of new age movement where everything is collected under one roof. Dissolving sectarianism is the quintessence of rimé. Historically, human beings have suffered because of their attachment to their countries, concepts, and especially religions. And they become attached even within their particular sect of that religion. This attachment can be expressed as anger toward others or at least as a sort of disinterest in the activities of others. Such sectarianism has existed with great cost to Christians, Muslims, Jews, and even Buddhists. At least between Buddhist sects there has been no bloodshed, only the loss of many great teachings…. Buddha’s teaching is like simhanada: the lion’s roar. The only danger to a lion is the decay from within. And to prevent this, it is essential for the authentic teachings of the Buddha to be studied and practiced.”
Revival of Interest in Ancient Nalanda
Over 300 participants from countries across the continents attended the 3-day Heritage of Nalanda Conference held at the historical site of the original Nalanda University in Bihar, India in February, 2006. KF Executive Director Cangioli Che and Lama Sonam Phuntsok of Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö Institute in Chauntra attended the event as invited guests. The conference, organized by the Ashoka Mission, celebrated the achievements and impact of this great Indian university, which flourished between the 3rd century BCE and the 13th century AD. It remains history’s oldest recorded establishment of higher education. Although Nalanda was an Indian institution, its heritage belongs to the world. The university propagated the major lineages of Buddhism and contributed significantly to the study of logic, philosophy, and the sciences. It was at once a model of academic excellence that established and maintained the highest standards of learning and scholarship and a great center of spiritual practice. Looking at the ruins today, it takes a good deal of imagination to picture it in its heyday—which is why this conference was so important.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama officiated at the opening of the conference. In his opening remarks, His Holiness said that he is emotionally connected to Nalanda because he is a student of the great Nalanda masters. His Holiness pointed to the importance of ancient Indian philosophy in the development of Buddhism. In the centuries following the lifetime of Shakyamuni Buddha, great scholars of Nalanda such as Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, Asanga, and many others examined and debated the sutras. From Nalanda, formal Buddhist study spread to China, Tibet, Sri Lanka, and beyond.
His Holiness posed the essential question of the conference: Does Nalanda have any relevance to the reality of the 21st century? If not, he suggested that Nalanda should remain a museum and an archeological site for tourists. But that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Over 30 speakers presented papers on research and study related to this ancient university. Many presentations also described how the Nalanda tradition has reinvented itself in different parts of the world today. The participants generally agreed that the heritage of Nalanda should be preserved and revived, and that study and research should be reintroduced at Nalanda. His Holiness said that human suffering and ignorance can be relieved only through wisdom and knowledge; and for this reason, Nalanda and all that it stood for is still relevant to our world.
Shri Natish Kumar, Honorable Chief Minister of Bihar, made a strong commitment to improving the infrastructure of Bihar, where two of the most important Buddhist sites, Bodhgaya and Nalanda, are located. The Governor of Bihar and West Bengal, His Excellency Gopal Krishna Ghandi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, also addressed the delegates, sharing an inspiring imaginary conversation with Shakyamuni Buddha.
What exactly is the Nalanda tradition? The Nalanda tradition is one of unity in diversification. All Buddhist and other wisdom traditions were respected, evaluated, and studied. It was and is a movement in the spirit of openness and nonconfrontational exploration of the truth. The message of Nalanda is the message of universalism and internationalism at its best. By supporting Deer Park in its quest to establish a similar institution, Khyentse Foundation hopes to be a part of this tradition.
A MESSAGE FROM THE FIELD: PEMA MAYA'S JOURNAL: TEACHING ENGLISH AT DZONGSAR INSTITUTE
Pema Maya, a student of Rinpoche’s from New Zealand, set up the first formal English program at Dzongsar Institute in Chauntra this spring. For the first time, students from year 8 onward are encouraged to study a language of their choice in addition to Tibetan. Ninety students are now studying English intensively. Here are excerpts from Pema Maya’s journal of her experiences in working with the students.
29th March
My first week, and the monastery feels like another world. Days start to the sound of conch shells calling the monks to puja, and end with hundreds of monks debating under floodlights in the courtyard outside the temple.
I stay right above the kitchen, and this morning joined the cook and kitchen staff for a 6am Tingmo breakfast. The cook gave me a cup and filled it with salty butter tea. He sliced in an extra knob of butter and showed me how to dip the pieces of tingmo (steamed white bread). It was okay, but not so easy to drink the tea afterwards!
Food preparation starts at 4am each day, the Machen-la and five live-in staff preparing three meals a day for over 550 people. The kitchen is well set up; with 6 huge stainless steel gas powered rice cookers (each as tall as a person) an electric dough-kneading machine, steamers and a row of very large pots on gas rings. Steamed bread and tea are prepared for breakfast; rice, dahl and subji for lunch; rice and dahl for dinner, and Tibetan butter tea twice a day. All this seven days a week.
I hear there is also a canteen somewhere here for the monks to buy snacks.
4th April
Just found out a bit about the schedule. The monks are woken at 5am for an hour of free time – to meditate of self-study as they wish. They then start puja from 6am. There are meal breaks and two half hour tea breaks throughout the day; then again 10-11pm is free time. Amazingly, many do use this time for extra study.
14th April
Our English language teaching assistant has arrived from the UK. He’s here for four months as part of his gap year, and has been an instant hit with the monks.
Harry is already playing and umpiring cricket, has a number of snooker bets on the go with the non-ordained staff, and has been initiated into the football ‘scrum’ in the monks TV room.
[There are two TV rooms which are open on Sundays and from 8-11pm Saturday nights]
The monks are naturally close with each other, so Harry’s had to get used to them grabbing him by the hand, leaning on him and delivering the odd friendly slap to the bottom. LUCKILY he has a very good sense of humour.
In class we don’t use chairs or tables – the students sit on carpets on the floor. Today Harry issued the students’ textbooks and ended up with a monk lying on his back, one sitting on each knee, and the rest in a pile on the books. It’s now the 10-11pm break, and He’s out at the canteen with Tulku Ngawang (the cricket captain).
Here’s a quote from Harry’s journal, describing the layout of the monastery and his impressions on the Sunday he arrived here –
“The monastery itself is very Tibetan in its style, with a large complex for the students and then two buildings standing parallel are offices, this leads to the focus of the institute’s complex; an impressive Temple, a maroon read, the pillars decorated in a selection of bright and bold contrasting colours, the roof is the golden yellow typical of Tibetan temples. That afternoon, I sat and watched the monks. It being a Sunday and a noted day of rest for Buddhists, the monks did what any normal person does on their day of rest they held a one day test. It was funny to see the fusion of the pious and auspicious red robes and the western sportswear logos on top (Nike and Adidas). During the game lunch (rice and dahl) was served and a few of the fielders left their plates, unattended. The wild life took quite an interest and started picking at the dish. This invariably stopped play and one of the younger monks was put on guard duty. The monk who was small for a 15 year old could not stop the larger kites who were circling above him, his focus was torn between the game and the large birds above him. One such bird I watched closely as it made smaller and smaller circles and dived towards the plates, the young monk, out of terror leapt backward and toppled over the wall he was seated on. Not only had the poor monk taken a fall and been humiliated in front of his holy friends, but he was covered in dahl and had to replace the monks lunch he was guarding.”
30th April
Last night I talked with the Khampa couple who look after the old construction office – now more an informal guest reception and meeting/TV room for the khenpos (and also the only place to go for non-butter tea here). Kham-ke, the dialect of Eastern Tibet, is really broad and includes a lot of different words to standard Tibetan. It’s the main dialect used in the monastery – but is new for me. I found out Ngawang has been a wood carver for the Tibetan (Kham) branch of Dzongsar monastery – making the detailed woodblocks used for prayer flags.
The Khampa people are pretty amazing. Full of faith, humour and resilience. They have kept their spirit and devotion through all the years of Chinese occupation – including the destruction of their precious monasteries and widespread persecution, imprisonment and torture of their people.
Many of the Dzongsar monks braved the Chinese border guards to come here from Kham to study – Sonam Dorje told us his story over tea and momos in Bir this week: he left home at night, without telling his mother or father, to hitchhike and walk over the Himalayas to the Nepalese border. There he was imprisoned along with 50 others, questioned for two days by the Nepalese police, and given no food or even tea (butter tea is a staple for Tibetans – an all-in-one meal and beverage). The Tibetan government-in-exile negotiated their release and travel to India – from where Sonam Dorje called his sobbing mother to let her know he was safe. He has not been able to return since, and said he was terribly homesick for his first year. This is his final year, and he will try for a passport and visa after finishing his studies.
May 8th - the week ‘hose’ came
José was invited to consult on rubbish disposal this week, and look at recycling options for the monastery. Brazilian, but currently based in Dharamsala, he travels to communities as a volunteer. Whilst in the community, he sources buyers for recycling, helps arrange collection points and advises on responsible landfill. Here, he also held talks for the Khenpos and staff to give an overview of the problems caused by pollution.
I caught up with him a few times during the week, and he said he was really happy with the response here, particularly from the discipline master – who has to implement the new processes. The Geko had thanked him for explaining the whole pollution problem and how it’s being dealt with (or not) in the world, and passed on all the new procedures to the monks at their evening assembly. José was so happy he gave the usually reserved Geko a big bear hug, which was really sweet!
Previously, the rubbish was disposed of by burning, as there is no public rubbish collection system. Now the recycling plan is in place, with stage two being a landfill.
Harry and I helped edit José’s report sitting out with the monks in the debating courtyard and watched an incredible electrical storm come in over the hills. When it finally hit, the rain poured down and everyone scattered.
16th May
Another storm hit this afternoon just before class. When the rain comes it’s literally like buckets of rain being poured suddenly from the sky. In class we had no power, so moved right over to the window to go over yesterday’s test corrections – I wrote in BIG letters on the board.
The Elementary students mostly did well in their first test – quite a big deal for them to understand the whole process, and I think they were happy to get an idea of what they really understand at this stage.
Tashi Pa, who is a student in Harry’s class, showed us through the Tara hall where he does daily puja and attends the shrine. The room has beautiful statues of the twenty one forms of Tara (brought from Nepal). We also leaned over the balcony and watched the sculptors at work on the statues in the main hall: a seated Buddha with standing Manjusri and Avalokiteshvara on either side. At the moment the statues are surrounded by scaffolding as clay is applied over the steel framework.
17th May
The monks’ study is so focused that they don’t learn about subjects such as maths, science, etc.(unless they’ve attended school before joining the monastery). In class we have discussed a few things, and even did some percentages one day (which I am seriously not the right teacher for!). We are expecting a new English teacher in June, who is also a science major—so hope hewill be able to help out a bit there.
20th May
The monks invariably argue about the translations of Buddhist terminology—and with 8 or 9 years of
debating training (2 hours a day), they know how to argue. Today we basically spent the whole hour discussing four lines—The Four Seals—which come up in the sutra commentary the intermediate
students are working through. Gyaltsen asks very direct questions: “In English, is emotion in the
body or in the mind?!” stabbing at his arm and staring at me. Sonam Lhundrup usually sits with him and sometimes mediates—they argue together while at the same time one will be using the other
ones back to lean on—or today Sonam Lhundrup was massaging Gyaltsen’s knee with his foot (as kind of a moral support). They all amaze me…when I think of Sonam Dorje setting out from Kham on
foot, alone, with the equivalent of 70 rupees to come to India; and of Dargye, who escaped from Tibet as a 9 year old and cried nearly every day his first year in Sakya Monastery. Then there is the
monk I shared a taxi with this week, who has been trying to get a pass and visa to return to Tibet for the last 3 months. His brothers and sisters have told him to hurry home, as his father is very unwell.
His mother has already passed away during his time in India, and he said he is considering sneaking over the border if the embassy doesn’t hurry up.
21st May
Sunday today, and I went on an amazing walk down into the valley with Gabriel, the monk from Brazil.
We crossed the train track below the monastery and wandered down little paths through trees and fields and past clean brightly painted farmhouses, old stone hay barns, and many beautiful pink flowers which looked like lotuses, but grew straight from the rocky ground. Sometimes the path took us straight over someone’s front garden—the local people were sitting on their verandahs and said “Namaste” and helped us find the road. We followed the road down for about an hour before turning back and stopping for a cold drink on the way up the hill. We talked about the simple lifestyle of the people we met and walked past, about the Bodhisattvacaryavatara, about the monastery, and how incredible it is to be able to live somewhere like this in this modern world.
22nd May.
Today in class the students were in pairs to talk about one line of the Four Seals each. We had a new rule that anyone who tried to debate in Tibetan had to stand up and sing a song—it really worked, and they spoke much more English. In the beginners’ class the students had to bring a photo to describe. The monks laugh at each other easily—and even though the speakers did really well, I had to keep telling the class to be quiet. We clapped for each speaker, then finally Jamyang Phuntsok stood up to talk about a photo of him with his bother in Ladakh. For some reason he wasn’t wearing his monk’s
robes, but a leather jacket and baseball cap, which looked quite funny. Some monks laughed and then I started giggling too, which the monks thought was really funny—soon everyone was in fits of laughter. Ladakh Jamyang Phuntsok took it really well….but I’m a bit nervous to try presentations in class again.
Harry is off to Bhutan for a month, so here are a few excerpts from his journal before he goes (the boys view….)
April 30th Football
“This morning I was woken up at 7.10 by a monk who wanted me to play volleyball. I walked over with him, Sonam Tenzin, to the dusty court where monks had already stripped off their robes and thrown them on the rocks and underneath were their sports clothes. After half an hour playing volleyball in a small circle I was invited to join the football. The monks playing football all had nicknames of real football stars and were all wearing football shirts and shorts. The club shirts that were there were Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, Real Madrid and then a few national strips: Tibetan, Brazilian and English and even Korea. The pitch was big and made of a few patches of dry grass, dust and gravel. Not ideal conditions but fun all the same as small dust clouds would rise up in front of you and obscure your view or hide the ball when it was at your feet. The first game I played in was a draw after 10 minutes, and therefore it was penalties. Many of the monks wanted me to take a penalty but I waited until my team was one ahead and then I decided to take the pressure. In goal was the tallest and broadest of all the monks, Tashi Rinchen, Such a nice monk who I nick name Gap toothed Big foot (the nick name explains why). His English is poor even though he is in the highest class, and he doesn’t want to move. Whenever he sees me his huge gap toothed grin spreads across his face and can be seen from miles away. He always grabs my hands in his bear like paws and bows repeatedly saying ‘He…l…l.o, Tashi deli, Ye..s, Hel….ol’. I hit the ball as hard as I could praying for success he stood still not moving looking at my face as I took the shot. The ball bounced off his knee and he grinned again”
2nd May Gabriel’s Birthday
“Today was the birthday of one of the monks and he invited me to his night time birthday bash. We got singing various Indian and Tibetan songs and Brazilian, of course I was forced to sing so I gave them a few English numbers, nothing too dramatic like Mama Mia, but some poppy songs. I got chatting with a Khempo/ Lama, I wasn’t sure and he was really nice and offered to do my ‘Mo’ for me. I’ll have to think about it and more importantly what questions to ask: ‘Who was I in my past life’, ‘The plan out of my future’ etc. At eleven the monks have to turn out their lights or they get a 500 rps fine. I thought that also signaled sleep-tight time. But in reality most of the monks stay up a little later. The party continued in the warm glow of candle light until about midnight when I returned to my room shattered.”
Debating
“I was halted by some of my class monks. They pulled me over and were trying to make me debate. In a hurry to get back and quite keen to try I agreed and thought I could get it over with quickly. The groups around stopped to watch me try. I had learnt a Tibetan phrase: ‘Ny ama inchi lumpa la uri…Hakosong ey?’ Meaning: ‘My mother is from England, do you understand’. I decided that this was my only debating tool. I stepped back on my right foot, raising my left leg and hands up in the air. Then I came crashing down stamping my left foot on the ground and slapping my hands with my right hand pointing at my opponent. It was only at this moment I saw the monk sitting on the ground. It was Rinpoche, Holy Potter. I was a little taken a back by this realization. I wasn’t sure what to say next. Fortunately he was smiling and laughing so I said ‘Okay, umm’ as I raised myself up for another attempt. ‘Flintoff is the best cricketer in the world’, expecting no reply but a laugh I hadn’t prepared myself to defend my statement. ‘No’ said the Rinpoche, ‘Shambhu is the best’. I hadn’t ever heard of this cricketer but I guessed he was Indian. In a bit of a hurry and so unprepared I ended the debate with a feeble ‘well, possibly’, and walked off. No more than 5 metres more and I was stopped again. This time Dargay stopped me and ushered me over. I took a flip flop from him and sat down. I explained to him that I couldn’t stay long because I was busy and didn’t want the Geko (monk police) to spot me. ‘Geko’ he said, ‘Yes the Geko Dargay’, he said ‘Yes, yes Geko’ I was puzzled ‘Geko, Geko’ he whispered. I followed the direction his eyes were motioning. Towering above us was The Disiplinator. To me he didn’t come across as very scary especially when I stood up and he was no longer able to tower over me. But I respected his position even if I teased him in front of the normal monks. I was bitten by a dog.”
27th May
Today was a holiday at the monastery for the rotating of monks’ jobs. Tibetan people came and helped cook a huge meal, which we were invited to. Before lunch I dropped in on Khenpo Jampa Tenphel to ask if Harry and I could sit with him. In Khenpo’s room one of the monks was typing in Tibetan – a book that Khen Rinpoche, the founder of Dzongsar shedra here in India, is writing. Some other khenpos and the Geko were there discussing a recent conference on vinaya – and whether updates to the monks’ discipline might be needed. As we waited for the lunch gong I listened to everyone’s fast Tibetan and drank an incredibly strong glass of orange cordial. Lunch was really tasty, with many different types of vegetables and mangos for everyone.
7th June Tingmo
The secretary spent a couple of days visiting flour mills in the area and has negotiated a deal where the monastery gets the highest grade flour cheaper than the previous (below average) grade, and with free delivery. While he was doing that, an old man who is a bread-making consultant came and tuned up the Tingmo machines (he was staying next door to me, so we met out on the terrace). Now the Tingmos are great! They are fluffy and fresh – even still ok the next day. The secretary (Tashi) has started working on the rice and oil.
11-17th June
The World Cup opening ceremony was shown outside under the stars on two big TVs.
For the next few nights the monks watched all the games outside on cushions, pieces of sack etc – very kyipo (comfortable/pleasant).
First night of World Cup was also Saka Dawa – the anniversary of Buddha’s enlightenment. To celebrate, the monastery has decided to stop serving meat from now on. To kick the new regime off we had special vegetarian lunch of ‘paksa-maku’ which is bread mixed with butter and salt. This was served with yogurt and mangos and was supposed to put us in a good mood for positive actions all day. Was kind of an odd meal, but was fun joining the monks to eat it.
The evenings are warm and pleasant outside at the moment but very hot in my room, after the walls have been heating up all day – even the toothpaste is hot. I sat outside chatting until about 10 on Saka Dawa.
13 June
Nikyil arrived from Delhi. Doing his masters in computer science at USC, and back home for his sister’s wedding, he has taken some time to come and help us sort out the computer lab. His dad scans manuscripts for the Tibetan digital library in Delhi, so offered to send him. Is great to have him here!
14th June
The monks who have been working on the computers all had “CompSci 101” today and yesterday with Nikyil. I came too, for part of the time. Was mildly alarmed that Nikyil had the monks pulling the computers apart, but he says it’s the only way to go – the machines are all around seven years old and there is no service available nearby. Better that we learn to do it all in-house.
In the evening we all had jobs to do – the monks re-formatted the hard drives of all the computers in the lab, installed Windows XP and then the application software – pretty good for two days training.
19th June
Gabriel deleted a month’s work on Khen Rinpoche’s book from Khenpo Jampa Thenphel’s computer today. Sonam Tsering, who is doing the work, didn’t break down or get mad – actually his wall-to-wall smile carried right on and he said he’ll just start again.
Our new teacher arrived and will spend a week preparing his class. He is planning a two month intro to science starting with some basic maths, trigonometry, soil experiments and chemistry – which sounds really cool. I get to hunt for agar agar and Petri dishes in Delhi when I go down next month. He will also help out with one of the English classes when I’m away. Tonight he’s gone to the guesthouse to watch the England match with Sonam Lhundrup.
28th June
Luden Khen Rinpoche, a Sakya Lama from Dehra Dun, is arriving tomorrow. Previously, his incarnation was from the same monastery as Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, I’ve just been told. Today the monks cleaned the entire monastery and put coloured flags down either side of the road in. There are piles of pine branches ready to light at the entrances and Tankas hung in the temple.
Tonight I stood on the ramp to the office and the monks explained the different flags – Sakya, Dzongsar, Buddhist, Indian and Tibetan. Then the jeep arrived with another load – the Khenpo’s bed from the old monastery, which had been taken apart, and some other furniture. Jamyang Phuntsok and Karchen wrestled with a heavy sofa – trying to get each other to drop the side they were hoding. Drakpa, the painter, pretended to have a limp but was forced to help.
It’s stopped raining and the sky was beautiful and orange with a new moon rising as the sun set – is funny and cool how everything happens here at the last minute, and everyone so cheerfully does their work – or just chills out – either seems ok.
29th June
Luden Khen Rinpoche arrived this morning and was greeted by clouds of incense smoke, the monks playing instruments and holding banners and parasols. We stood with the local Tibetan people and held up white scarves in offering while Rinpoche was escorted into the Temple for prayers and formal offerings. It was wonderful to sit there in the temple – although the reception was very formal, the atmosphere was happy and relaxed.
1st July
Thupten Tsering has just been in as I write this. He was pestering me sooo much about when Harry would arrive so we gave him a call. Thupten Tsering answered the phone and I heard them exchange all their combined Tibetan/English greetings: “Tashi-delek” and “Yeeees boss!” a few times. I took the phone to find out that Harry is halfway from Dharamsala in a taxi – so only an hour or so away. Today is the Anniversary of Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro and the monks are doing puja in the Temple. We’ll have a special lunch together.
2nd July
Watched the England - Portugal game with Harry and the monks last night - wow! it was so much fun. The TV was on the temple porch, in case of rain, and more than 100 monks came to watch. They are sooo funny - cheering at every near miss, laughing when the refs start jumping around and especially when anyone cries, plus they all have bets on the go - so are really get behind their team.
I'm off to Bhutan for a couple of weeks now....will report from there!
pemamaya
PARTNERING WITH WHITE LOTUS: A NEW SCHOOL IN SIKKIM
The number of Christian missionary schools in the former Kingdom of Sikkim (Sikkim is now an Indian territory) has sharply increased, and because Buddhist schools are not as readily available or as well-funded as other religious schools, the youth of Sikkim are easily converted. Khyentse Foundation recently approved a grant to support a children’s primary and secondary school
with an adjacent gurulakhang (shedra) in northern Sikkim that is expanding its curriculum to include basic Buddhist principals and history in addition to the sciences and mathematics. English, Hindi, Tibetan, and Nepali classes are also offered. Students are given vocational training in traditional arts and crafts, with an emphasis on Tibetan studies. With the support of the Foundation, headmaster Yap Namgyal is introducing Buddhist studies and philosophy and is exploring new ways to introduce the teachings to children in kindergarten through 12th grade. “I think it can all be done very creatively and yet challenging for the teachers to make Buddha's life stories and teachings accessible to all levels and ages,” says Yangchen Semo-la, who brought the school to KF’s attention. “We will need teachers to supervise meditation and cultivate good and positive conduct in everyday life.”
The school takes in many destitute children from families of cardamom field workers. When crops fail, the parents often withdraw their children from school. Yap Namgyal is diligent in making sure that none of the children are deprived of their education, even if it means having to walk for two or three days to bring students back from their villages. White Lotus Charitable Trust in India facilitated this grant by providing funds to support the needs of children. “Our elders are very happy and encouraged to see the younger generation having the opportunity they missed, and together they can observe Buddhist holidays, Buddha days, Guru Rinpoche days, and Dakini days.”
See photos of the school here.
July 09, 2006
VOLUNTEER POSITIONS AVAILABLE AT DKCL INSTITUTE, INDIA
Volunteer English language teachers and assistants are still required for the May - December 2007 period at Dzongsar Khyentse Chokyi Lodro Institute, India.
Over 70 monks are currently enrolled in Beginner and Pre-Intermediate level courses
in the institute's English language programme, which is in it's pilot year. In 2007
we will add an Intermediate level course and conversation coaching to the timetable,
and will be developing our assessment proceedures.
If you have relevant experience, and would be interested in being involved in this
project, please email
for a detailed description of the programme and positions available.
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