Helping Tibetan Refugees in Need:
Monks in Southern India & Nuns in Nepal
The Gaden Jangtse Monastery, in Southern India
  
The Venerable Geshe Sonam Gyaltsen, the resident- teacher of the Maitreya Institute in Emst, Holland, has requested that the Tara Foundation help the monks of Gaden Jangtse Monastery,
his seat in India. This monastery is one of the three large university-monasteries within the Geluk order of Tibetan Buddhism. The original Gaden Jangtse monastery in Tibet was totally destroyed by the Chinese invasion of Tibet. The majority of the monks were killed or imprisoned while the rest managed to escape to India.
After some time the new Gaden Jangtse monastery was built near Mundgod in Southern India, where there now live around 2,250 (mainly Tibetan) monks (the rest of the monks having come from different parts of India). The monastery is divided in 12 Khangsten, which are houses or accommodation blocks, in which monks, from certain areas in Tibet, live together. The Tara Foundation is mainly working for the Tsawa Khangsten, where about 400 monks live. It is also Geshe Sonam Gyaltsen's house. Besides the refugees, there are also many children who are sent by their parents in the very poor Indian border regions with Tibet, to the monastery, to become a monk there, because the family is not longer able to feed them, due to their impossible economic situation.
All this influx of new monks is creating a big problem for the monastery, because almost all monks are too poor to make a contribution for their own livelihood. In the past the family of the monks would usually have contributed for their son's upkeep, but this is no longer possible.
The monastery can only provide the monks with the most basic livelihood. The quality of food and accommodation is frequently too low to keep everyone healthy and able to study. Becoming ill or suffering from health problems poses a very big problem to the monks, as, apart from anything else, they can no longer focus on their dharma practice properly.
Until recently, a doctor only came to the monastery once a month for the monks' medical treatment.
Because of the local water/poor diet / the climate / lack of vaccinations ) many monks suffer from chronical diseases, like TB, chronic stomach and bowel disorders and skin diseases.
Also are monks suffering from Hepatitis B, as they share their towels, razors, spoons etc.
In the cases of more serious illnesses or accidents they had to travel to hospitals in far-away cities. Both the cost of treatment, and travelling and accommodation expenses were most times unsolvable problems for them. Many monks died because they could not receive treatment in time.
For this reason in 2005 a small hospital was built close to the monastery, the Gaden Jangtse Medicine Buddha Clinic, a small, non-profit hospital, which is also open for the local, very poor population. The building costs were paid by a very generous one-off donation from abroad. The hospital is totally dependent from donations from abroad for the cost of equipment, medicines and the running of the hospital.
When the monks are in need of help from medical specialists, they still have to travel to the hospitals in the far off cities. To make this possible for the monks who really need this help, a fund has been set up, which will contribute 50 % for the costs of travelling and treatment. This fund also covers expensive medicines (such as TB medicins).
The continuation of this fund is, of course, totally dependent on donations from abroad.
The monastery needs money for the building of more rooms for the monks, as too many monks are cramped into shared rooms, which are becoming overcrowded and unhygienic.
Tsawa Khangsten house also urgently needs a new prayer hall. At the moment many monks have to sit outside, which is very difficult in this climate, not to mention disrupting for their practice.
We also urgently look for sponsor parents for the many children in the monastery, which are brought there because of poverty of their family. Their circumstances are very difficult; they sleep on the ground with many children in the room of their teacher and are frequently ill. Sponsoring these children improves both their situation and that of the whole monastery. (Click here for more information)
We also ask your support for the school of the monastery. The monks start their monastic philosophy training around their 18th - 20th year; before this they get a general school education, which may help them in life wherever they are. The school lacks all the general needs.
 
This teacher cares for 15 children. 3 of them are orphans
monks
More little monks with their teacher
Because of the lack of accommodation, the young (and the not so young) monks are having to live together in their teachers' rooms
You can help the monks of the Gaden Jangtse monastery by doing one (or more) of the following:
- Sponsor a monk
- Make a contribution to the monks' health care, in the form of a donation to the Hospital or for the Fund for Specialist Medical Help in hospitals elsewhere including the
travelling expenses
-Make a general contribution towards food and livelihood for the monks of Gaden Jangtse.
- Make a contribution for the school of Gaden Jangtse.
-Make a contribution towards the new prayer hall for Tsawa Khangsten (one of the 12 houses of Gaden Jangtse)
The sponsoring of a monk can be done individual or collective, for the whole Khangsten.
If you chose to sponsor a monk individual , this is requested by the monk's teacher, because the monk needs it. The sponsored monk will then be able pay his medical costs, costs for studies and food, pilgrimages etc., through his sponsorship. This monk will then no longer be an extra financial burden on the monastery.
In the case of the collective sponsoring of a monk (in most cases a little monk) most of,the money will be used for the cost of food, accommodation and study for all the monks of the same Khangsten. Thanks to your sponsoring the circumstances, health and therefore also the study results of the monks will improve greatly.
For documentation in English on the life of the monks in Gaden Jangtse and the hospital: click here
For a photo-report specifically of the hospital: click here
For more information on sponsoring the monks and general donations: click here.
Monks receiving treatment in the unfinished hospital
The Khachoe Ghakyil Ling nunnery in Kathmandu, Nepal
  
The Venerable Khen Rinpoche Lama Lhundrup, the Abbot of the Khachoe Ghakil Ling Nunnery in Kathmandu (Nepal), has requested that the Tara Foundation help the nuns of this convent, as an intolerable situation has developed due to terrible overcrowding.
The nunnery was built 10 years ago, and was designed to house for 250 nuns, but because of the constant flow of refugees from Tibet, there are at present already more then 400 nuns living there. Many of these women are undertaking the perilous escape from Tibet to Nepal, with danger to their lives. They have to leave all their family and property behind, to be able to become a nun here in Nepal, in freedom, which, in Tibet, is no longer a possibility.
One reason why Khachoe Ghakil Ling Nunnery has become so popular, is that the nuns are able to follow the same study program as monks, which was impossible until recently. Meaning that in the future it will be possible for them to become a Geshe, which is the Tibetan equivalent of a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy).
Many nuns would very much like to become a Geshe, because as a high-level teacher they would be able to do a lot more for the community and also then they would be in a better position to support the survival of Tibetan Buddhism, which can no longer be practised openly in Tibet itself.
Until recently new refugee nuns were still accepted into the convent, in spite of the overcrowding. But it has now become more and more crowded, and potentially dangerous situations were arising, so unfortunately new refugees must now be sent away, until enough money can be raised from outside, to allow the convent to develop housing for more nuns, which is, understandably, very difficult for all concerned.
The Venerable Lama Lhundrup, who is a big supporter of equality for nuns, has requested aid from the Tara Foundation, both for the living expenses of the nuns, and for building-expansion of the nunnery, so that the current living conditions can develop and improve, and so as to allow new refugee nuns to be admitted into the convent, once again.
Not all the nuns here are refugees from Tibet. There are also nuns originating from all over Nepal, Bhutan and India. As they can get here nearly the same study programm as monks, they are very happy to live and study in special this nunnery and are, of course, in need for the same support.
There are a great many nuns, and little girls waiting for the safety and security of admission into this nunnery, when more space is made available, through the continuing kind donations from the west.
 
Khachoe Ghakil Ling Nunnery & its nuns
Lama Lhundrup Khen Rimpoche teaching some of the adult nuns
 
The crowded gompa The nuns have to share little desks in the classrooms
 
No peace & quiet - lunchtime in the overcrowded dining hall
You can help by sponsoring a nun or by giving a general contribution to the nunnery for food, living expenses and the building of more rooms.
By sponsoring a nun (from € 17.50 per month), you are helping the whole community of nuns.
The costs of living, medical care and study for every single nun is paid from this, because the nunnery wants to prevent any distinction being made between the nuns. Moreover sponsoring in this way ensures continuity in the income of the nunnery, which is very important. The nuns are very happy to have sponsors in the west, and they are doing their best to obtain good results in their studies, in order to practice the Dharma and be able to help support the rest of the nuns and their community in this way in the future.
For a photo-report concerning the life of the nuns click here
For more information concerning sponsoring & general donations click here
A big TASHIG DELI & THANK YOU from the monks and nuns of
Gaden Jangtse Monastery & Khachoe Ghakil Ling Nunnery.
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