Our Benefactors

Drepung Gomang Monastery thanks its many benefactors for their contributions and service to the monastery.  We are naming on this page some of our very special friends and showing their pictures.  If you have been a benefactor to our monastery and you are not recognized here, or if you know of anyone who has been omitted, we apologize for our error and ask that you contact us at once.  Thank you.  (After the Rinpoches, names are listed in alphabetical order.)

Thubten J. Norbu is the eldest brother of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.  Drepung Gomang Monastery and the Tibetan Cultural Center are strongly bonded because Rinpoche is an alumnus of Drepung Gomang Monastery.

Dr. Subhuti Dharmananda is the Director of the Institute for Traditional Medicine.  He is one of the main and oldest benefactors of Drepung Gomang Monastery.

Sandra Esner, working with Geshe Kalsang Monlam, has been a strong and generous supporter of Drepung Gomang Monastery for many years.

Pam Hamilton and her family have been consistent benefactors to Gomang Monastery, hosting the Gomang Tour groups many, many times since the 2002 Tour Group first came to her area in Pennsylvania. Pam appears in the upper center photo with Geshe Yonten

Jennifer has hosted all three tour groups.  She is a tireless worker for the monastery and is always willing to lend a helping hand.

Curtis is a generous person and close friend of Gomang.  He also hosts the tour group whenever they visit his area.  He provides funds for the translator project that is going on at the monastery.

Everyone calls Chela Kunasz and Louise (Shanti) Badriah "Ama La" ("mother" in Tibetan).  They have been visiting this monastic college every year to receive teachings from their spiritual teacher Khensur Rinpoche Tenpa Tenzin.  Everyone in this settlement knows them for their kindness, love, and compassionate help to the needy.

Andreas is with the senior monks of this monastery.  He established Friends of Drepung Gomang, the first not-for-profit Gomang organization in the America.  In addition, he coordinated the First Tour Group.
 

Geshe Monlam is a senior monk of this monastery.  His guidance and support are immeasurable. Long Nguyen is a Vietnamese friend known for his dedication towards Drepung Gomang Monastery

Ama Mary, coordinator for the Fourth Tour Group and dear friend of Drepung Gomang Monastery.  She is a volunteer at the Tibetan Cultural Center and has been finding new sponsors for our monks and collecting sponsorship funds to send the monastery.  She has been very supportive towards our monks and also to this monastery.

Janaki is popularly known here as "Ama Janakai."  Besides coordinating the very successful Second Tour, she was a good friend of the First Tour Group.

Greg Schultz and his family have been very supportive towards the tour and the monastery. He selflessly helped the monastery as the USA National Tour Coordinator for the 3rd Tour group and also assisted every tour group that has come to the USA, acting as the local coordinator (Philadelphia). Upon request from the monastery, leaving aside everything, he flew to Delhi from the USA in 2002 to assist the monks in successfully getting USA visas and also came to India to assist the monks in their visa reappeal in 2008. More than being a tour coordinator, he is above all a friend of everyone at the monastery and a great disciple of Geshe Kalsang Monlam.

Carol Stewart was one of the founders of Drepung Gomang Institute in Louisville, Kentucky.  She hosted the Gomang Tour groups for many years.

Jennifer White and Students for a Free Tibet have been supporting this monastery for many years and coordinating the tour group of the monastery whenever they visit their area.