Member of Sacred Tour Group
Decorating the Prayer Hall

The Drepung Gomang Monastery 2005 Sacred Art Tour has expanded its mission to include the sacred art of worship and also to provide a unique opportunity for interested persons to travel to Gomang Monastery in December 2005 for a two-week visit.

The tour group wishes to ensure that the sacred art works they will be exhibiting are well-understood and appreciated by their western audiences. Therefore, in addition to the already planned traveling art show and hands-on workshops focusing on sacred art traditions, Khensur Rinpoche Tsultim Puntsok will give in-depth dharma teachings to persons who wish to know more about Buddhist philosophy and thereby better understand the religious traditions that are the bases of the sacred works of art. Moreover, the tour will facilitate evening and weekend meditation retreats, and the tour monks will be available to chant pujas for a variety of intentions.

The visit to Gomang will provide our many friends with a glimpse into the daily life of the monastery and give them a chance for a personal retreat. Tentatively, the schedule will include daily dharma talks and discussions, two to three daily pujas at the main and old temples, meals with the monks, and tours of the monastery and nearby temples and settlement camps. Travelers will purchase their own airfare to Goa where they will be met by monks of the monastery and driven south to Gomang.

The monastery requests a donation of $1,500 for the two-week visit. This amount includes 3 meals a day, teachings, room and board, and pick up and drop off at Goa airport.

For more details about the expanded mission of the Sacred Art Tour, please go to Description of Tour. For details about the trip to the monastery, go to Sacred Travel. For general information about traveling to India and Gomang Monastery, go to Travel to Gomang.  (For a complete discussion of the tour, "Sacred Art of the Land of the Snows," please click here.)

Light Shining on Mandala at
Wilson's Products in Easton, Pennsylvania

During their travels the monks made 23 sacred sand mandalas. Geshe Tenpa Sonam, the tour leader, gave teachings at most of the locations. Other programs included "A Cultural Pageant of Tibet," "Slide Show of Tibet and Gomang Monastery," pujas,and Tibetan cooking classes,

The tour was an outstanding success as all three aspects of its mission were realized. In addition, the monks and the monastery made many new friends who have promised to stay in touch and support future programs of the monastery.

To view candid photos of the monks while they were on tour, please go to Tour Scrapbook.

Geshe Tenpa Choklang, Library Director at Drepung Gomang Monastery in south India, is asking for assistance in raising funds to cover the cost of the recent printing of the book Annals of Drepung Gomang Monastery: Volumes I & II.Tripa Khensur Tempa Tenzin, former Abbot of Drepung Gomang, wrote this book. It records the history of the monastery since its founding in Tibet in 1416 up to the years in exile in India when it was re-established in south India during the 1970s.

Geshe Tenpa Choklang, reports that money is still owed for the cost of printing this book.

In Indian Currency

In Euros

In US Dollars:

We request assistance in paying the printing costs for this precious book that allows people to know the history of one of the greatest institutions of spiritual learning that has ever existed. Drepung Gomang is truly an eminent university and its contribution to the development of the philosophical thought of our world is outstanding and requires recognition. Its history cries out for preservation.

The present library at Gomang serves the needs of the monks in residence and enables them to borrow Dharma books for their studies at little or no cost. Because the library has minimal sources of income, it needs your assistance in meeting this printing debt. We hope that you will be able to assist in paying this bill.

You may write your check to “Drepung Gomang Library Fund” and send it directly (registered mail) to the monastery at the following address:

However, if you live in the United States, you may want Friends of Drepung Gomang (a 501 (c) (3) organization) to handle the funds. If so, donations are tax deductible and you will be sent a receipt. Please make your check out to “Friends of Drepung Gomang Monastery” and mail it to the following address:

Friends of Drepung Gomang Monastery will send all funds directly to Geshe Tenpa Choklang.

The concert took place on February 27th, 2004 in the brand new state of the art theater - REDCAT (Roy & Edna Disney Cal Arts Theater) - in downtown Los Angeles to a sold out crowd.  It was presented by the Cal Arts school of music in association with Vocal Lounge, the producing arm of alumnus Julie Adler.  All proceeds went to benefit Drepung Gomang monastery.

'Call & Response' was a unique occasion to bring together the ancient chanting of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition juxtaposed with new Western music compositions created specifically for and inspired by this exciting event.    Julie Adler called upon her colleagues and herself to come up with offerings that investigate the Buddhist philosophy by choosing a specific Tibetan chant to respond to; these composers are either Buddhists themselves or very keen on the subject matter.  For the Westerner, questions she hoped would arise were

• How does one make a work for the sake of all sentient beings?
• Where does one's motivation lie?
• Is the composer just drawn to the sound scape within the tradition or something more?

The concert was fully documented and on DVD, it promises to be a wonderful fund-raising as well as promotional tool for Drepung Gomang monastery and Tibetan arts and culture.  It will be available for purchase on the official Drepung Gomang website as well as on the monks’ future tours.  All proceeds from the sale of the DVD will go directly to the monastery.

BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN!  Please support this project by donating whatever you can to help with post-production.    With your donation, you will get a copy of the DVD when it is done as well as your name printed in the DVD inlay. We hope to have the DVD out by late fall.

Donations/checks should be written to "Friends of Drepung Gomang Monastery" and are tax deductible.  Also, everyone who donates will be credited in the DVD itself as well as on the jacket.

For more details, including the names of the chants and songs/artists, please go to Call & Response.

Please send your donation to
 

In the summertime, Drepung Gomang School organizes a summer camp for the children of the Tibetan lay persons of the Doeguling Settlement in Mundgod. The children have a two-month vacation from their regular school and during this time they have the opportunity to attend classes at the monastery’s school and l earn basic Tibetan grammar, Tibetan calligraphy, and Tibetan history. Drepung Gomang School has been providing the camp for the past several years in order to preserve the religion and culture of Tibet by giving the youngsters an increased awareness of their culture and language. This program has been very successful and continues to be popular as one hundred children attend the summer camp on a daily basis.

Settlement School Children

Summer Rains

The rainfall has been quite satisfactory this year in south India. The monks in charge of the tractor and fieldwork have been busy with their work. They plan to grow paddy (rice) this year in addition to their regular crops. Last year, the fields suffered from draught and the farmers hope the rains will continue to be plentiful this year.

Monks Working in the Fields

Summer Retreat

During the Summer Rain Retreat, the monks have time to reflect and meditate on their vows. During this time, the monks aren’t allowed out of the monastery, apart from instances of necessity. (Special allowances are made for illness or important work.) The monks may not cut grass during this period since this kills thousands of tiny insects. This practice began in India during time of Lord Buddha. At that time, it was customary for monks to go from door to door asking for alms. Since there were no proper roads, the monks had to walk through the fields as they went from village to village. This caused the villagers to complain— objecting that the monks were destroying their hard worked crops. As a result, the Buddha asked the monks not to go for alms during this season since there are so many insects in the summer months—noticeable and unnoticeable— that could be harmed and also to prevent harm to the villagers’ crops.

Monks Praying

Tenzin Drolma (Kristin Ouwehand) is a woman from Canada who teaches art and English to students at Drepung Gomang College.  She regularly takes notes on happenings at the monastery and has agreed to share some of them with those persons who may be interested in what occurs during daily life at a Tibetan monastery in south India.

Tsolang

In a couple weeks, Tsolang (which translates literally to “stand up during prayer” will begin. This custom dates so long before the time of the Gelug sect that no one can say for sure how it began. It is a gathering of the monks of both colleges of each monastery. In our case, this consists of the monks of the Gomang and Loseling colleges of Drepung monastery. Here in India, Tsolang is held only once a day for about 10-12 days, but in Tibet it was held twice a day-- mornings and afternoons.

The monks congregate for prayer in the main temple, and during the prayer, two monks (one from each college, but belonging to the same class level) stand up at the front of the assembly and perform a short opening prayer or dedication in homage to the Three Jewels and to the Founding Scholars of their monasteries.  Then the two monks debate--the topics being drawn from the Parchi (Perfection of Wisdom) texts. This debate lasts for about an hour. Then closing prayers are said, and the prayer meeting disperses. In the evening, there is a special type of debate (Dam-cha) where two monks from one college are seated to answer the questions put to them by monks of the other college.

Although the origins of Tsolang are shrouded in history, one story is told regarding its practice years when Tsongkapa (the founder of the Gelug sect) was still alive. He was presiding over the Tsolang debate between two of his disciples, Jamchen Choje (founder of Sera monastery) and Khedup Je. Jamchen Choje was putting the questions. Now Khedup Je was famed for his extraordinary abilities at debate, and it was rare that anyone could best him. However, on this particular occasion, Jamchen Choje posed questions from a new little known text written by Tsongkapa himself. Khedup Je had not seen this text because he was unable to refute the question, he had to declare himself vanquished. It is said that even now in Sera monastery during their Tsolang, the seated monks do not refute the questions put to them in memory of this occasion.  However, in both Gaden and Drepung, Tsolang debate contains both the questions and answers.

Monks Debating

History aside, the gathering of both colleges for prayer is an impressive sight with over 3000 monks creating a virtual sea of red, while the sound of their chanting fills the air, echoing between the whitewashed walls of the monastery buildings in the cool monsoon air.

His Holiness Teaching at the Gomang Prayer Hall
in December 2002

Before discussing what religion can contribute, it may be helpful to ask what it is that mankind needs. The simple answer is that all human beings, in fact all beings, constantly seek to find happiness and to overcome problems and avoid suffering. No matter what particular problems individual people or groups of people may face, whether they are rich or poor, educated or uneducated, what equally common to all is the wish for lasting happiness. As human beings we all have a physical body, which at times gives rise to sickness and other problems, and we all have emotions, such as anger, jealousy and greed, while on the positive side we have love, compassion, kindness, tolerance and so forth. These are all part of human nature. Likewise, everyone wants happiness and does not want suffering.

Today, due to progress in science and technology many people throughout the world experience some material improvement in their lives and benefit from facilities and opportunities that their fore-fathers never dreamt of. However, if we ask whether this material development has really eliminated human suffering, the answer is “no.” Basic human distress remains. People continue not to get what they want and find themselves in unpleasant circumstances. Despite great comfort, people experience loneliness, frustration and mental restlessness.

Of the problems which face mankind as a whole, some, like natural disasters, floods and drought for example, we can do nothing about, but other problems are man-made. They include conflicts that arise between human beings over issues of race, ideology, religious faith, and so forth. This is very sad, for whatever race a person belongs, to he or she is primarily a member of the human family. With regard to ideology and religion, these things are intended to bring benefit to people and not to be a ground for antagonism and violence. It is important to remember that the purpose of different ideologies, religious systems, and so forth is to serve human beings and fulfill their needs. In this century alone, there have already been two great world wars and many local conflicts, while killing continues to go on all around us all the time. In the meantime, we all live under the nuclear threat, largely because of ideological conflicts.

Another category of man made problems concerns the relations between people and the earth or the environment--problems of ecology and pollution. Whatever difficulties deforestation and pollution of the earth, water and air may present to our generation, they are clearly going to be much worse in the future unless something is done. And something can be done, because these are all problems made by man and thus can be unmade or at least reduced if we choose.

There is no question that material development is good for mankind and provides many necessary benefits. But we have reached a point where it would be worthwhile examining whether there are areas of development other than the material one alone. As I have already mentioned there are certain side-effects of material development: there is an increase of mental unease, worry and fear, and this in turn sometimes expresses itself in violence. There is a decline in human feeling. For example, although it is true to say there has always been fighting throughout history, there is a difference between the hand-to-hand fighting between individuals in the past and the remotely controlled warfare of the present. If you were to try to kill someone with a knife, it would naturally be difficult because you would have to cope with seeing his blood, his anguish and hearing his screams of pain; therefore, natural restraint arises. But if you use a rifle with telescopic sights, it is so much easier, almost as it if it did not concern you. The victim is unaware of you as you simply aim, pull the trigger, look away and it is done. Of course, the situation is even worse with regard to nuclear and other remotely controlled weapons. What is lacking here is a sense of human feeling, a sense of responsibility.

If we look carefully at human beings, we will find that besides the physical aspect, there is another very effective factor--consciousness or mind. Wherever there is a human being, there is always consciousness. So, in order to reduce man-made problems the human mind is a key factor. Whether they are problems of economics, international relations, science, technology, medicine, ecology or whatever, although these seem to be issues beyond any one individual’s control, the central point is still human motivation. If the motivation is careless or poorly considered, problems will arise; if the motivation is good, then the consequent action will develop in a positive way.

It seems that although the intellect, the “brain” aspect of human beings has been much developed and put to use, we have somehow neglected the “heart” aspect, by which I mean the development of a good heart, love, compassion, kindness and forgiveness. Due to this lack of heart--although we may have much material progress—we do not experience full satisfaction or mental peace. What is needed is mental development along with material development.  If these are combined, we shall all feel happier and calmer. The key point is developing a basic human feeling, which means genuine sincerity, genuine openness, genuine love and kindness and respect for others as brothers and sisters.

The question of genuine lasting world peace concerns human beings, so this human feeling is also the basis for that. Through inner peace, genuine world peace can be achieved. Here the importance of individual responsibility is quite clear. Then it will be created in the family and then in the community.

In order to create inner peace, what is most important is the practice of compassion and love, human understanding and respect for human beings. The most powerful obstacles to this are anger, hatred, fear and suspicion.  So while people talk about disarmament in the world at large, some kind of internal disarmament is necessary. The question is whether we can minimize these negative thoughts and increase positive attitudes. We can examine our daily life to see if there is any value in anger, and likewise we can think about the negative or positive effects of compassion and love. For example, since human beings are social animals they have good friends and bad friends. People who are always angry have in most cases very little mental peace, but those who are calm by nature have more peace and more true friends--true friends who remain with them through success and failure. Such friends are not acquired through anger, jealousy or greed, but through honest love, compassion, openness and sincerity. So, it is quite clear that negative thoughts are destroyers of happiness and that positive thoughts are creators of it.

Although anger may sometimes seem like a defender, in fact it destroys our peace and happiness and even destroys our ability to succeed. Success or failure depends on human wisdom and intelligence which cannot function properly under the influence of anger. When we are under the sway of anger and hatred, our power of judgement is impaired. As a result, we pursue the wrong aims or apply the wrong method and this leads to failure. Why then does anger arise?  Because deep down there is some kind of fear, so fear is a cause of failure.

The best and the most powerful methods of eliminating anger are tolerance and patience. People sometimes have the impression that tolerance and patience are neutral, lacking feeling, but they are not.  They are much deeper and more effective than mere indifference. Some people also feel that tolerance and patience are signs of weakness. On the contrary, anger, hatred and frustration are a sign of weakness. Anger comes from fear and fear comes from weakness or a feeling of inferiority. If you have courage and determination, you will have less fear, and consequently you will be less frustrated and angry.

Now, the practice of methods to reduce anger and increase tolerance is adaptable to every religious system--even those people who have no faith at all--for so long as you are a human being you will always need tolerance and courage. From a Buddhist point of view, there are nine objects or situations which give rise to anger: situations in which I have been harmed or will be harmed; or I will be harmed; similarly, situations in which my dear ones were harmed, are being harmed or will be harmed; and situations in which my enemies were happy, are happy or will be happy. Of these, perhaps the most important is the situation in which I am being harmed. At such times, a way to counter anger is to investigate the nature of the object which is actually harming us, examining whether it is harming us directly or indirectly. Suppose we are being hit with a stick.  What is directly doing us harm?  The stick. And the root cause which harms us indirectly is not the person wielding the stick, but the anger which motivates him to hit us, so it is not the person himself with whom we should feel angry.

Another method which can be effective in certain circumstances is to remember at the time when someone is harming us that we could be experiencing far great difficulties and worse sufferings. When we recognize that there are much worse things that could happen to us, the difficulties that we are facing are reduced and become easier to cope with. This technique can be applied to all sorts of problems. If you look at a problem close up, it seems very big, but from a distance it appears much smaller, and this can help counter anger. Similarly, when a tragedy takes place, it can help if we analyse whether there is any way of overcoming it.  If there is not, then there is no use in worry about it.

Anger is our real enemy. Whether it is in our mind, our friend’s mind, or our enemy’s mind, anger is the real foe. It never changes.  Its nature is always harmful. However, a human being does not always have a harmful nature.  He may be your worst enemy today, but tomorrow or next year he may become your best friend. So, when a human being is behaving like an enemy and doing us harm, we should not blame the person.  One day his motivation may change. The real blame should be put on his anger or negative attitude. Whenever anger arises, whoever it arises in, it is always a trouble-maker.

In order to counter anger, we need to increase patience and tolerance. In that sense, in order to practise patience and tolerance, we need an enemy, a person who is an enemy. Otherwise, we have no opportunity to practise them. Whether the enemy has a good or a bad motivation, as far as we are concerned, the situation will be beneficial, for his harming us provides an opportunity for us to increase patience and test our inner strength. If we think in this way, we can see our enemy as someone to whom we should be grateful, rather than as an object of abuse.

Nevertheless, when it comes to taking action, if someone is behaving unreasonably and harmfully towards other beings and he or she is doing so continually, then ultimately he or she will suffer. If you understand the situation clearly, then respectfully and without scorn, you can take necessary counter-action. In such situations we should take action to stop other people behaving unreasonably, because unless we do so--things will just get worse. We are not only allowed to take such counter-action, but indeed we should; the difference being that we do so not out of anger but with an altruistic intention.

A further way to counter anger is based on compassion and a deep respect for others. In this respect,  a genuine altruistic attitude is very important. Basically, human beings are social animals.  Without others you simply cannot survive. Therefore, for your own survival, your own happiness and your own success, you need others. By helping other people, being concerned about other people’s suffering and sharing in it, you will ultimately gain some benefit yourself.

This is also applicable on a larger scale--for example, with regard to the world’s economic problems. If you follow a one-sided policy, although you may gain something temporarily, in the long run you may lose more. If the policy is based on a wider perspective, a more altruistic attitude, it will produce a better result. In the field of economics today, we are all increasingly dependent on each other, not only from country to country, but from continent to continent. The nations who consume the most ought to reflect on where they get the materials which allow such consumption to go on.  Otherwise one day it will be a cause of big problems. These things are becoming steadily clearer as a result of the energy crisis and the widening gap between the North and the South--the richer and the poorer countries. If the situation continues, it will definitely create problems, but if we think about how it can be changed, developing an altruistic attitude is the key point.

Now, developing such attitudes as love and compassion, patience and tolerance, genuine understanding between human beings is not simply a religious matter, but a condition for survival. Sometimes I refer to it as a universal religion. To be a good human being in day-to-day life, neither philosophy nor ritual is necessary. To be a good human being means: if possible to serve other people, if not, refrain from harming them. Nevertheless, the various different religions do have responsibilities along these lines. It is not that everybody should become religious minded, but rather that each of the various religions can contribute to mankind. All the great teachers of the past gave their various teachings for the benefit of humanity and in some cases, even for the benefit of all sentient beings. Certainly, they did not teach us to disturb people.

The various different religious groups and systems have a special contribution to make, not to material development, but to mental development. The proper way to approach our future is a combination of these two.  As human beings our physical and mental energy should be spent half on material development and half on inner development. If we over-emphasise the material side, it is insufficient because it is based on matter which has no feeling, no experience and no consciousness. Until the world comes to be dominated by robots, we will need religion. Because we are human beings we have feelings and experiences, pains and pleasures, and as long as these circumstances persist, things like money alone cannot bring happiness. Whether or not we do experience happiness is largely dependent on our mental attitude and way of thinking.

Each of the various religious systems, whether it be Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism or one of the many kinds of Hinduism, has some special technique, some special method to achieve that goal. When we talk with religious scholars or practitioners, even without speaking we can feel they have achieved something. This is a result of their own tradition and is an indication that all the world’s religions are not only aiming at the same object, but have the ability and potential to produce good human beings. From this point of view we can easily develop respect for different religions.

It is a reality that there are many areas in which we human beings tend to fight, while religion is the only factor which acts as a remedy for human destruction. That religion itself can be a used as an instrument for creating further divisions and provoking more fighting is very unfortunate. It is another reality that it is impossible for all human beings to become religious minded. There is no question of all human beings becoming Buddhists, or Christians, or anything else. Buddhists will remain Buddhists, Christians will remain Christians, and non-believers will remain non-believers. Whether we like it or not this is a fact, so respect for others people’s views is very important. If people have faith, accept some ideal, and feel they have found the most beneficial way of improving themselves, this is good.  They are exercising their right to follow their own choice. Those who have no faith, who even feel religion is wrong, at least derive some benefit from their anti-religious outlook, which is their right too.

As long as we remain human beings and citizens of this world, we have to live together, so we should not disturb each other, but realize that we are all brothers and sisters. There are very clear grounds for developing closer relations between the various different philosophies, religions and traditions and this is very important at present. I am glad to see positive signs of a movement in this direction, especially of a closer understanding between the Tibetan Buddhist community and Christian monks and nuns. We Tibetans have many things to learn from other traditions.

However, it is important to understand that the future of religion and what it can contribute to mankind is not merely a matter of preserving institutions, but also depends very much on individuals’ own practice. If you accept religion you should practise it sincerely, not artificially. Therefore, it is important to grasp the essence, to understand what the aim of your religion is, and what its results will be. If you then practise properly, you yourself will present an example of the benefits of religion.

In the field of philosophy, there are significant difference between religions, For instance, according to the Jain and Buddhist teachings there is no “creator,” there is no God. Ultimately one is like a creator oneself, for according to the Buddhist explanation there is within one’s own consciousness an innermost subtle consciousness, sometimes called clear light, which resembles a creator, but is deep within oneself. Whereas, where other religions are concerned, the central belief is in God, so we can see here wide differences in philosophy.

However, instead of dwelling on differences a more important question is, what is the purpose of these different systems and philosophies? The answer is that the purpose is the same, to bring the maximum benefit to humankind. There are so many different mental dispositions among human beings, that are for certain people certain traditions are more effective. Flowers are very pleasing, one flower is beautiful, but a combination is even more beautiful. If there is more variety, you have the opportunity to choose according to your taste and liking. Similarly, it is good to have many different religious teachings and many different philosophies. Just as we eat food to support our physical bodies, religions and ideologies are food for the mind.

There are differences between us even in the limited physical sphere, for our small human faces contain many distinguishing features. Our minds are not of solid substances, but are vast as space, so naturally there are many different mental dispositions. For these reasons one religion and one philosophy are not sufficient to satisfy all human beings. What we should aim at, with the welfare of mankind in mind, is not to hope to convert everyone to one religion, not to try to evolve a single eclectic religion from all the others. We can appreciate and admire the features we find in common and respect the areas in which we differ. Certainly, there are aspects in which different religions can learn from each other, but they do not have to surrender their identity to do so. Christian, for example, might find Buddhist techniques of developing concentration, focussing the mind on one point, to be useful. There are many ways to do this, such as through meditation, as there are also many techniques, which aim to develop tolerance, compassion, love, kindness and so forth. Similarly, Buddhist may find Christian practices of social action helpful and conducive to their mind-training. The essential point to remember here, bearing in mind that the aim of the religion is the welfare of human beings, is that whatever we may learn or borrow from each other, the benefits that religion can bring and the contribution they can make to mankind depend upon ourselves and whether we really put them into practice.
 

Any donations and contributions are gratefully received.  You will be remembered in the prayers of the monks.