DONATION VON NGARI

DONATION – PROJECT – VON NGARI MONASTERY

Von Ngari Monastery is situated in Northern India.  Smallest of the several in India, The Von Ngari Monastery, Manali currently shelters 22 kids ranging from young five year olds to adolescent 19-year-olds. The long term resident Abbot is Khensur Geshe Lharampa Lobsang Samten. 

The Abbott Khensur Geshe Lharampa Lobsang Samten was born to mother Dekyi Dolma and father Kunchok Dargye on July 6, 1929, at Zangri, South of Lhasa in Tibet and was named Tashi Wangpo at birth. From the age of 7 to 13, he helped his family by doing work as a shepherd boy, but encountered great difficulties as wild animals took away their livestock.

At the age of 14, he joined one the great monasteries in Central Tibet, Palden Ngari Datsang, as a novice monk, taking novice vows and ordination from then Abbot Lobsang Jigme and was provided the ordination name of Lobsang Samten. Under the residence teachers Gen. Kunchok Gyaltsen and Kalsang he studied reading and writing the Tibetan alphabet and also prayer recitation. At the age of 15, under Geshe Jamyang Gyatso and the great scholar Gen. Tsultrim Damdaul, he studied elementary Buddhist texts until he reached the Parchen class (Prajnaparamita: The Six Perfection).  From the age of 25 to 29, he studied  Namdel and under Tsangpa Gen. Sopa and others, he took part in Jamyang Gunchoe, having to travel with great difficulty for five days on foot with one month’s ration.

At the age of 30, he escaped to India after the invasion of Tibet by China, walking days and nights as did the other Gomang monks.  They stayed at Buxar in Northeast India. Because His Holiness the Dalai Lama noticed that only a small number of the monk population from the three great monasteries was able to flee to India, he requested the Indian Government to allow these monks to study their texts in order to preserve the religion, but this was difficult to do. At Buxar, Lobsang Samten received Bikhu ordination (full ordination) from the then senior tutor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Ven. Ling Rinpoche.

Upon the request of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the Indian Government, the Indian Central Government allotted some lands to Tibetan refugees for cultivation in order to sustain themselves. As a result, monasteries such as Sera and Kagyu monasteries were re-established in Bylakupee; whereas in Mundgod, monasteries such as Gaden, Drepung, Sakya and Nyima were re-established. During that time for three or four years, Lobsang Samten also did farming while he studied the Five Major Buddhist Treatises under Gen. Tsultrim Gyatso and Mongolian Khensur Ngawang Lobsang.

In 1973, at the age of 44 he obtained the Geshe Lharampa Degree and at Monam Chenmo he gave his Geshe Lharampa examination debate in front of Great scholars (Geshe Damcha).  In 1983, he was appointed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the Discipline Master of Drepung Gomang Monastery for a period of two years. He also served as Lama Shunglenba (Education Supervisor) of the monastery for four years. From 1990 till 1995, he observed a Yamakanta retreat.  At present Khensur Rinpoche is residing at Manali supervising the day to day work at Von Ngari. 

The Abbot’s and the older monks’ dedication is preserve all of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition that they collected in Tibet.  The Monastery cultivates on both heart and intellect with all the compassion and wisdom.  The Monastery provides a sanctuary for the nurturance of inner peace and kindness to the children who joined the Monastery in monkhood.  In implementing this vision, Von Ngari Monastery needs Funding to rebuild its old structural temple, food supplies, school materials, and clothing for these little enlighten future beings.  Your kindness as donors, sponsors will go directly to Monk Jampa Tenzin at the Monastery.

Your generous Donation has been able to improve the diet to the extent that all monk, especially the little monks, now receive daily tea and bread for breakfast; tea, bread and a vegetable dish for lunch; and a solid dinner in the evening. In addition, younger monks are provided with an egg each and also fresh fruit three times a week. This will increase the health and well being of these little monks’ body, heart and soul. Ten years ago tuberculosis, a disease rarely contracted in Tibet due to its high altitude, was the major cause of deaths at the monastery in India. Improved diets, food supplies and health care supplies will better monitor and treat TB cases. So this longer a life-threatening disease will not be that of their path so they can focus on receiving the dharma and manifesting these teachings of consciousness.