MONASTERY

Sunday afternoon we went to a Tibetan Buddhist monastery close to the school where I am staying. There were not too many monks out but we did get to see their temple and the outside of the dormitories where they live.

The gates to this monastery are always open anyone can come in at any time to seek solace and peace.

Tibetan Buddhism is different from other forms of Buddhism. In fact there are three main schools of Buddhism. The first is Theravada Buddhism which is considered the oldest but it is not as widely practiced. The second is Mahayana Buddhism, which came along a while later and is more commonly practiced. The third is Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism is considered heretical by the other two groups because in Tibet, Buddhism mixed with the local religious traditions and what emerged was a syncretistic form of Buddhism.

The grounds of this monastery were very well kept. The monks live a disciplined life and it shows in the well manicured grass and trees.

Buddhism does not believe in God per se; they pray to Buddha, to former Bodhisattvas and to their ancestors for help in this life and in the next. Buddhists will pray to Buddha for help in life and monks in particular will pray for help becoming enlightened. To Buddhists the purpose of life is to become nothing.

This huge gong was just inside the doorway to the temple. It goes off every morning at 5:30am for morning meditation. I sleep close enough to the monastery that it has woken me up on a few occasions.

The Tibetans revere the Dali Lama not as a god so much but as a reincarnation of a Buddha. The Dali Lama has visited this monastery a few times and interestingly, they have enshrined the car that he rode in. No one is allowed to sit in it. Part of the reason there is a monastery here is because India and China have had ongoing disputes about their land and the proper borders. As a way to get under the Chinese’s skin India gave asylum to the Dali Lama and even offered the land to the Tibetan Buddhists to build their Monastery. The monks who live here consider themselves in exile.

Not sure what this cylindrical thing is hanging from the ceiling but I am told that it represents a particularly holy place in the temple. Just behind it you can a mural commemorating an event in the life of Buddha.

The monastery has a very simple layout. The gate is left open all day, so they are not worried about who comes in and who goes out. The grounds are well kept and simple. The Temple was in contrast, very ornate. The walls were covered with murals, there were tapestries hanging from the walls and the ceilings.

These red mats are where the monks sit for their daily meditation times.

At the very front there is a statue of Buddha and he is flanked by two other well known, Bodhisattvas, but don‘t ask who they are. At the front there is also a chair or perhaps better a throne chair on which the Dali Lama sat while here, and since then the chair has been retired.

This is the very front of the temple the main statue of Buddha is about five feet tall and encased in a glass enclosure.

The Tibetan Buddhists have a long history with a deep tradition, and they are still longing to go home. Though this will not likely happen any time soon, they still hold out hope. You will still see the bumper stickers that say “Free Tibet”. The movie "Seven Years in Tibet" and the book are both worth your time. The musical score performed by Yo Yo Ma for the movie is excellent.

I would go into further detail but I am in India to learn about Hinduism and Hindu culture so I will end here. I have written a little more in my post entitled "Buddhism."