Nepal Phuntsok Choeling Monastery
Time:2015-04-25 15:51:41 Clicks:
Sangha is the vital part in sustaining the Buddha Dharma, and therefore to foster Sangha members (Buddhist monks) with rigorous training in Vinaya (moral conduct) and determined effort in both understanding and practice is the most important thing in the promotion of the Dharma.
The most Venerable KyabjeGosok Rinpoche has been dedicated to Sangha education for more than twenty years ever since he is appointed as the Abbot of Gyumed and Sera Monasteries. He hopes to bring upa more talentedSanghagenerationfor the continuation and prosperity of the Dharma and the profound Vajrayana teachings.
At the completion of the PhuntsokChoeling Monastery, some of Rinpoche’s disciples in Nepal requested him to have their children enrolled in the monastery to study. Rinpoche kindly agreed and allowed them to enter the PhuntsokChoeling to receive education and Sangha training. In the beginning there were about 20 young Tibetans aged from 8 to 11, most of them were children whose parents were disciples of Rinpoche in his previous life. When the parents revisited the monastery, they were pleased to see that their children had made a good progress in knowledge and behavior, as well as health improvement. They shared their happiness and spread the words, and since then more and more young monks have been sent to the monastery. At present more than 170 young monks are studying there.
Rinpoche divides these young monastic students into four classes by the order of time they entered the monastery, and invitesgeshes who are well versed in Buddhist scriptures and rigorous in Vinaya, from Sera Monastery in India, to teach Tibetan language, Buddhist texts and monastic behaviors. He has also hired local expertise to teach English and Nepalese. All monastic students get up at 5 in the morning, and begin their daily study with recitations of Migtsema (a core prayer in the Tushita Guru Yoga practice) and the Manjushri heart mantra. The curriculum includesa series of study of the Dharma and language trainings. Students are required to memorize the text taught that day and be able to recite it by heart the next day. Only Saturdays are set for no teachings, and students will play football and cricket in the square in front of the monastery, as exercises to build a strong and healthy body.
Under suchstrict training, all young monastic students are achieving remarkable results in their study of the Dharma. No words can describe our feelings when we see the very hope for the prosperity of the Buddha Dharma. We are grateful and confident for the revitalization of the Dharma even in an era of decline of the Buddha’s teachings.
However, the political situationin Nepal has been in turmoil in recent years whichhad causeda soaring up in price and material deprivation. And these have made the running of the monastery more difficult. The current housing facilities can no longer accommodate the increasing number of young monks. The continuation ofSangha education at PhuntsokChoeling to foster more talented Sangha membersneedsyour support. Donations can be either directly handed to Rinpoche himself or made payable to the following bank account:
Postal transfer account: 42240331
Account name: Gosok Lama, GosokKunphen Association, R.O.C
e-mail adrress：gosoktaiwan@gmail.com
All donations will be completely used for sponsoring Sangha education. We are looking forward to your enthusiastic sponsorship; and your generosity will be meritorious!