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Welcome to Dip Tsechokling Monastery
 This is the picture of the new monastery of Tsechokling at Dharamsala, India The first monastery of Tsechokling is located a few kilometers south of Lhassa, capital of Tibet. It was founded at the beginning of the 18th century by the Venerable Yongzin Yeshe Gyaltsen, tutor to HH the Eighth Dalaï Lama. Yongzen Yeshe Gyaltsen also founded the Kyirong Dzong monastery, located on tibetan territory, a few kilometres of the present Nepal border, this monastery is called Samtenling Gompa. These monasteries had a very close relationship that lasted until the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950. After a few years, the Chinese Communist Army began a genocide (a quarter of the population - 1.5 millions out of 6 millions Tibetans in 1950- was massacred) and to destroy most of the 6,000 monasteries. In this manner the Dip Tsechokling monastery was transformed in a warehouse for the Chinese occupying army. In 1959 a large number of tibetans decided to go into exile in order to be able to keep on practising their religion (Buddhism) and to maintain their culture, since the Chinese Communists were killing, jailing and torturing the tibetans who were still willing to openly practise their religion. Among these tibetans was Lama Tashi Gyaltsen, who decided very rapidly, in company of his assistant Lama Thubten Nyandack, to rebuilt Dip Tsechokling Monastery as soon as possible. Therefore at the beginning of the 1980's, with the help of numerous foreign sponsors, a piece of land was bought in Dharamsala, a small town of North West India, 550 kms from Delhi, in the Himachal Pradesh. It is indeed in Dharamsala that the Tibetan Government in exile is settled and where lives His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. It is in 1986 that the main temple was built. Today there are also rooms for the monks, classrooms, toilets and showers. This monastery is also a school and the monastery population is mainly of young tibetans, most of them orphans, aged 9 to 26, who wish to receive a traditional Tibetan education and to practise their ancestors' religion and maintain the tradition. These young monks study tibetan calligraphy and grammar, memorise and recite sacred texts, learn traditional art (painting, building sand mandalas), study buddhist philosophy and engage in debate, they study as well English and all secular subjects as taught in other Indian schools. These monks receive very often teachings by HH the Dalai Lama as well as many other very highly realized Lamas living in or visiting Dharamsala. There are nowadays more than fifty monks at Tsechokling (India) and the daily monastery costs average more than two hundred US dollars. So we are always seeking new sponsors for the new children wishing to be admitted to Tsechokling You can send your donations or ask for further information about sponsorship at the following adress : Association Dip Tse Chok Ling
CH 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
E-mail : eichenberg@freesurf.ch |
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