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Gaden
Relief Projects
Helping
Tibetans preserve their unique culture.
Tashi
Lhapug
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Tashi
Lhapug Monastery
Nestled
on the banks of the Zachu River, a tributory of the Mekong River,
is tiny Tashi Lhapug Monastery, home to 60 monks. Tashi Lhapug
is literally
at the end of a muddy dirt road that takes three days by horseback
or five hours by jeep to travel from the city of Zadoh. There
is no one for miles around, except for a few nomads in the summer.
Tashi
Lhapug dates back to the time of the Fifth Dalai Lama, five centuries
ago. It was completely destroyed by the communists in 1958, but
for the past two decades monks have slowly rebuilt parts of the
monastery. Today, the monks range in age from 14 to 70 years.
Several of monks are in long term meditation retreats in the huts
and caves above the monastery.
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Picturesque
view of the valley through which the Zachu River passes.
Tashi
Lhapug belongs to the Gelug sect of Tibetan buddhism. Led by
head lamas Lhapug Gyal Rinpoche and Lochok Rinpoche, it has
a reputation for producing accomplished lamas and tantric yogis.
The scenic location, amid an abundance of wild herbs and natural
mineral springs, is excellent for Buddhist training and contemplation.
Despite
the idyllic setting, life at Tashi Lhapug is difficult. In winter
the road from Zadoh is impassable for months. The monks lack
sufficient food and living quarters. In 2001, an earthquake
damaged the main temple and to date the monastery has not been
able to afford repairs. The monks also lack basic buddhist artifacts
necessary for their practices such as statuary, icons (thangkas),
and buddhist texts.
Currently, the monastery is constructing
a hall of philosophical studies and debate. This is where
the monks will practice the highly structured debate system
of the Gelug sect. Debate is a traditional way for the monks
to test their understanding of buddhist philosophy and to help
identify and dispel wrong views.
You can help the monks of Tashi Lhapug by contributing
funds to help complete the construction of the hall, help pay
for the repairs to the main temple, or help provide the basic
necessities to the monks.
Yes! I want to help!
Your donations will go directly to the Tibetans
in need. Gaden Relief has a sterling record of putting over 95%
of donations to work in the Tibetan communities. All of our staff
are volunteers and pay our own expenses. So you can rest assured
that your donations will be put to maximum effect to help Tibetans.
Click here to donate to Gaden Relief
Projects.
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