THE STUDENTS
These boys were born into nomadic families who today experience overwhelming poverty. Parents struggle to feed their children and opportunities for even elementary education are virtually non-existent. Some of these boys are orphans; for all of them being at the monastery is their only chance to gain literacy and have some hope of finding a better future for themselves and their communities.
Bayan monk Tubten Jinpa Gyatso is the tutor who overseas the boy's education.
Humanitarian Project
Education and a home for nomadic boys at Bayan Monastery
In traditional Tibet young boys from poor families are sent to monasteries where they are given the essentials – food, shelter and clothing – as well as their only opportunity to obtain the most basic education in reading, writing and Tibetan literature.
In keeping with this long-standing custom, Bayan Monastery is currently supporting fourteen young boys from nomadic families in Golok. Ranging in age from 7-14 years old, these children spend six days a week studying under the guidance of their tutor, a Bayan monk.
Resources which in the past that would have helped monasteries care for and teach needy children are no longer available. Today, Tibetan communities in Golok are are experiencing profound and virtually universal poverty. Recently the monks at Bayan Monastery requested help from Sogan Rinpoche who was given responsibility for them and their monastery by his root lama, Khenpo Munsel.
Rinpoche is committed to assisting his monks at Bayan in their vital work on behalf of Golok's next generation of Tibetans. Tupten Osel Choling, his spiritual foundation based in the San Francisco Bay area, has launched a fundraising effort with the initial goal of subsidizing the educational and living expenses of Bayan's young students. Eventually we hope to upgrade the facilities where they sleep and study.
To see images of the young boys at study and play and to learn more about their lives at the monastery, visit this gallery >>
