Nunnery News | Khenchen Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche

Khenpo Rinpoche has two nunneries that Marpa Foundation is helping to support. Tek Chok Ling Nunnery in Nepal with fifty-eight nuns and Karma Drubdey Nunnery in Bhutan with one hundred twenty-seven nuns. There is a lot going on at the nunneries and we want to give you a quick update on what happened in 2012 and what to look forward to in 2013.

Tek Chok Ling Nunnery: Tek Chok Ling is a beehive of activity. On any day you will see nuns singing and smiling as they move about their busy lives. First there are the Buddhists studies of sutras along with chanting, torma making, sand mandala creation and Tibetan long horn playing. Then in 2012 they formalized their school of secular education. At the far end of the nunnery across from the shrine temple, on the bottom floor you will find three classrooms. Stop by anytime and ask the teachers if you may sit in. I am sure they will welcome you. Here the nuns are learning Tibetan, Nepali, English, Math, Science and Social Studies. There are about thirty-five students taking these classes. For some this is the first secular education they have ever received. They are eager, studious students, thrilled at the opportunity to go to school. TCL is sending the nuns sixteen years of age and under to Shree Mangal Dvip. SMD offers a full education following the Nepali government curriculum. All of this training, either at TCL or at SMD, means that TCL is in the process of establishing a first generation of nuns with both a secular and Buddhist education!

All the nuns have a very rigorous schedule. Morning chants start at 4:30am in the main temple. They have breakfast at 7am and prepare for school. In the late afternoon, after school, they do protector chants and often special pujas. After dinner around 7pm, you can hear the nuns singing Milarepa songs or watch them doing Tara dance on special days. The older nuns take turns doing retreat in the mountains at Yolmo. At this time there are four nuns doing their first ngondro retreat, accompanied by a nun who is their leader/teacher. This practice takes place in the retreat building near the Milarepa cave in Yolmo. When you visit Nepal, make sure you also make a trip to the Milarepa cave with its many blessings. You will be glad you did!

Karma Drubdey Nunnery: In 2012 almost all of the nuns traveled from Bhutan to Tek Chok Ling to see Khenpo Rinpoche. Some of them were meeting him for the first time; others had not seen him for over six years. This was an exciting and tremendous opportunity for teachings and training. The nuns shed many tears when they left!

However, they are thrilled with the possibilities that our support offers them at their nunnery. There are sixty-seven nuns engaged in regular monastic practice and study at the nunnery. Along with that there are eight nuns doing a six-month ngondro retreat and eight nuns doing a three-year retreat. Karma Drubdey nunnery has two nuns studying at Sri Lanka. Three years ago they started their school of higher education, the shedra, now with 41 nuns enrolled. The first Karma Kagyu Annual Nuns' Debate will take place in January 2014, after Kagyu Monlam. The nuns plan to particiate and are already studying hard and practicing their debate skills. We wish them great success at their first public debate! At Karma Drubdey Nunnery as well as at Tek Chok Ling Nunnery we see great effort in meditation and study. We rejoice in their efforts and in the great vision of Khenpo Rinpoche!