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THE SNOW LION NEWSLETTER
Tapas, Tormas and Thosamling
by Julie Adler
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On December 27th, 2002, a crisp sunny day, sitting on tarps and making tormas, to a
backdrop of snowcapped lower Himalayas of Himachal Pradesh, monks from Gyudmed Tantric
College in Dharamsala were doing a puja to bless and purify the land that is now the
foundation for a unique new nunnery. It also just happened to be Vajrayogini day. |
Gathering with His Holiness the Dalai Lama to discuss
the progress and future of Thosamling.
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Thosamling means 'Place of Hearing, Study and Reflection of the Buddha`s teachings' and it is the name that was given to this nunnery/institute during a meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and coordinator Ani Tenzin Sangmo among others in the fall of 2000. The idea for a Western nunnery has been long in coming as many recognize the great need for a place where Western Buddhist nuns can reside, study and retreat and other Western women are welcome as well.
For so long, many Western Buddhist nuns have been wandering the world, struggling to survive without an actual base, a supportive, economically feasible spiritual environment in which to be with other ordained female Sangha. This is about to change.
Situated in Sidhpur, just behind Norbulinka, His Holiness' summer residence,
and not far from McLeod Ganj, Thosamling Institute is fast rising up out of the
ground. In early January of this year, construction on the first building began.
By June, it will be completed, with space enough to house up to 32 Western nuns
(and more later on), ordained in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of any of all
five lineages (Geluk, Kagyu, Nyingma, Sakya and Bon).
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Ani Tenzin Sangmo, originally from the Netherlands, was ordained by His Holiness
after having worked for years in organizations that help improve housing and
develop community leadership at a grass roots level. She was also a nurse. Her travels
to Nepal changed the course of her life. But her experiences
in lay-life helped prepare her to break ground on this project. Literally
rolling up her robes and digging into the land, Sangmo is realizing a
vision that will help support women in their daily studies and practices
and provide a location for them to learn the
Tibetan |
Ani Tenzin
Sangmo
| language, to become strong
Tibetan Buddhists, excellent teachers and leaders.
Being in India makes Thosamling easily accessible to Lamas from all 5
lineages who will be invited to teach for months at a time. An advisory
committee of Lamas will be set up to guide and advise in the development of a
non-sectarian study program. Nuns will be able to do long retreats at lower
costs, and those residing in India can reach Thosamling without much difficulty.
And for the growing number of Western women donning the robes, especially those
who don't speak Tibetan, Thosamling will fill the void.
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Starting this coming September 2003,
the nunnery/institute will offer a 2-year comprehensive Tibetan
language course open to all. After this immersion, a 5-year study course
will begin. Additional offerings are to have leadership trainings and workshops as
well as cross-educational exchanges with other Buddhist women's |
The construction
site
| organizations, encouraging
Tibetan, Indian and nuns from other traditions to come and teach and share
experiences. To make a positive global impact by creating a strong women's
community puts Thosamling on its feet and running.
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Of course, to get all this up and running and
carry on with plans for classrooms, a kitchen, a dining hall, a temple,
a guesthouse, an office and up to ten retreat cabins, in
the next several years, there is a great need for help in
terms of financial support and plain old volunteering. At some point, Thosamling would like
to become self-sufficient; so there are possibilities of having a milk and cheese-making
factory as well as an organic farm to be run by the residents
and provide products for sale to the local communities. By Fall 2003, 2
retreat houses are expected to be ready for |
The construction
site
| laywomen, and will
be offered to those who have been supporters of the project since its inception.
By summer 2005, Ani Sangmo hopes over 40 nuns and laywomen will be in residence.
In the meantime, nuns funds and study funds for teachers are being set up.
And donations are tremendously appreciated. This is a historic moment for women
in Buddhism. It should resonate with women all over the globe. And hopefully,
Thosamling can serve as a model for future institutions who want to provide not
just a place but a support system that is open-minded, innovative and deeply
traditional at the same time.
If you would like to support this project, please write checks to "Thosamling
Institute" and send c/o:
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Maria Hess
130 S. High St.
Sebastopol, CA 95472.
Or you can donate on-line at http://www.thosamling.com.
Thosamling Institute
Sidhpur, 176057, (Dharamsala)
Distt. Kangra,
H.P. India
E-mail: thosamling@yahoo.com |
Tormas made by monks from Gyudmed Tantric College in Dharamsala to
purify the land where the Thosamling nunnery is now being
constructed. The snowcapped lower Himalayas of Himachal Pradesh are
in the distance.
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