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Advice on visiting Tibetan Buddhist monasteries
BhanteLucky
Alternative lifestyle person in the South Island of New ZealandNew Zealand Veteran
Hi, I'm visiting Ladakh next year for 6 weeks in June and July, and I'm wondering if visiting a monastery there would be somewhat similar to visiting theravadan monasteries?
I have stayed at several thai forest monasteries so I'm quite familiar with that kind of thing. .., do you know if tibetan buddhist monasteries have a similar open attitude to respectful guests?
Also, theravadan monks have their 3 month rains retreat about july august september, do Tibetan buddhist monks also take it at this time, or in the depths of winter, which I guess would be more practical as during winter you can't really travel in that area anyway.
Thanks!
Ps... forgive my crude sentence construction, I'm typing on an absurdly small phone keyboard.
I have stayed at several thai forest monasteries so I'm quite familiar with that kind of thing. .., do you know if tibetan buddhist monasteries have a similar open attitude to respectful guests?
Also, theravadan monks have their 3 month rains retreat about july august september, do Tibetan buddhist monks also take it at this time, or in the depths of winter, which I guess would be more practical as during winter you can't really travel in that area anyway.
Thanks!
Ps... forgive my crude sentence construction, I'm typing on an absurdly small phone keyboard.
0
Comments
I spent a lot of time in Ladakh already, setting off again soon. Regarding your question about accomodation: there are some monasteries which have space for visitors. I'm a woman. So I didn't stay in monasteries, but in nunneries. There is also the Mahabodhi meditation centre in Choklamsar. The headmonk follows the theravada tradition. There are meditation caves as well, if you want to go there for meditation (in the Mahabodhi compound). If not, there are as well simple rooms and a canteen (quiet environment, but the project also includes schools and an old aged home, so you will meet monks, nuns, visitors, volunteers, old people and schoolboys/-girls as well there). You can get a bus (at the main bus stand) or a taxi from Leh to Choklamsar. There are two Mahabodhi Centres, one in Leh, one in Choklamsar, only the one in Choklamsar has space for accomodating people.
For a room in a monastery you best ask directly in the places. There is also a retreat center above Hemis Gompa (take the bus from Leh to Karu, from Karu you can walk to Hemis, approx. 1h, or take a taxi to Hemis Gompa). The retreat center above Hemis Gompa is called Gotsang Gompa. There are sometimes westerners who do retreats there (a monk told me this during my last visit). It's a hidden, but nice place (chamois included; from Hemis Gompa you need approx. 3/4h to reach the Gotsang-Gompa-retreat-center by walk - depends on your acclimatisation, there is a good path which leads through a tiny forrest). You can't drive to Gotsang Gompa. Mostly the monks speak little english. Should be enough to ask if there is room for you.
There is another good option. Sometimes there are guest houses near well-known monasteries, like Thikse and Lamayuru, where you can stay near the monastery, but not directly in the monastery itself. You can ask the monks about the time of puja/ceremony and you can ask if you can join it as a visitor. Usually it's no problem to do so.
Customs: put off your shoes outside the temples, don't stand on the frame of the door, step in with the right foot first. Don't wear a hat/cap, don't wear short trousers (in India this kind of cloth is usually associated with low-caste-people). Don't sit onto the monks seats, also not onto the low ones in rows (only if your adviced to do so, then it's ok). Always circumambulate, or walk clockwise around religious symbols (like stupas), tempels, buddha statues (only in Bon monasteries you should walk anit-clockwise).
June, July, August are the most busy months in Ladakh - this is the touristy season. The monasteries can be quite busy at that time. If you are looking for more peace, I suggest you the months of september and october (in october it can be already quite cold and there are no heating systems in rooms and guest houses; many guest houses are already closed (you still can find accomodation here and there, also in private households and monasteries and it's no problem to survive the cool temperatures with a woolen pullover and a warm jacket, and a minus-degrees-sleepingbag, but showers - if there - are usually cold water showers; life is basic in most places, also in monasteries).
Retreats: I only heard of single or small-group retreats of monks in Ladakh. There is a traditional single retreat of 3years, 3months, 3weeks, 3days (only for well prepared monks/maybe also nuns). Some monks stay in caves due to that reason. Some stay in small rooms. There is also a retreat center above Lamayuru Gompa - I have also seen a westerner there in a room just next to the retreat center. I don't know if retreats are fixed to a certain time in Ladakh. It doesn't seem so, but I'm not sure. I had the impression that monks, maybe also nuns, do it, when they are prepared for it and not at a certain time. In Gotsang Gompa there were two monks at the retreat center, who came with me down to Karu after my visit. I don't know how serious the retreats are pracitced. The 3years, 3months, 3weeks, 3days-retreat is done with no influence from outside. The monk/nun is shut away from the world for the whole period. I think, there are also retreats which do not take so long. There are maybe also retreats which are not so strict, but I'm not sure about it.
Don't be surprised if you see monks playing around with mobile phones and if you get to see a TV in a monastery. This is not completely unusual. There are also monks with cool Shirts and Nike-sneakers under their robes. Some also possess photo cameras. I just want to tell you, because I don't want that you get a shock after your theravada experience. I could imagine, that Theravada is more strict in some aspects of the teachings. I read, that Rizong Gompa in Ladakh is also quite strict with the monk-vows. I only made two visits there. It's situated in a valley, some hours drive away from Leh. You can get a taxi in Leh for the ride. You can also take one of the long-distance busses to Kargil (starting from the Polo ground in Leh, early morning about 5:00am or so) and ask them if they can drop you at the junction to Rizong. From there you can walk, approx. 2hours to Rizong maybe. There is also a small nunnery - Chulichan Nunnery - on the way up. Okay, hope this is enough information for you.
Very grateful.
James