]My name is Lozang Gyaltsan. I am a Gelug monk and a devout Shugdenpa. I have the great fortune to have been invited to teach English to young monks at Serpom Monastery, Bylakuppe Tibetan Colony, Mysore District, Karnataka State, South India.
I am finally getting settled in here at Serpom Thoesam Norling Monastery in the Bylakuppe Tibetan Colony, Karnataka State, South India. I arrived here late in the evening on August 10th. In retrospect, it could not have been a more suitable arrival for a monk at a monastery. My luggage was lost and I arrived at the gates of Serpom with little more than the clothes on my back, not even a set of robes to wear. I cannot think of a more salient lesson in attachment, especially for a Buddhist monk. The impact of the lesson was immediate; with a wave of his hand my new friend Sopa said, “not to worry.” I did not and have not since that moment. I arrived safely, under the protection of Dharmapala Dorje Shugden, Protector of the precious and flawless Ganden lineage, the Protector of Serpom Monastery, and my Yidam and Protector for countless lifetimes.
After a surprisingly restful sleep, despite the jet-lag and , often, bone-jarring 5-hour ride from Bangalore to Bylakuppe, I was taken to the nearby town of Kushalnagar and fitted with a new set of monastic robes, the kind gift of the monastery. I was permitted the luxury of sleeping away most of the next two days to adjust to the 11 hour time-shift before being introduced to my three classes.
The administration at Serpom has undertaken to provide room, board, and medical during my stay. But much more than that, they have been kind, generous and helpful in wyas that can scarcely be recounted. They are patient in helping me improve the limited Tibetan I already know and in making sure that my adjustment to life in a monastery, as well as in India, is as easy and peaceful as possible.
This really is the adventure of a lifetime. I spent the first few days getting to know my students [very few of whose names I have committed to memory just yet – more than 60 Tibetan names to remember] teaching them some introductory English phrases from my Tibetan phrasebook and getting to use the Tibetan with which I am familiar. One of the first things I taught my students was the Refuge Prayer, “I take Refuge in the Lama. I take Refuge in the Buddha. I take Refuge in the Dharma. I take Refuge in the Sangha.” I am greeted each morning with a hearty “Good Morning, Sir !” followed closely by Refuge recited in full voice by the 20+ students in each of my classes.
The last few days have been very intense. It is the annual Rigchung Ceremonies. Please visit
http://www.serpommonastery.org/spiritualprograms.html for an explanation of this centuries-old tradition that is exclusive to the Sera Monastic Colleges. With the ending of Rigchung Ceremonies, I begin an intensive and detailed introduction to English Grammar which will consume most the time remaining for this trip to Serpom which will end with my departure for home on December 3rd. It is my fervent wish that this will be the first of many stays at Serpom. I hope to serve these young monks well and to help Serpom Monastery establish an on-going program of providing a native English speaker to teach classes along with the monks who already teach here.
I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the kind gift of $800 from the Administrative Staff of dorjeshugden.com to cover expenses while at Serpom and, if all goes well, my return trip here in 2012.
I will be posting here on this wonderful website and on my Facebook page about my experiences At Serpom and in South India. Please feel free to add me as a friend on Facebook and join the Facebook Group: Friends of Venerable Lozang Gyaltsan.
