BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID ITHACA, NY 14851 Permit No. 746 M 16 Address correction requested SNOW LION ORDER FROM OUR NEW TOLL FREE NUMBER NEWSLETTER & CATALOG 1-800-950-0313 1992 WINTER SUPPLEMENT SNOW LION PUBLICATIONS PO BOX 6483, ITHACA, NY 14851, (607)-273-8506 ISSN 1059-3691 VOLUME 7, NUMBER 1 Chakrasamvara, Yamantaka and Kalachakra, the special deity of NAMGYAL MONASTERY Namgyal, as the main ritual and meditation practices of the mon- Institute of Buddhist Studies astery. He placed special empha- Ithaca, New York sis on maintaining the practice of Kalachakra, and in conjunction Namgyal Monastery is establish- Namgyal Dratsang (Victorious with Zha-lu masters taught dance. ing a branch monastery in the Monastery). Since its inception, To gain admission to the monas- United States, in Ithaca, New the monastery has assisted the tery, a monk had to memorize cer- York, under the direction of His Dalai Lamas in their public reli- tain texts and was tested by a Holiness the Dalai Lama and the gious activities and performed senior monk who would judge parent monastery in Dharamsala, ritual prayer ceremonies for the whether he was capable of being India. Six Namgyal monks, in- welfare of Tibet. From the begin- examined in the Dalai Lama's cluding a Geshe and others with ning, the monastery has been a presence. If formally admitted, the the ' 'Master of Sutra and Tantra'' center of learning, contemplation monk would have a private au- degree, have been selected to es- and meditation on the vast and dience with the Dalai Lama before tablish the Namgyal Monastery In- profound Buddhist treatises. commencing his duties. The Sev- stitute of Buddhist Studies and The Dalai Lamas have always enth Dalai Lama also initiated the will arrive in Ithaca in late spring guided the activities of the mon- mandala rituals and came specifi- of 1992. astery. The Third Dalai Lama es- cally to examine the work and In addition to carrying out their tablished the ritual of Four-faced question the monks and to give ex- usual monastic routines, the Ithaca Mahakala, adopted from the Sakya planations of the rituals and prac- resident Tibetan monks will ad- tradition. The Fifth Dalai Lama tices, which is a custom continued minister a structured program of instituted practices from the to this day by the present Dalai study of sutra and tantra for West- Nyingma tradition and established Lama. The Thirteenth Dalai ern students. Students wishing to new traditions of sacred dance and Lama added the practice of Vaj- pursue authentic study of Tibetan chanting and established the mon- rakilaya to the tradition of the Buddhist philosophy can apply for astery in the Potala where it re- monastery. His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Photo: Don Farber/Thubten Dhargye Ling. admission to the Monastery's In- stitute of Buddhist Studies. The and Nepal, among them 55 monks preserved and continued today. Institute will offer a five-year de- from Namgyal. Namgyal Monas- Because Namgyal is the private gree program based on Namgyal's tery was reestablished just outside monastery of His Holiness the unique curriculum, which will in- the residence of His Holiness in Dalai Lama, whose monks are clude classical and colloquial Tibe- Dharamsala, India, where the called on to assist in his public re- tan language, the study of logic, Namgyal traditions are being ligious activities, and is also a tan- debate, the Buddhist tenet sys- tems, difficult topics in the higher tenet systems, and tantra. The In- stitute will seek affiliation with various academic institutions to al- low students from those universi- ties and colleges to register for classes and receive credit from their primary school. In addition to the degree program, the monks will teach Tibetan arts such as painting, sculpture and mask making as well as courses in Bud- Three Namgyal monks constructing a sand mandala in Ithaca, New York. dhism for non-degree students. Photo: Bill Warren. mained until 1959. The Seventh NAMGYAL IN EXILE HISTORY OF Dalai Lama gathered monks and After the Chinese invasion of NAMGYAL MONASTERY scholars from the three great seats Tibet and the 1959 popular upris- In 1575 Sonam Gyatso, the of learning—Sera, Drepung and ing, His Holiness the Fourteenth Third Dalai Lama, founded a Ganden—and the two Tantric Col- Dalai Lama and one hundred monastery, later to be known as leges and assigned Guhyasamaja, thousand Tibetans fled to India Namgyal monks debating. Photo: BUI Warren. SNOW LION WINTER 92 NEWSLETTER & CATALOG SUPPLEMENT NAMGYAL IN AMERICA! trie college, monks have less per- tery is non-sectarian in that most THE SNOW LION sonal time and require a more of the monks have received teach- NAMGYAL TEXTBOOK streamlined study program focus- ings and initiations from major PROJECT ing on the essentials of sutra and Tibetan teachers such as H.H. the tantra. For these special require- Dalai Lama, H.H. Kyabje Ling For some time in the West, stu- ments, His Holiness the present Rinpoche, Kyabje Trijang Rin- dents of Tibetan Buddhism have Dalai Lama has introduced many poche, the Abbots of Namgyal expressed the desire for an authen- innovations to the monastery in- Dratsang, H.E. Sakya Chogyey tic systematic and comprehensive cluding a new syllabus and pro- Trichen Rinpoche, H.H. Dilgo program of study and practice gram of study. The program is Khentse Rinpoche, Trulshik Rin- designed especially to fit the needs now becoming a model for other poche and other learned scholars. of Westerners. Ideally such a pro- Tibetan monasteries. The program The basic background of the gram would be based on a tradi- takes thirteen years to complete, at Namgyal monks is as follows: tional monastic curriculum and which time a "Master of Sutra and presented in English translation. • Extensive study and practice This need is now being an- Tantra" degree is bestowed upon of the Guhyasamaja, those who successfully pass the fi- swered by the establishment of the Chakrasamvara, Yamantaka Namgyal Monastery Institute of nal examinations. The Namgyal and Kalachakra tantric sys- study program is unique in that it Buddhist Studies in Ithaca, New tems, Mahakala, Yamaraja, York and the publication in Eng- combines both sutra and tantra in Palden Lhamo, etc. and the one degree-granting program. lish translation of the innovative mandatory Vajrakflaya retreat. Namgyal Monastery curriculum NAMGYAL ESTABLISHES • Thirteen years of Buddhist by Snow Lion Publications. BRANCH MONASTERY IN Philosophy which includes Because the Namgyal curricu- AMERICA AND THE Logic and Epistemology, Crit- lum is so streamlined and increas- INSTITUTE OF ical Philosophy (non-Buddhist ingly used as a model for major BUDDHIST STUDIES and Vaibhashika systems, Tibetan monasteries, it was recog- In order to assist Western stu- Sautrantika, Cittamatra and nized that this program would be dents who wish to study in an Madhyamika thought), Her- especially well suited for Western authentic way but are not able to meneutics (linguistic and students wishing this kind of go to India for the necessary length semantic philosophy) and Tan- authentic program of Buddhist of time, Namgyal Monastery is tra. Each subject requires con- Namgyal monks performing Kalachakra ritual dance. Photo: Bernard Feiten. study and practice. now establishing a branch monas- centrated critical study and Aimed at spanning the entire memorization which is co- tery in the United States. The puter Graphics. Ven. Chogyen is and writes fluently in Tibetan, range of philosophical tenets in ordinated with formal debate Tibetan Buddhism in an orderly Namgyal curriculum has been currently a full-time graduate stu- Hindi, English, and Spanish. to invigorate the process of progression, the Snow Lion Nam- adapted (same program minus the dent at Columbia University pur- VEN. TENZIN LHUNPO memorization) to a five-year pro- critical inquiry. suing a doctoral degree in gyal Textbook Program will coor- Born 1955, Lhatse, Tibet dinate the materials necessary for gram for western students wishing At the completion of each of comparative religion. Entered Namgyal Monastery in to seriously study and practice. these phases of study, formal oral In October of 1991, the Nam- a serious study of the essential 1969. Studied the liturgy of vari- components of traditional educa- His Holiness the Dalai Lama has and written examinations are tak- gyal Administrative Committee in ous meditational deities and invo- called the opening of the Ithaca en, conducted by the Abbot and Dharamsala appointed Ven. Pema tion for Tibetan monks, an cation rites of protectors. Having achievement without precedent in branch monastery and education- senior scholars of Namgyal Mon- Losang Chogyen to the post of passed the oral exams before His al program ' 'an excellent and im- astery and the other major Tibe- Committee Representative (Acting the West. Holiness the Dalai Lama, he took The Namgyal textbook series portant project." tan monastic colleges. The monks Director) for establishment of the on the study of traditional Bud- The Namgyal Monastery and also study the creation of manda- United States branch of the Nam- will be an invaluable resource for dhist sacred arts, including ritual the educational programs of Bud- Institute of Buddhist Studies las including sand mandalas, gyal Monastery Institute of Bud- music, buner sculpture, dance and (Namgyal Institute) will be locat- painting, butter sculpture, ritual dhist Studies. dhist centers, colleges and univer- construction of sand mandalas. sities which until now have had ed in Ithaca, New York, on the chanting and music; and also re- VEN. TSERING NAMGYAL For thirteen years, from 1974 to edge of the Cornell University ligious dance. Namgyal monks are very little in the way of English Born 1956, Dingri, Tibet 1986, he studied a wide range of language textbook support in this campus. Several spacious build- known for having a broad range of Entered Namgyal Monastery in Buddhist sciences: logic, episte- expanding subject area.