Truck for Shugsep

Thank you to everyone who helped us reach our goal! The truck has been funded!!! If you are interested in other major projects, we are still seeking funding for:

Thanks to 20 supporters we have reached our goal of funding the purchase of a new multi-purpose truck for the nuns of Shugsep Nunnery and Institute in northern India.

The nunnery’s old pick-up truck which was donated by a Tibetan supporter had broken down earlier in 2015. It was so old that there were no longer parts readily available for it and there were major problems with the brakes.

The nuns needed a new, four-seat pick-up with plenty of space so that they could transport groceries, vegetables from the market, and heavy materials. The truck will also be used as a sort of an ambulance, to take nuns to hospital in cases of medical emergency.

The total estimated cost of the multipurpose pickup is US $10,700 (Indian rupees 671,000).

About Shugsep Nunnery and Institute

Shugsep Nunnery and Institute, re-established in northern India, is a Nyingma nunnery and is home to about 80 nuns. Last century the original Shugsep Nunnery in Tibet was home to one of the most illustrious female practitioners of her time, Shugsep Jetsunma.

After the Cultural Revolution in 1959, the Chinese authorities forced the nuns to leave Shugsep and the nunnery in Tibet was completely destroyed. Although the nunnery was rebuilt in 1980s by the nuns themselves, they faced frequent harassment.

So to preserve their tradition, Shugsep Nunnery was constructed in Dharamsala and was graciously inaugurated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on 7th December 2010. The majority of the nuns studying come from the original Shugsep in Tibet. They have the opportunity to participate in a nine-year academic program of Buddhist philosophy, debate, Tibetan language and English.