GREAT NEWS! Thanks to generous supporters, the repairs to the septic system at Shugsep Nunnery have been fully funded. Thank you!
Shugsep Nunnery, home to about 85 nuns, was built over 10 years ago. Unfortunately, the nunnery’s septic system was leaking and needed to be repaired urgently, before the monsoon rains hit at the end of June 2018.
When we put out the call for help in the spring of 2018, you responded. We’re happy to report back that, thanks to you, this big repair project has been undertaken.
The nunnery relies completely on septic tanks and septic fields to deal with sewage and grey water. Also, because this area experiences one of the heaviest monsoons in India, the torrential rains put huge stress on the septic system, causing the tanks to overflow.
The fact that the nunnery is built on a hillside, further complicates matters. When the land becomes saturated, both the nunnery and neighboring village homes are affected, causing distress to everyone.
By helping to fund this project, you have not only improved the day-to-day life at the nunnery, but you have helped to safeguard the health of the nuns and their neighbors. Without a well-functioning septic system, there was the very real danger of outbreaks of disease such as dysentery, cholera, typhoid, and hepatitis.
Here are some photos of the repairs at Shugsep Nunnery.
it’s a major project to repair the septic system at Shugsep. This photo show’s part of the project.
Major concrete and stone work was needed
A big hole and digging project. This was too big and complex a maintenance project for the nuns to undertake themselves. They needed expert help and equipment.
Here’s a picture of the finished top of the septic tank area at the nunnery. Just in time before the monsoon rains begin!
About Shugsep Nunnery
Shugsep is a Nyingma nunnery which, in the previous century, was the home of one of the most illustrious female practitioners, Shugsep Jetsunma. After the Cultural Revolution in 1959, the Chinese authorities forced the nuns to leave Shugsep and it was completely destroyed. Although the nunnery in Tibet was partially rebuilt in the 1980s by the nuns themselves, they faced frequent harassment and it was no longer a place where the nuns could live and study freely.
In order to preserve their tradition, many of the nuns escaped from Tibet and established themselves in temporary accommodation in Dharamsala. The new Shugsep Nunnery was constructed by the Tibetan Nuns Project in Sudher village below the main town of Dharamsala and was graciously inaugurated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on December 7th, 2010.
The majority of the 85 nuns now studying there come from the original Shugsep Nunnery in Tibet. Here they have the opportunity to participate in a 9-year academic program of Buddhist philosophy, debate, Tibetan language, and English.