Tag Archives: Tibetan Buddhist nuns

Tibetan Butter Sculpture

The art of making sculptures out of butter has been practiced for over 400 years by monks in the monasteries in Tibet. This highly revered artistic tradition is now being preserved by monks and nuns in living in India as refugees.

Tibetan nuns making butter sculptures for Losar

Tibetan nuns decorate a traditional offering box for Tibetan New Year or Losar with colorful butter sculptures.

Butter sculptures can be huge and impressive or tiny and intricate. They are used as offerings or as part of elaborate rituals and celebrations, particularly during Losar, Tibetan New Year.

A nun at Dolma Ling Nunnery in India makes an elaborate colored flower out of butter.

It is the practice in Buddhism to offer flowers as a tribute to Buddha statues on altars. However, in winter when no fresh flowers can be found, flowers sculpted from butter are made as an offering.

butter sculptures, Tibetan New Year, Losar, chemar bo

Elaborate and colorful butter sculptures of flowers and Buddhist sacred symbols decorate an offering table for Losar or Tibetan New Year. These sculptures were made by the nuns at Dolma Ling Nunnery in northern India. In the lower left, you can see a sheep or ram made of butter.

Butter has always been highly valued in Tibetan culture. Its availability and its malleable quality in the cold climate of the Tibetan plateau and the Himalayas made it an ideal material for sculpting.

A Tibetan Buddhist nun creates a sheep out of butter as she learns the ancient art of making Tibetan butter sculptures.

Making butter sculptures requires painstaking skill, learned from an excellent teacher and through years of practice. Like the famous Tibetan sand mandalas, butter sculptures are a unique Tibetan sacred art that is handed down from teacher to student.

The increasing shortage of well-trained and skilled butter sculptors in Tibet means that it is crucial that in India the nuns learn this religious art as part of their course of studies in order to keep it from dying out.

Tibetan nuns at Dolma Ling learning how to make butter sculpture

At Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute in India, nuns have been learning how to make butter sculptures from their excellent teacher Gen. Karma-la. He carefully takes them through all the steps and the significance of each butter sculpture technique. He says the nuns make excellent students, with their keen sense of color and design, their nimble fingers, and their endless patience.

The Need for a Butter Sculpture Workshop

Creating butter sculptures in the hot climate of India is, as you can imagine, problematic. The workshop room must be cool and have access to cold water in which to lay the butter and cool the nuns’ fingers.

Until now, the nuns at Dolma Ling Nunnery have been using a makeshift space at the nunnery that gets very hot. They are only able to make sculptures during the very coldest months. Now a suitable space has been located in the nunnery that, with renovations, will be ideal.

Rounds of butter, dyes, and other tools for making butter sculpture are laid out in preparation for making butter sculptures for Tibetan New Year at Dolma Ling Nunnery.

The Tibetan Nuns Project is raising funds to help create a butter sculpture workshop at Dolma Ling Nunnery. The total cost of the project is US $2,500, but at the time of posting this blog $500 dollars had been raised, so only $2,000 is needed to fully fund the workshop.

To support the creation of the butter sculpture workshop you can:

Make a gift online at https://tnp.org/butter-sculpture-workshop/
Call our office at 1-206-652-8901
Mail a check to:
The Tibetan Nuns Project
815 Seattle Boulevard South #216
Seattle, WA 98134 USA

Thank you for your help in preserving this ancient art that, with the occupation of Tibet, is so under threat.

Giving the gift of prayer – pujas by Tibetan Buddhist nuns

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Did you know that you can visit the Tibetan Nuns Project website to request special prayers, also known as pujas, to be said by the nuns at Dolma Ling Nunnery in India on your behalf?

The nuns regularly perform a variety of pujas and also offer butter lamps for the benefit of others. People around the world can sponsor or request pujas in honor of a friend, family member, or even an animal who may be suffering from obstacles, ill health, or who has passed away.

This photo shows nuns at Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute in northern India saying sponsored prayers in 2013. Photo courtesy of Brian Harris

There are many different types of prayers or pujas to choose from, ranging from offering 100 butter lamps to the elaborate “Twenty-one Praises of Tara” which includes 100,000 recitations of the “Twenty-one Praises to Tara” prayer, renowned for removing obstacles and fulfilling wishes.

Tibetan nuns, pujas, Tibetan Nuns Project

Tibetan nuns preparing ritual offerings for a special puja.

Continue reading →

Behind the scenes at Tibetan Buddhist nunneries

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Here’s a chance for you to take a trip behind the scenes at some of the Tibetan Buddhist nunneries in India that are supported by the Tibetan Nuns Project.

Whether the nunnery is large or small, there are many tasks or chores that the nuns must do to ensure that they are as self-sufficient as possible and to make sure that the nunneries function smoothly and are well maintained.

Collage of some of the many tasks of the nuns at Dolma Ling Nunnery in India, in addition to their studies and prayers.

In terms of regular tasks, one could view a nunnery as something like a cross between a very large household and a university or college. As you can imagine, there’s a lot of chores that need to be done each day, week, month, and year in order to keep everything running like a well-oiled machine. Continue reading →

A long journey to an amazing result: one nun’s story

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Born into a simple family in eastern Tibet, Lobsang Dolkar, became a nun in her teens. With no opportunity to study, she spent her days in household chores and tending livestock. Being a nun meant reciting mantras and doing prostrations.

Lobsang Dolkar, Tibetan Nuns Project, Buddhist nun, Tibetan nun, Dolma Ling nun

Venerable Lobsang Dolkar, one of the first Dolma Ling nuns

When her brother married, she became free to make a pilgrimage to Lhasa where she made friends with another nun. They decided to go to India to attend
the 1990 Kalachakra being given by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Caught twice crossing into Nepal and handed back to the Chinese, their third attempt was successful.

Lobsang Dolker had not planned to stay in India, but her friend convinced her it was no use returning to Tibet and they should instead enroll in the newly founded nunnery, Dolma Ling.

She is among the first batch of nuns who entered the study program and at the same time helped with its construction. It was a joyous moment in 1994 when they moved into newly constructed rooms and had a home in India. Sadly she did not see her parents again; they passed away two years ago.

When she began her studies, it was hard for her to grasp what was being taught since she had had no previous education. But she never gave up. She feels that the opportunity to earn the Geshema Degree is very special and is grateful to His Holiness the Dalai Lama for his continuous support of nuns’ education. Access to this degree encourages nuns to persevere.

Lobsang says that, in the beginning, she was scared to sit the Geshema exams, but she never thought of backing out because she did not want younger nuns to accept failure without trying hard for their degree. In May she successfully passed Year 2 of the four-year exams. All being well, she will be a Geshema in 2017.

Looking back on how far she has come, Lobsang appreciates the importance
of education and is grateful to all the teachers and staff for their dedication to the nuns.

We are looking for more sponsors. You can sponsor a nun for less that $1 a day and help provide food, education, shelter and health care. 100% of your sponsorship gifts go to India. Learn more at https://tnp.org/youcanhelp/sponsor/

Tibetan Buddhist nuns go shopping with the new truck (with video)

Our visit to Dorjee Zong Nunnery by Rinchen Khando Choegyal

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This is a special report from Rinchen Khando Choegyal, Founder and Director of the Tibetan Nuns Project and Tsering Diki, Project Co-Ordinator. The beautiful photos are all by media nun, Delek Yangdron, who accompanied us on the trip.

Dorjee Zong Nunnery low res In August 2015, we travelled for three days over rough, bumpy roads from Leh in Ladakh to Zanskar, a remote area in northern India. Located in this majestic, arid landscape is Dorjee Zong Nunnery, home to 19 nuns.

It was good to see the nuns and the nunnery once again. Since 2010 the Tibetan Nuns Project has been helping this small nunnery with sponsorship and a teacher’s salary, and it was wonderful to see the assistance we have been providing used to the fullest extent. The nuns are very happy to be receiving support and care from us and their sponsors.

During our short visit, the Director gave a warm and personal talk to all of the nuns and we could see how inspired they were and how cared for they felt. This was encouraging and inspiring for those of us who are trying to work for them. nuns, Buddhist nuns, Dorje Zong Nunnery, Tibetan Nuns Project, sponsor a nun
There are 12 young nuns and 7 elder nuns. The younger nuns looked very bright and happy to be where they are, and we felt energized to help them even more. Our focus will be mainly on education, health care, and overall development, including setting up infrastructure for an education system and facilitating a good educational programme. Continue reading →

2016 Tibetan Nuns Project Calendar

Progress on our 2015 Wish List for the nuns

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This spring we reached out to our supporters around the world with our Wish List of special projects that need funding in 2015.

We’ve had a wonderful response so far and we wanted to update you on our progress with the various projects and programs to help the nuns.

New Truck for Shugsep Nunnery

Thanks to Andrea in Albuquerque, Lorena in Roanoke and about 20 other donors, we have raised all the funds needed to replace the nunnery’s old pick-up truck which had broken down. It was so old that there were no longer parts readily available and the brakes did not work. Shugsep Nunnery will now have a new, 4-seat pick-up truck with plenty of space to transport groceries and vegetables from the market, as well as other heavy materials. It will also be used to take nuns to hospital in case of medical emergencies.
FULLY FUNDED!

Kitchen Extension for Dolma Ling Nunnery

Thanks to our generous supporters, especially Kent and Marsha in Charlottesville, the Saint Paul Foundation and Lisa in California, work is well underway for the new kitchen extension for Dolma Ling Nunnery. The number of nuns and staff that must be fed daily at the nunnery has more than tripled since the kitchen was first built in 1993. The extension will increase the size of the kitchen by 750 square feet and will also allow the nuns to move the solar panels and water tanks to its flat roof, thereby solving leaks and maintenance issues. We look forward to sharing more news and photos of the kitchen extension soon.
FULLY FUNDED!

Bike for India Office

This is a new item on our 2015 Wish List. Our headquarters is located at Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute in the foothills of the Himalayas about 10 miles on hilly roads from the main town of Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh. It’s a challenge to get from A to B and the office is facing transportation problems. We would very much appreciate donations to help us purchase a simple, low-cost Indian-made motorcycle that would enable the Tibetan Nuns Project staff to accomplish their many official tasks.
AMOUNT STILL NEEDED: US $1,420

Truck for Dolma Ling

Dolma Ling Nunnery is home to over 230 nuns and the nunnery needs a small, multi-purpose pickup truck to manage their daily tasks. The nuns must travel often for supplies and hiring or renting private cars or taxis for these regular shopping errands is expensive and impractical. The nuns will use the pickup to get food and vegetables from the market, to transport supplies for their many self-sufficiency projects and for various heavy-load materials. This kind of vehicle is more useful and safer than a normal rented car. Without a proper pickup truck with ample space and weight in the back, the steep hills of the area are dangerous and difficult.
AMOUNT STILL NEEDED: US $10,500

Funds for Teachers’ Salaries

Each year the Tibetan Nuns Project seeks to fund 15 teachers at different nunneries. The cost of one teacher’s salary ranges from $1500 to $5000 per year, depending on the location of the nunnery in India and the skills of the teacher. Our special thanks to Janice in Menlo Park for her support of teachers’ salaries.
AMOUNT STILL NEEDED: US $2,844
Donate to Teachers’ Salaries Fund

Nunnery Maintenance and Renovations

Since the Tibetan Nuns Project was founded in 1987, we have established two important nunneries in India, Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute and Shugsep Nunnery and Institute, both of which will have major anniversaries this year — 10 years and 5 years respectively. Maintenance and upkeep of the nunneries is critical in the demanding climate of northern India. By keeping buildings in good condition we can help avoid costly repairs in future. Our maintenance fund will help pay for things such as painting which must be done every 3 to 5 years and roof repairs.
AMOUNT STILL NEEDED: $10,340
Donate to the Maintenance Fund

Inter-Nunnery Debate Scholarships

This September marks the 20th anniversary of the annual inter-nunnery debate, the Jang Gonchoe. Until 1995, the Jang Gonchoe was only open to monks. Now the inter-nunnery debate provides a very important learning opportunity for the nuns and helps them to prepare for higher degrees and leadership roles.
AMOUNT STILL NEEDED: $14,190
Provide scholarships to the Jang Gonchoe

Jang Gonchoe Endowment

Last year we created a special endowment to support the annual inter-nunnery debate, the Jang Gonchoe, in perpetuity. We received an initial gift of $35,000 from a nun living in France. A gift to the Jang Gonchoe Endowment Fund will help to preserve the Tibetan culture and open up a centuries-old tradition to the nuns, enabling and empowering them to become great teachers in their own right. The benefit of this is inestimable and will be an enduring legacy for generations to come.
AMOUNT STILL NEEDED: $238,000
Donate to the Jang Gonchoe Endowment

Sponsors for Individual Nuns

Thank you to all our new and existing sponsors! Sponsorship remains the heart of our work. We still need many more sponsors. If you’re already a sponsor, perhaps you would consider increasing the amount you are giving or supporting an additional nun. If you are not yet a sponsor, would you consider becoming one today? The cost for sponsorship is US $30 a month. Another option is to gather a group of friends, family, colleagues or sangha members and sponsor a nun together. Click here for sponsorship.

Monthly Donors

It is now possible to make recurring gifts through our website using your credit card or direct debit. Even a modest gift of $5 or $10 a month would help educate, feed, clothe and provide health care for the nuns in India.
Become a regular donor

Creating Legacies

A special way that you can help generations of future nuns is by including a gift in your will to the Tibetan Nuns Project. If enough of our committed supporters are able to make these very special gifts then the nuns and nunneries will be able to thrive and grow well into the future, even in the uncertain situation of living as refugees in a foreign land. As one donor has said, “A donation to this cause benefits beyond helping just the nuns… it benefits the Tibetan culture, it benefits refugees from Tibet, it benefits education for women, it benefits the Buddhist religion and community and all of this spreads like a ripple of compassion for others beyond that community. This is not charity; it is an investment in humanity.” To learn how you can leave a legacy of compassion please email info@tnp.org or call us at 206-652-8901.

Thank you for your kindness, compassion and dedication to the nuns!

Breaking News: Third Round Geshema Exam Results Are In

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The much-anticipated Geshema Exam results have just arrived. The results have been sent to the respective nunneries and have been announced to all the nuns.

The third round of Geshema Examinations took place from May 1-12, 2015 at Jangchub Choeling Nunnery in Mundgod in southern India. 37 Tibetan nuns took part in this round of examinations split as: Continue reading →

Generous gift enables Tibetan nuns to open café

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We have good news from Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute in northern India.

Thanks to the generosity and support of donors, in particular one very special donor from Santa Monica, California, the Tibetan Nuns Project and the nunnery have been able to complete the construction and furnishing of a small café to be operated as an income-generating enterprise by the nunnery.

Inside the new nuns’ cafe at Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute

The nuns are delighted. This café fulfills a long-time wish of the nuns.

In April 2015 the nuns opened the new café and is fully operated by the nuns. The surrounding area will be carefully landscaped to enable people to sit out in the sunshine.

Entrance to the new cafe

Of all the various income-generating programs introduced at Dolma Ling Nunnery, the nuns most enjoy cooking and preparing food. Over many years, the nuns frequently requested help to establish a small café or restaurant. In the past, they had run a successful little restaurant out of their storeroom, but it was an inadequate space without proper hygienic facilities and was therefore not viable in the long term. That room was then turned into a thriving little shop selling goods made by the nuns and small, essential items for the nuns and people in the surrounding community.

In late 2013, the Tibetan Nuns Project put out a call for support for the café kitchen and equipment and in 2014, Julia from Santa Monica came forward and expressed her deep wish to help the nuns in this way.

The nuns want to have a little café for many reasons. One of them is that local children and visitors were buying packaged chips and other snacks from the nuns’ shop. These snacks were not good for their health or for the environment because the packaging created a great deal of non-biodegradable waste. The nuns were keen to greatly reduce the use of packaged snacks and to replace them with wholesome food cooked with care by the nuns themselves.

Being able to serve fresh, nutritious food and avoid packaging and garbage was an important wish of the nuns.

Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute is a non-sectarian Tibetan Buddhist nunnery that was inaugurated in 2005 and is now home to over 230 nuns. The nunnery has various income-generating projects, such as the new café, the annual Tibetan Nuns Project calendar, the making and sale of tofu, and the sale of products made by the nuns through both their own little shop and the Tibetan Nuns Project online store.

Customers dining at the new cafe run by the nuns at Dolma Ling Nunnery.