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Projects
1. MONASTERY . CHU SUP TSANG BUDDHIST UNIVERSITY .
VENERABLE LAMA GESHE TENZING TAMDING
At Chu Sup Tsang Monastery, fully operational since 2009, and under the spiritual guidance of the Venerable Tibetan Lama Geshe Tenzing Tamding, there is currently a Buddhist philosophy syllabus in which for the first time in the West there is access to the direct teaching of what are known as the Five Great Themes of Buddhist philosophy (Tsema , Parchin, Uma, Dzo and Dulwa) in the same way as is done in the great Buddhist monastery-universities of the world, namely the monastic universities of Ganden, Sera and Drepung in India (originally located in Tibet and later replicated in India after the exile of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, thousands of monks and nuns, and thousands of Tibetan citizens following China's entry into Tibet in 1959).
From Ganden Shartse comes the spiritual director of Chu Sup Tsang, our Master, Ven. Geshe Tenzing Tamding, and all the lineage that precedes him. In addition to this Monastery, the only one in Galicia, under his direction there are 17 other Buddhist Centres in Spain, and about 20 in countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Ecuador, Colombia, etc.
Following in the footsteps of his uncle and Root Guru, Venerable Kyabye Khensur Tamding Gyatso Rinpoche and the express wish of H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzing Gyatso, Geshe Tenzing began the construction of this monastery in 2008 with the aim of establishing a great monastic university, thus recreating in Spain the main monastery-universities of the Nalanda lineage.
The Chu Sup Tsang Foundation for the Preservation of Tibetan Culture, Art and Buddhist Tradition, of which he is chairman, was set up several years ago for this major project.
Between 80 and 100 people from all over Spain, from European countries such as Bulgaria or England, from Asia (Malaysia, China, Singapore and Taiwan), from South America (Ecuador, Colombia, Nicaragua) and from North America (California, Miami, Mexico), come to the Chu Sup Tsang Monastery to follow the Buddhist Philosophy Study Programme.
A NEW GOMPA AND A LIBRARY
Construction of a library, which will be open to the general public and which will house some 30,000 volumes of sacred Buddhist texts and, at the express wish of the Lama, Geshe Tenzing Tamding and the Chu Sup Tsang Foundation, will also include texts from many of the world's non-Buddhist religions and traditions. The intention of this project is that it will become a place of interest for philosophical researchers from all over the world. The content of this library will also be unique in Spain and Europe, with the potential to become a point of reference for Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike.
The current Gompa, the place of meditation and prayer of a Buddhist monastery, where teachings and lectures are given, can accommodate a maximum of 100 people. The new project envisages a new Gompa, with a capacity of 350 people, which will be integrated into the same building as the library and will form the heart of the library. This new place dedicated to meditation and teaching will be able to house, in addition to all the texts and sacred images now housed in the current one, the statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, which arrived from Asia to Chu Sup Tsang in 2014, almost 3 m high and weighing 350 kg, which is now hollow. After its future filling with millions of mantras written on small strips of paper, and different relics and sacred objects according to the practice of the Buddhist tradition, it will weigh more than 900 kilos. This statue is already being visited by tourists and onlookers despite the fact that it remains in its packaging, awaiting its definitive and appropriate location due to its dimensions. When the future Gompa is completed and this magnificent bronze representation of the Buddha can be placed in it, it will undoubtedly become another attraction for visitors, Buddhist and non-Buddhist alike.
CONSTRUCTION OF A STUPA
Buddhism speaks of promoting thoughts and actions that foster peace in the world, harmony among beings, throughout society, harmony with the environment and the animals that inhabit it. For Buddhism, negative minds such as hatred, pride, anger, rage, fear, sadness, resentment, greed, etc., are what cause us suffering; Only by cultivating positive minds such as compassion, love, ethics, patience, generosity, etc., can we experience inner peace now and in the future.
The being who has attained the highest state of development of positive minds and the ultimate cessation of all erroneous minds which are the cause of suffering, is a Buddha, an Enlightened being. He has reached the state of consciousness that allows him permanent happiness and the ability to help all other conscious beings out of suffering by showing them the path he himself has already travelled.
The stupa is the third indispensable element in this monastic-university complex, the geometrical and architectural representation of the enlightened mind, the Buddhist construction par excellence whose meanings and symbolisms could take up thousands of pages.
Place of meditation, pilgrimage and practice for Buddhists from all over the world. A point of attraction and a place of great cultural and tourist interest for non-Buddhists. A monument to peace, compassion, wisdom and harmony among all beings. A source of blessing and peace for any place that hosts it, and whose meanings and symbolic architecture we could talk about and fill pages and pages...
STUDY AND MEDITATION MODULES
2. GASHAR NYAGRE KANGTSEN MONASTERY IN INDIA
It houses a community of about 1500 monks, ranging in age from 4 to even 100 years old - many of them orphans - for whom the monastery provides free board, lodging and tuition. The monastery offers all the studies that enable monks to attain the degree of Geshe Lharampa (the highest academic honour allowed in the Guelugpa system of education, equivalent to the degree of Doctor of Buddhist Philosophy according to the Indian University).
The monks try to grow their own crops, the seeds of which were once donated by the Indian government, but periods of heavy rainfall wash away their crops each year, so they rely heavily on the donations they receive.
Sanitary conditions are very precarious, and there are problems with accommodation, toilets, electricity, drinking water, etc. They only receive one medical visit a year (for all the residents of the monastery), which leads to frequent illnesses such as tuberculosis, diabetes, heart problems, blindness, etc.
Another reason for numerous illnesses is the Indian climate, which is very different from the Tibetan climate.
Since most of the monks are exiles from Tibet, the harsh conditions of the journey to India meant that many of them arrived in pitiful conditions, losing limbs or suffering from paralysis due to frostbite, or suffering from various ailments (diarrhoea, fevers...) during the journey.
For all these reasons, the Monastery is very grateful for the help given by the people who collaborate in the support of the Monastery.
The Foundation collaborates with the Gashar Nyagre Kangtsen monks' residence belonging to the Ganden Shartse Monastery. The collaboration project involves direct support for the Nyagre Kangtsen residence and indirect support through the sponsorship programme. Part of the money received from the sponsorship is given to the sponsored monk to cover his needs and the rest is used for the improvement of the community; a link is created through written correspondence between the monk and the people who sponsor him, who can closely follow his personal and monastic development.
El importe de las donaciones para apadrinamientos es totalmente elástico, pues el Monasterio agradece incluso la mínima ayuda; como referencia podemos indicar que la media se sitúa en 55 céntimos diarios (lo que supone unos 200 € anuales), debido a los altos costes de las transferencias bancarias , la Fundación envía el dinero al Monasterio semestral o anualmente.
