Education Projects in Tibet


 

Education Project at Surmang in Tibet

supported by the Konchok Foundation

 

 

 

Proceeds from the Shambhala Triathlon contribute to the construction of a school (shedra) at Surmang Monastery. The school will provide spiritual and secular education to an estimated 150-200 students, once it is in full operation. 72 students will live in the school complex itself. Others will live in nearby villages until such time as additional housing can be constructed. The school at Surmang will be open to both monastics and lay people, men and women, adults and children. At present, there are no schools in the Surmang valley, where the illiteracy rate is more than 90%.

 

 

 

Construction of school (shedra) at Surmang Monastery, under the direction of the Konchok Foundation. The Konchok Foundation was founded in 2001 by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, the spiritual leader of Shambhala, in order to support education projects in Tibet.

 

 

 Surmang Monastery where a school is currently under construction.

Surmang is the spiritual home of the lineage of reincarnated Buddhist teachers known as the Trungpa Tulkus, who trace their ancestry back over the centuries. This spiritual tradition was severely disrupted by the Chinese invasion of Tibet in the 1950s, following which the practice of Buddhism was forbidden for many years and the Surmang monasteries were razed to the ground.

 

 Wayen Monastery where a school is planned for the future.

Wayen Monastery traces its roots to the Golok master Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje and the great Nyingma master Ju Mipham. Wayen currently has an orphanage where it teaches literacy in Tibetan language to local children, who live and study in a single room. In addition, there are 30 monks ready to receive a classical education in Tibetan arts and sciences.

 

 

Konchok Foundation| www.konchok.org