Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 63-minute session, Khensur Rinpoche recounts life as a student monk at Sera Je Monastery in Tibet, opening with the 5am wake-up chain: a monk on the roof reciting praises to Tsongkhapa and striking a metal shaft like a bell, district monks then beating stones to rouse their individual houses. He walks through the full day in sequence — outdoor prostrations, morning prayers, debate sessions where all monks first call out Dhih (Mañjuśrī’s seed syllable) before dividing into pairs, fifteen-minute teachings from the abbot, tsampa and butter-tea breaks, afternoon debate, and text memorization stretching past midnight. He explains the thirteen-class curriculum moving from collected topics through Madhyamaka philosophy and Abhidharma, and speaks plainly about poverty: after his savings from Kham ran out, there were days with no food, no tea, and no firewood in winter. A candid, conversational firsthand portrait of the conditions under which classical Geshe scholars were formed.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 10 RS 1988 12 09.mp3
UUID: a2640237-c384-458a-b0cb-781642aef4da
Teacher: Khensur Rinpoche
Collection: Rinpoche's Story (Khensur Rinpoche)
Date: 1988-12-09
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 62.6 minutes
Words: ~3,624
Nice. So There was a For For the Sera Je Monastery, there was one individual who would climb to the roof of the Sera Je meeting hall. This was in the morning. He would recite the loudly verse of praise to Tsongkhapa with Miktsema. Miktsema, he would say there’s a four or five line verse which he would recite, and then he would hit a they call it is a banner of victory, but this one was made it had a metal shaft.
And he would hit this metal shaft like a bell. And then he would call out, as Rinpoche was doing, very loudly. And so this was to wake up. To wake everyone up. Yeah, this is the beginning of the wake up.
Then at each of the district houses, there would be one individual who would take in turn What time would this be? It’s five. Five? Yeah. Who would take in turn responsibility for his district house.
And this district house person, upon hearing this, would go around and they hit a stone. And he would beat this stone at remember she said it had a very pleasant sound. The stone did? Yeah. It would hit the stone.
With a stick? The. Oh. Two two stones. Yes.
And one lump. And a very pleasant sound. So he says it’s a stone. It’s not iron. It’s stone.
So this then this would heat this would wake up then the people in that particular district. There there would be in each house, there would be one person who had to who had responsibility for waking up all the people in the house. So, there would be this district person who were beating this stone, would wake up all the people in his district, would wake up the people at each house who were responsible to wake up the rest of the people. So they would wake up at five o’clock. And then he would wash, and then they would go to the prayer gathering at Sera Je, and there, outside, there was a stone walk veranda, I guess, something like that.
A veranda or maybe a patio. Wait, like that. Courtyard, yeah, maybe like a courtyard. And there they would do prostrations before they went in. They prepped sometimes they did up to a hundred prostrations.
And then they would go in sometimes and then they would have tea, two or three teas. Then the this morning prayers would last from up to seven, seven thirty, and then they would disperse, and then they would immediately gather again for debate session. So the debate session took place outside and it was a very long So it was in a very extremely elongated area and there were thirteen classes and then the classes were lined up in accordance with their number. The beginning class, and the next first year class, second year class. Although in this order of thirteen class moving toward Lhasa, pointing toward the Potala.
Oh, so the highest class would be class? Yeah, would be And there was one class per year, Was it? New class every year? Yeah. Yeah.
So then the all the monks would be No. All the monks would be lined up in this according to their each of their classes in order. Mhmm. And the abbot would take a seat on top of the roof of the meeting hall overlooking the debate place. And then after when he had taken his seat, then debate would begin.
They would begin by clapping their hands and saying person recite this syllable Dhih Dhih and then they would Dhih! ci ci. Something like Oh, they would say they would just say This is So Dhih is the seed syllable of Mañjuśrī, and this would increase the wisdom. So they would say Dhih before they begin. So at that point, all the monks would get up and they would take off their cloaks, they take those off and then divide up into pairs, pretty big. And the senior class would they’d put down their cloaks, and then they would they would go receive teachings from the abbot just as it’s being done here.
They put their cloaks on the floor to sit on or what? They leave their clothes and then go to the place where the Oh, without the Edwards where the Edwards was teaching. Why don’t they leave their clothes? So then that this remember, Jetsün, in here is holding his hand up. Yeah.
That this means now they’re not you know, after teaching, he said, now you can get up and go. Oh, that’s to say that’s finished. Yeah. Yeah. It’s an indication.
Why did they leave their clothes? They they they they So they took off their their these clothes because it was difficult to debate if they wore these clothes. Oh, I see. So they set them aside. So they had this when the senior class went to the Abbott’s place to receive teachings, they had to go very quickly.
They couldn’t and they had to almost run. They couldn’t go any other place because it showed a sign of respect and faith in the teacher. So then having had received teachings, the senior class having received teachings from the abbot, they would slowly work their way back to debate. And then the next class below them would come to the abbot and then through through the entire day in order that all thirteen classes would receive teaching. Would they stay with the abbot The for teaching?
That must be terrible. The? Maybe So just maybe fifteen minutes. I guess it was For each class or would the upper class stay longer? Maybe every class would stay fifteen minutes.
Uh-huh. But then when they went back to to the debate place, then they would sit like this. Ah, in a in a rectangle or in a circle. Leader of the class. Yeah.
And this he was Genda. Not not not Genda. What’s it that is? What’s the name? I’m talking Genda.
Genda? Genda. Genda. Title was Genda. Genda.
Genda. Yeah. Genda. Genda. Genda.
So he would sit in the middle like this. He was like the the class representative. Uh-huh. So then he would he would review, asking the students what the teacher had talked about. And having done this, then they would form two rows on either side.
Then at the end of these two rows, one person would sit and answer questions would be the answer. So the monks would sit in two parallel rows and then in between them at the end would be the person responding. On each row, there would be one on each row? No. No, so one.
I one at the I see. Rows in each of my room. And what everyone has a term to be that person in the hot seat. The the abbot would come back to the debate area and walk around all the classes and listen to how their debate was going. So then having like an inspected, listen to all the classes, then he would go back to his room.
This was maybe about about ten o’clock. And then the disciplinarian would walk around and check to see which monks were present or which monks were absent. Morning that prayer gathering that takes place initially in the morning is all of Sera Monastery, both Je and May. Now at this time they have another prayer gathering and this is according to the individual college. There would be someone from, for example, Sera Je, would ring a bell and the monks would then break from debate and have a prayer gathering just for Sera Je monks.
Would all the monks be studying for their Geshe in these thirteen classes? No, they wouldn’t. There would be lots of other monks who were doing other things with them. You mean in these thirteen classes? Or just in Sera Je?
All the monks be In one of those thirteen classes? Sera Je Taphak? Ganga? No, they wouldn’t. I mean, a lot of other monks have completed their geshe, and they so they’ll all join in.
Is that what is At the at the prayer gathering? At ten. Yeah. The the Yeah. They would all come.
How many would be in each class for the debate? Many different many different sizes. Ah. Some fifty, sixty, some twenty, thirty. So then they would have So then they would gather together and have a cup two teas.
So at this time, they used to have black tea, but they gave butter to the older monks. They would eat they would they would pass out black tea, but the older monks, senior monks, I guess you would say, they put put some butter in their black tea. Yeah. So they would all give him a lot of butter. So so you had to be a monk there at least fifteen years before they could get butter.
No. Below that, they wouldn’t you wouldn’t give any butter. And then then they they they they always brought their own tsampa, and they put put tsampa in the tea, and then they make pa into this pa. Mhmm. And then they have pa.
Was that really the main meal then or not? Just a snack? So this would have taken maybe so they met about fifth ten o’clock, and this would take about fifteen minutes. So then they’d sit for about fifteen or twenty minutes. Someone would at that time would give some kind of talk, some kind of teaching.
And then after that they would go back to where they had been sitting before and continue debating. Do you mean someone will give teaching while they’re drinking their tea after that? So, no, they they didn’t give a talk. Oh. They would immediately upon having finished their pa, their tea, and they would get up and go back to debate.
So they had all that. So they immediately went back to the debating places that they had in the morning and they had when they went to this gathering to drink tea, they had to replace their cloaks in line, you know, according to each of the classes. And so they they went back to that place, put their cloaks back on and continue. So then about eleven thirty, another bell they would ring the bell and and the college abbot there then all the monks would gather just as in this photograph here with the abbot sitting. Oh, wow.
Sitting in the front. The chanting master in front of the abbot. Oh, right. Below the abbot and the abbot up high on his throne. Yeah.
Then he recite some prayers, for example, the Heart Sūtra, the white tara prayer. So So, it’s the debate hadn’t finished yet. They they would each pick a debate partner Yeah. According to whatever their choice Yeah. And They would debate during this period.
The disciplinarian, he would walk around the debate court three times, inspecting the monks and then debating. Upon having circled them three times, he would return to his room. And the the monks were allowed to return to their rooms. So then the monks would all return to the individual rooms and they’d prepare a fire for and they they would make some tea and cook their lunch. So then about one thirty, having eaten lunch, they would go they would go around to the all the areas, images around the the monastery and making prayers and such, and then they returned to the debate court.
And during this period of debate, during a session, in a period of time, debating went on all the time. So there was always debate, people debating at the debate court. So they went to they went to, you know, to pay their respects to the various images around the monastery about twelve thirty. And then maybe about one o’clock, then they had to return to debate court, all the monks. So then they then they would debate from perhaps two to two thirty.
Then they would about two thirty, someone would ring the bell on the roof of the prayer hall, and the monks would gather, as in this picture again, with the abbot. And they’d recite the various prayers, such as the praises of the twenty one Taras, the Heart Sūtra, and this would last up to this session prayer session would last up to about five o’clock. Mhmm. That’s a long one. A long You said two two thirty?
Or Two two thirty. So again at five o’clock they would begin debate with two individuals debating with one another and the disciplinarian would again circle around three times. Then at six this then this debate session would finish. The monks would go back to their rooms. Having gone back to the the individual rooms at six o’clock, then they would go to their teacher to pick up a supply of tsampa because the teacher bought he bought their tsampa for them.
Now they go and pick up their their their share of tsampa. So then if during the earlier prayer sessions there had been a patron who had given money to the monks, then at this time going to their teacher to receive their allotment, They would give him whatever money it was they had received, and he would write it down in a book for them. Without that money, there was no way for the teacher to buy the tsampa for the students. So then then they would go to their individual teachers to receive teachings. If you were so all the monks had to go to their to the teachings of their individual teachers if they were found not having gone to their their teachings when it was time, then they would be So this would be something like the disciplinarian, but it’s the disciplinarian for the district house, the college.
So they aren’t called gegus. They have a different name, they’re like the disciplinarian. And if you’re not going to teaching, then he would beat them. Didn’t most monks get many beatings there? So if you didn’t if you didn’t follow the the rules, then you would have you were liable to be beaten.
So then about seven thirty, again, the there would be an the debate session would be announced by the the loud recitation of Dhih, the syllable of Dhih. So then all nine o’clock. So then they would at at that time, they would sit around the various places outside around their district house and begin to memorize their texts. So they would memorize texts until eleven, twelve o’clock. Some of some of them memorized all night.
So this during the debate session, this is the there was always debate going on? So you you you weren’t you were no one stayed in their in their room? It’s a very long and rigorous day. And all they had to eat was So they some of them didn’t have any tea to drink in their in their individual rooms. Some a few of them had were able to have a little bit of tea to drink for themselves.
Why was that? They didn’t have any money. So you need you need you need to make tea, you need tea, you need wood, you need matches, and things like this, and they didn’t have enough money. Some the some of them didn’t have any wood to build fires at any time. The first three or four years, remember Jay, he always had enough tea.
He always had enough tsampa. After that, the money that he had brought with him from Kham ran out, and there were many times when he didn’t have enough he didn’t have any tsampa, and he would just have tea. And there were some times when he didn’t even have tea. So first of this made him very depressed. So but after a while, didn’t make it didn’t bother him.
He was you know, he became more interested than anything else in in his studies. And if studies were going well, he was happy. But sometimes he would ask his friends to help him out to give him some food to eat. So in the you need to give a drink of water. So this is all the the, like, the gay like, all the Geshes that you may have heard of, Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey, Geshe Rabten.
They had to stay with they’re under the same conditions. One here. That would be Did he have fire for winter? They didn’t didn’t have even to make tea, they didn’t have enough wood, let alone just to have a fire. Very the clothing was was in very bad shape, very tattered clothing, and then they just had in in the in the summer, it didn’t make that much difference, but in the winter, it became very cold.
It was very difficult. Okay. Getting up at five in the morning and not going to bed till midnight? This was during debate session. How long did the debate sessions go for?
Yeah. So they have a debate session that would last one month, and then they’d have a fifteen day interval without without debate. And then, again, a debate session for another month. So there during during the course of a year, there would be two months without debate. Did they have themes that kept recurring different times of the year for the debates, or they’re just sort of working through the sutras?
Wow. So they had a course of study that they were passing through, and this would determine what they were debating on. The lowest class would be collected topics and then awareness and knowledge, classes of reasoning. And so this was the program was outlined and each they would debate according to where they were in this program. I see.
And that would depend on which class they were in. That’s right. So like, the first year they’d just have selected topics or whatever. Collected topics. Yeah.
Wherever they yeah. Wherever that class was moving. Yeah. The class would move through this program. So they would take up the studies such as the Ornament for Clear Realization and then having studied then they would they study Madhyamaka philosophy, then they would study discipline or Vinaya, and then Abhidharma or knowledge.
So this would be a course of studies that they would pass through. Oh, so they would. That’s what Ed was asking, I mean, Tanya was asking for about Advaita. They study all that. Oh, yeah.
The wood. Yeah. In their debates, in the debate form. Mhmm. He studied all of that.
He studied Abhidharma? Yeah. Yeah. That’s last study. It’s the last.
It’s the highest, isn’t Well, it’s not. It’s just the last. Not necessarily the highest. Necessarily But that’s the last thing. It’s pretty there’s black and white negatives.
I hesitate to ask, but asking. Rinpoche can say no. If I could take these, I’ve got a friend who’s a photographer, get him a set of prints and myself a set to keep for the book. And if Bodhi House wants to pay for their set, but can you ask him? It’s twelve often.
Do would I I’ll try and get a enjoy this. That’s why he he sent for this, especially for that purpose. Negative for the black and white is easy. And if I could take the yeah. Whatever you need.
That’s what you do. Well, I could take those for now Mhmm. And could you tell him, Bichet, that I’ll come down to when he’s staying at Victor Harbor? Yes, sir. And I’ll try and bring these back.
And if he wouldn’t mind to bring these photos down, perhaps we can go through the photos. I think Tenzin would be able to explain, and I can get more documentation on them. Can the Yatsotila Shuku Mhmm. And the Moran. Yeah.
Yeah. Kupakura. Negatives are all about the various activities that were centered around his first becoming the abbot. Good. And this one’s working?
This is when he gave the the the transmission of the Kangyur Sutras. Oh, yes. Kangyur. Kangyur.
Dharmasala. That’s right. This I have to find. I don’t know who can copy those, but these I know I can get copies of them. If you could tell Rinpoche that some of these photos are a little bit dark reproduce in a book, but I’ve got a friend that Tenzin met Briar, an elderly lady who’s an artist, and she might be able to do black and white sketch, or she would if I we ask Yeah.
Be able to do black and white sketches from it. So Rinpoche is writing out all his the teachers that he studied Prajñāpāramitā from and That’s Navajdharma and then all the teachings that he’s received from the various teachers. Is he also writing what he studied at this or is it not necessary? All of this in the Geshe? It would be helpful if he could remember.
All That’s That’s great. All the subjects like Panahua asking, that’s all even if it’s just an appendix or something like that. That’s right. Yeah. He’s writing it all out.
That’s good. Yeah. Where was this one taken? That was taken in the. India?
On there. India. Yeah. Yeah. Kadu.
Bazar. Bazar. Bazar. Bazar. Sixty five.
That was when he got the Geshe. Yeah. Nineteen sixty five. And this one? That’s when I was giving the transmission.
So that’s this one. Yeah. Is it Low low. Nineteen seventy three Kangyur transmission. Then Kangyur run then.