Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 85-minute personal narrative, a Tibetan Buddhist teacher reflects on his dramatic journey from a remote village in the Kham region of Tibet to Sera Monastery in South India in 1984, following his escape across Tibet, Nepal, and India. He describes the practical hardships of travel—border delays, difficult terrain, customs checks—then the profound turns his life took in Dharamsala: a brief but formative meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, where he requested ordination vows; an introduction to his future root teacher, Khensur Rinpoche, through a letter from Geshe Ngawang Darje; and his arrival at Sera Je monastery, where he received full ordination with the name Jampa Gyaltsen. The talk weaves personal memoir with practical monastic detail: the reception process upon arrival, the first weeks of memorizing ritual texts, initial teachings from Rinpoche that highlighted his beginner’s gaps, the shock of monastic food (particularly lentils), and reflections on his family background and education under Chinese rule. A Q&A session explores his escape documents, ordination names, the transition from Tibetan village life to monastery, and his feelings of gratitude and good fortune throughout.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 21122016SSTORY3 2 – KR.mp3
UUID: 8210333e-d63f-4a43-96be-83760d5a4479
Teacher: HH Dalai Lama
Collection: Rinpoche's Story
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~6,183
Then you go to Geshe-la, you know, he said to me, it’s no worry. It’s no worry, I can’t do everything. Thank you. So I said it’s not easy, very hard just for me you know. So, It’s difficult however, it’s very beneficial for him.
Yeah, for my illness, you know. Very good. Okay. So many people is coming for my life. Thank you so very much.
So last week I thought about my journey from my village to Nepal, you know? Nepal, Nepal. Nepal, yeah. Nepal. Nepal.
Nepal, you know. So today I am going to talk about my journey also, you know, from Nepal to India. Okay. So should have said there is two way. Some of those who have money, it is a little bit easier for the journey or traveling from Tibet to Nepal.
Sorry. Tibet to Nepal and Nepal to India. Yeah. But there is a huge Tibetans who also escaped out from Nepal Tibet to Nepal, then Nepal to, you know, India, which takes a, you know, double time, you know, much more time. And, yeah, Geshe-la said money makes it easy sometimes.
Yeah. So after, you know, after fifteen days, what? And sorry, Geshe-la. Yes. I study in Nepal, you know.
Stay in Nepal. Fifteen days, you know. Fifteen days. So after fifteen days, I’ll fifteen days. Fifteen, yeah.
Fifteen, so after fifteen days I leave Nepal to India so it it took me two days, you know, to to got in New Delhi. To get to New Delhi? Yeah, in New Delhi. Two days, yeah. Two days.
And by bus. By bus, yeah. By bus with many people, you know. So then you said, you thought about your journey, just you know, from Nepal to India about border, but a very long time you know, think, think, think. So Geshe-la said it was taking two days from Nepal to Delhi.
And, you know, the reason is that, you know, the inner border, Nepal and India, it takes such a long time, you know, they just, you know, strip everything out. And yeah, that was that’s why it took two days from Nepal to India. So when I think when we arrived in Nepal and India, in the morning, they arrive in border in the morning, then since morning to evening, they just went through the bus, strip everything and check. And so that’s the reason, you know, it took so long, you know, all day long in the border. What do call them running agent?
Who’s Geshe-la said, is anybody been by bus from Nepal to India? Yeah. Yeah. Course, you’re already here. Know, you know.
Three of them. Yeah. So you know. Then two days later I arrived in Delhi. So I stayed in Delhi.
What? Delhi. Yeah. A week? One week.
Yeah. One week? A week, same. Yeah. A week.
Actually, I have Actually, I have you know, I have got another auntie, you know. She lives in Mussoorie. Mussoorie. Mussoorie. Mussoorie is just a little town.
What? Yeah. It’s a in India. Mussoorie is a hill station Yeah. In India North.
Yeah. You know, the how his auntie end up in a Mussoorie when the his holiness and the many of Tibetans who arrive in India, they actually settled in Mussoorie before Dharmasala. So his auntie’s still in Mussoorie. Yeah. So so I wanted to her and her family, you know.
Then at that time I was very fortunate. Because I met my auntie’s husband and her son. In Delhi? Yeah. Oh.
Who will stay in Delhi? Delhi. Delhi. Yeah. Okay.
Yeah. Geshe-la spent one week in Delhi. And, you know, Geshe-la said he’s very fortunate that his auntie, husband, and the so they were in Delhi, so he was very fortunate, you know. Oh, that’s good. So so who were staying daily, you know.
So, so and then Geshe-la traveled to Mussoorie with them, you know, and you know, and I stayed in my auntie’s house for two months. What? Yeah. Now I need that. Really?
That time in summer in India, you know, very nice in Mussoorie because Mussoorie is color under the So so that time in the summer in India, so but in a daily very, very, know, hot sometime 40 four-five degrees, you know, very hot. The northern northern one, But in mostly very nice because it is high. So the Missouri is a really beautiful place. It’s up mountain and even the trees, you know, snow. Said that many Indians, they go when in the during summertime, the those who are, you know, wealthy, they go, you know, skip away from Delhi to, you know, on the mountainside.
Gishna said, you know, the Mussoorie, the tree is so beautiful, you know. It’s not like Australian tree. He said, Australian that’s what he said, alright. Yeah, yeah, yeah. For example, in Kangaroo Island, you know.
Know. The the the the sort of design or the structure of the tree is very ugly. You know? On Kangaroo Island. Yeah.
Yeah. I guess I said, Mussoorie is a very beautiful trees, know. Yeah. Yeah. Straight, lots of beautiful leaves, you know.
So during the dry I was very happy to see my auntie and her family. So my auntie looked looked like Riva. Mhmm. My auntie looked like my mom. Mhmm.
So I was overwhelmed. A lot of love for him. Yeah. Auntie’s name is Sonam Kandro, you know? Sonam Kandro.
Songji, you know? Buddha. Kandru, you know Kandru? Dakini. Dakini Songji Kandru.
Songji Kandru, yeah. Me and auntie’s name, but now she passed away, you know? And one day, you know, we talked with auntie’s husband, his name Kongalodi, you know, Kongalodi. Kongalodi. Kongalodi carefully.
So Kongalodi. So one day I talked with Kongalodi, one day I taught with Kungalodi about ceremonies because I wanted to a good teacher. So, Geshe-la, you know, he came to India is that he want to ordain and want to become monk. You know, order to ordain and become monk, you need a good teacher. And one day he was talking with his auntie’s husband.
His name is, you know. His name is Kungaloti. Yeah. And one day they discuss and Geshe-la talk about, you know, his desire and his wishes to with him. Yeah.
About becoming a monk and wanting to have a good teacher. Yeah. So then he said, don’t worry. Then he said to me, Don’t worry because Kalata, I have a good lama or good teacher, know, he lives in Dharmasala. His name is Geshe Ngawang Dargyé, you know probably Geshe Ngawang Darje, but now passed away, you know Geshe Ngawang Darje.
We will ask to him, then we’ll go there, then we’ll know what to do. Then few days later I think we from Mussoorie to Dharmasala. We went to Dharmasala, you know, Kungalori and his son and also his daughter. Then I think two days later we arrived in Dharmasala. So one day, they want to go, you know, the as what Geshe-la said, you know, his auntie’s husband told him, don’t worry.
And I have a good lama and who he lives in Dharmasala. And probably you all know that Geshe Ngawang Darje is one of the teachers at the Tibetan library. You know? So and so they one day they travel from Mussoorie to Dharmasala, but it took two days. Usually it only take one day.
But the Gishli said Because that time, you know, India’s prime minister, you know, her name is Indira Gandhi. Julie. Her name is Indira Gandhi. Indira Gandhi. You know, Indira Gandhi was assassinated at that time.
Yeah. Yeah. So the the whole 9085, is it? ’85. ‘4 more.
‘4 before what? ’84, you say. Yeah. Four or five year. Yeah.
Not sure. So Geshe-la said the the person who assassinated Indira Gandhi was one of the Punjabi person, Sikh person. Killed them killed her in Delhi. In in Delhi. Yeah.
Honey? So the one thing is when they from Masuri to Dharmasala, they have to go through Chandigarh Chandigarh and Chandigarh is one of the capital city of Punjab. Punjab, yeah. That’s the reason, you know. That’s the reason, yeah.
So there’s a lots of block, you know, roadblocks, you know. So two days later, we arrived in Dharmasala, then I also stayed in Dharmasala one week over a week. A week. So he spent there a week. So and Geshe-la said it was very wonderful and fortunate for two good news in that time.
One thing is the first meeting with his holiness during that, you know, time in Dharmasala. And the second, Geshe Ngawang Dargye introduced Khensur Rinpoche as his teacher. So this Khensur Rinpoche, our Rinpoche, you know. Yep. He wrote a letter and to introduce him to be his student.
Mhmm. Those two, he’s he would One in his I wanted to see the Lama, you know, with probably 40 people. 14 people. 14? One four, you know, 14 people.
So before this, I said many prayers and had good motivation to see him. Prayers recalling the Lama. Prayers and object had a very good impression. There you go. Understood.
So when we saw his, whole name is Dalai Lama, you know. That time I was so lucky. Then he, you know, then he asked, you know, so many kids, so many times, one day, one. So it was really great that meeting with his holiness. Krishna said there’s 14 altogether.
And his holiness asked question for one by one for everyone in a room and asking basically where which part of the Tibet youth coming from, what, you know, area, and are you going to stay here and study or becoming a monk or stay or you going back to Tibet, etcetera. You know, for everyone, you know, he ask question that. Really? That’s alright. Yeah.
That’s correct. Correct. Then then he gave us Blessing pills. Blessed pills and blessed string, what? The string, yeah.
So, that he say, and also, I thought, actually, his father is the Lama that time. I wanted to become a monk, so Dalai Lama could give me ordination vows. Isn’t it? Yes.
What did Geshe-la said? Can who said understood? You tell me. So Geshe-la was at the time he was young and he has this energy, and he wasn’t even thinking about, you know, what he what he thought he asked. Now he quite often, you know, Geshe-la today or the you know, nowadays, he think on that when he at that time, you know, what he said to him.
He gets a little bit frightening, you know, because he’s not you know, his holiness is a really great lama, and he has so much, you know, schedules, you know, and now he was reflecting on that time, know, he was a little bit bit of, oh, Yeah. So then he said, oh, Oh, you are a little bit late, little light because I gave, you know, ordinary vows to few monks, few monks. They have gone to South India, Drepung Monastery, Ganden Monastery, Sera Monastery. So his son is so kind that he said that, you know, you are a little bit late, you know.
So because I already given ordination few months, few days ago, so you are a bit late. And they already gone back to in Southern India entering the monastery, Sera, Drepung, Ganden, that’s what Geshe-la said. Mhmm. Yeah. So the meeting his holiness and not only that, you know, asking him be ordained for me is Geshe-la thinks is very fortunate, you know, and in a one in his life.
You know, he always think that, you know, it’s very fortunate that he can able to ask at home. Mhmm. Okay. And secondly, you know Kungalori, you know? Kungalori, but he is my auntie’s husband, you know.
So we, Kangalori and I went to to see Geshe Ngawang Darje, Geshe Ngawang Darje. And then we asked, you know, about Sera Monastery and to be my teacher. That’s great? Then he then he said to us, don’t worry because then they did nothing because I have a good friend. His name is Geshe Ngawang Thupten, our Rinpoche, you know?
That is our Khensur Rinpoche. His name is Geshe Ngawang Thupten, so now he’s abbot of Sera Je monastery. So I will write a letter to him. This So it was really wonderful that as Geshe-la said, don’t worry. He met his auntie and husband Kungalori, and Geshe Ngawang Darje.
And Geshe Ngawang Darje said, don’t worry. You know, my I have a very good friend who at the present, he’s Sera Je Monastery Abbot. And I will write letter. You take that letter with you. And Geshe-la said, you know, this is a very fortunate for him, you know, to having a meeting Geshe Ngawang Dargyé and not only that, he introduced such a wonderful teacher, Khensur Lobsang Tenzin.
You know, Rinpoche’s name is Lobsang Tenzin. I think you probably recognize that during his holiness came, he said Lobsang Tenzin is actually Lobsang Tenzin. They refer Lobsang And Geshe-la said, this is one of great remark in his life and fortunate, you know, for meeting, you know, and having a great teacher for in my life. And also, Geshe Ngawang Darje and Rinpoche are, right? What?
A. A. Same class, you know? The same class Classmate. Classmate and also same lama, you know, teacher.
Then he gave, you know, he gave me 20 rupees. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, 20 rupees for cup of tea over food. At that time it it was rather a lot of money. Lot of money. $19.84.
Yeah. 1984, rupees were a lot of money. Yeah. And also Sundari Geshe Ngawang Dargyé gave another ten rupees. Geshe Ngawang Dargyé? You know? Geshe Ngawang Dargyé? Geshe Ngawang Dargyé? Geshe Ngawang Dargyé?
Altogether 40 rupees. For for lunch, for cup of tea, for chai chai, you know? Mhmm. As I said, it’s always like this, you know, one of the the greatest, you know, the the happen in your life, you know, it remembers all the time or either way, other side, you know, if you have the one of the saddest thing in your life or the one of the most difficult things in your life, you also remember that in your life. So Geshe-la said that he’s very fortunate, you know, he can able to think those very, you know, great things that happened in his life.
He always very clearly remember all those events took place. Yeah. Then exactly, after one week, we left, you know, we left Dharma, Dharmasala and went to Bengaluru, you know, by train. By train, yeah. Train.
With Two days later, we arrived to Bangalore, you know, Belong. Then we went to Sera Monastery, near Kushalnagar, you know, Kushalnanga. The bus after the bus six hour then six hours later, we arrived in Kushalnagar. So from arrive after Bangalore to Kushalnagar six hours by bus, and then when Kushananga is very near to Sera, and from Kushalnagar, he and the other two monks and two lay person, they all get together in a small auto sorry, no, car. There’s a one car that, you know, they hired them and they went to monastery.
Yeah. Then the first time we went to Tewa Khamtsen. Teo Khamtsen, you know. First time So, you know, once you enter in a monastery, in Sera, there are two colleges, Sera Je and Sera Me.
And each college has 13 districts. We call Khamtsen. Yeah. And the Geshe-la and Rinpoche, they all belong to Teo Khamtsen. And so every monk they arrive in a from Tibet, they first, they have to go to Tewa Khamtsen, you know, the reception, you know.
Yeah. Because we part of the Tewa, which that’s how the Khamtsen is located in the monastery. In Tibet, there is a Tewa area. And those people when they go to in India or the monastery, they have to go to that particular district, you know. So the once they arrive in a district in Khamtsen, the Geshe-la said there is a Puja is happening, you know, in a Teo Khamtsen, a small temple.
And the the disciplinary asked him, you know, which part of the Tibet, you know you know, eve even the camp, there is many villages, what village you’re coming. And they ask very thoroughly, you know, have you got any relatives in the monastery or have you got any one who knows you or, you know, etcetera. They ask all the questions, you know. You know, there’s a two thing. If there is no if someone arrives, they don’t have any relative or anybody not knowing, the Khamtsen has a list as a class, you know, the the Vinaya, Madhyamaka, and the Prajñāpāramitā.
There’s a class list. You know? And if you don’t have anybody, you know, friend or the relatives, there will there is a list of who’s the next person take that person. So they they have to make sure, you know, before they do that, you know, they have to ask all the question. You know, once they give away for that list, then that’s problematic.
You know? They can’t you know, sometimes people don’t say and then they say later, I have this and that and that’s bit too, you know, chaos, you know. So they asked, you know, you have relatives, etcetera. And Geshe-la said, I don’t have relatives, but I got a letter that given by Khensur Rinpoche’s classmate, Geshe Ngawang Darje, and asked to give this letter to the present Abbot of Sera Je monastery. And then they discussed within, you know, the admin and said, oh, he got the letter, you know, maybe we should look at the what the letter is about.
And then So now I was involved in there. So that they called the Abbot’s assistant. At the time, I was Rinpoche’s assistant, junior assistant. And I went down there in a district that comes in. And I took the letter.
I went run back to in the monastery, Sera Je temple, and I give it to Rinpoche, and Rinpoche open. And he said, oh, okay. And he send me back to in a temple comes in, said, you know, okay. He’s you know, I will look after him and bring him with you. And then so I went down back there.
And So Geshe-la said, I came down there in a and I just leaned towards on a door like this. Yeah. Exactly. And Geshe-la said, he looks very naughty boy. Yeah, exactly.
That time, you know, I think, think. Still I thought, you know. Very clear. You know, he lean just sit there, lean towards the on a on a on a door. Yeah.
And Then, Tenzin, Tenzin, you know, how do you say? Tenzin Thutop, you know. I think, you know. That one, you know. Remember very clearly how our posture.
Yeah. And just lean and just rubbing his nose and you know. Then then you know, then that time his you know, his foot was very big, know. Geshe-la was surprised my foot was so big, you know. So that time I poured, know, he was a little bit rude, you know.
Exactly, you know. You know, oh, he looks a bit naughty ish, you know, kinda like guy. So, that was 1984. Yeah.
1984, so you know, thirty-one or two years ago, you know. Yeah, I was a teenager. Yeah. Teenage.
Yeah, the same, you know. This year and I are the same age, you know. So So I took Geshe-la, you know, with me with a bag. Lots of bag. And we went to Rinpoche’s place in the monastery and then ever since then there.
Yeah. Cutting that time, Gishi, our, you know, teacher, Geshe Lobsang Palden. Yeah, then the color, then he was he was there, you know? Mhmm. But now pass away.
Mhmm. Yeah. So at that time, you know, we were in a very small place, you know, with inside the monastery. Now monastery is very spread. And Geshe-la said, Khensur Lobsang Palden, which is one of Rinpoche’s senior students who early this year he passed away in So that Geshe-la said he was there.
Yeah. Then next day, Geshe-la said there’s another student of Rinpoche, you know, he took he he wasn’t ordained yet, you know. He took all the monastery, you know, to act like a pilgrimage, you know. I saw that child was a layperson, you know. Layperson.
Yeah. Still layperson. So there is a traditional way of approaching, ordaining, you know. You have to go through in a systematic, you know. We have to there in a there is discipline, there is administration, there is temp temple clean cleaner.
And to administration took Geshe-la to is called the newly arrival ordained, and they have to go through discipline of the temple comes in, then discipline of Seraje monastery. Mhmm. And then from there, they have to take to Saraji Abbot and who Saraji Abbot who ordained Geshe-la, which is Rinpoche at the time. So, you know, Geshe-la Zöpande took him. Geshe-la sorry.
Geshe-la Zöpande took him Yeah. To see the Tewa Khamtsen disciplinary, Sera Je, then to Abbott. Yeah. Abbott. For on that day Yeah.
He was ordained, you know. So he was ordained and Rinpoche was checking, you know, shall I give you a name, Tenpe Gyaltsen or Jampa Gyaltsen? And the Jampa Gyaltsen is a part — Jampa Gyaltsen is Rinpoche’s ordination name. And Tenpe Gyaltsen is what Rinpoche was thinking about, you know, what should I give this monk, newly monk to give name. You know?
So and then finally, Rinpoche decided his name, Jampa Gyaltsen. So when they become a monk, they shape all the hair and just leave a little bit. That that has to be when he become a when the person become ordained, they have to Abbott has to cut this one and moment that he cut this hair, he’s become a monk. Yeah. From there onwards, the name Jampa Gyaltsen is his name.
So from there onwards, you know, three months, he didn’t enter in a Puja class. They have there is a the number of text that has to be memorized. Those texts are recite in during a Puja class. You know, there is a gathering monks gathering, pray you know, to to do a prayer. You know, those prayer has to be memorized.
You cannot take any it is kind of like a compulsory. You know? And if the discipline comes around, if you not recite, what? So anyway, that’s Geshe-la said, you know, but at the beginning, a debate, you know, the debating on colours, you know, These are, you know, he actually went through, you know, during those three months, you know. So at the time, he asked, you know, go to receive teachings from Rinpoche.
And he went there and Rinpoche has a few other student teaching. For example, you know, Pari Rinpoche, a few years back, he came one night. Mhmm. Taught here at you know, he was there, and there’s a few other monks. And then Geshe-la went to Rinpoche’s teaching, first first teaching and in the monastery.
And Rinpoche told him, you know, in in Tibet, there is a way of, you know, clapping your hands, you know. And there’s a ways of doing, you know. So Rinpoche stand up, and he told her, you know, how to do it. You know? Yeah.
Yeah. So very important, you know? Yeah. Important. So the Geshe-la went first one week teaching with our Rinpoche, but he was teaching already those few other monks and they’re already up.
And Geshe-la said that he couldn’t understand. He needs actually lower than what they’re taught they’re teaching, you know. So not only that, Rinpoche usually teach a very long hour. Yeah. One and a half hour exactly.
09:00 Yeah. To eleven, 11:30 Yeah. You know. And sometimes Geshe-la feel a little bit sleepy. And sometime even he can hear the the lunch bell, but he’s still teaching, you know.
So there is one very long stick next to Rinpoche and when he was sleeping, he just went, wake him up. Yeah. So we will stop here. Geshe-la said he would, you know, teach next time. And to talk about this his life, you know, continue.
There’s a lot of things he during his study, you know, in the monastery and the food in the monastery and Yeah. Yeah. Oh, Okay. And if you have question then must be, you know, little bit slow, you know. Rua?
Yeah. Please. When you finally got to Sera, were there other people in Teo Khamtsen that you recognised from your from Rongbatsa where you’d left home? Were there already people there that you knew? So, yeah, Geshe-la said, you know, he got a few, you know, he hasn’t got that many in his village, but there’s a few here.
Yeah. And actually, one of your monk, Geshe, he was he wasn’t there. He came later. And later, you know, I think two months later, you know. Two months later.
Yeah. I know. I know. Yeah. Yeah.
His name is Geshe Kasan, was it? Gishi Kasan. Is that right? Yeah. Pattara.
No. Geshe Kasan. No. Know. Geshe Kasan.
Uh-huh. Yeah. Yeah. You you can, you know, speak Tibetan. Yeah?
Sorry. Geshe-la, last week you said when you crossed over from Tibet to Nepal, you had some official papers which allowed you to cross the border. Tonight, you told us you traveled from Nepal and again crossed the border into India. What were those papers? Were they a Chinese passport, a Tibetan passport, sort of from the government and why did India let you through?
Yeah. My I had got, you know, passport, Chinese passport. Yeah. Yeah. Mostly, you know, when left Tibet.
Your mother? Yeah, no, you know, I escaped, is it? Without document, they escaped. Yeah. Scaped.
From Geshe-la said that he’s got lucky, you know, he got a Chinese passport from crossing over from Tibet to Nepal. But many monks who they escape out from Tibet, they don’t have the document. They just wait for night and then luck, you know, they can cross over, you know, different routes near Nepal. But they don’t go over the border, the different areas. From Nepal to Geshe-la said last week, the he left the document in passport in Nepal.
And from Nepal, he went to in a bus without document. Yeah. Because Geshe-la thought he’s gone back. Yeah. And yeah.
No. He’s you got a question? Yes. Gishna You can. No.
In English. I’ll help you. Really? Okay. I thought you can speak.
Yeah. Mhmm. Geshe-la, when you received ordination, you received ordination from Khensur Rinpoche. It became Jampa Gyaltsen. But when the two Anis received ordination, they became Tenzin.
Mhmm. Why is that? Mhmm. The different. Yes.
The Geshe-la got actual ordination, not the or the what you call getsul. So Geshe-la had the getsul vows from his holiness after two three months. So that’s why he gave here. Your friend, you know. Mhmm.
Oh, god. Your friend, you know. Yeah. Geshe-la. Mhmm.
You came from a very small village Uh-huh. In Tibet. Yeah. And then you went to Delhi. Geshe-la said, you know, the it’s not he just come straight from the small village to just pop in Delhi.
It’s a it’s a it’s a gradually, you know. When he left from his village, he went to Chamdo. Yeah. Chamdo is much bigger than his village. Oh, that’s And then once he arrived in Lhasa, it’s much bigger.
Mhmm. And then once he from Lhasa to Nepal, Nepal is a much, much, much Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Nepal is more like India, you know, really.
Yeah. Yeah. Big, you know. Then food. Sorry.
Nuts. What about? You’re spinning some of your idea? The the the good thing is that when they get in Delhi, there is a Tibetan restaurant, you know. Delhi You know, one of the Yeah.
In monastery, you know, when they enter in a monastery, then it’s very different, you know. From from Tibet, I heard lots of story people bring their tsampa, you know, etcetera. But once they get in the monastery, at that time, around ninety eighties, you know, food is really poor. You know? Yeah.
I was you know, we were you know, at the time, we have to go kitchen roster for in my time, we have to do eight days. Today, there’s only two day. Eight day really hard. But the rice, you have to you have to clean. Every morning, two people almost near hour have to clean the rice to get water, sit back like this, and the the the stone sits behind, and you get and just two people just continue doing like that.
And that’s the rice. And the dal, you know, the lentil. And here, we can make a very rich lentil, you know, with the different flavor, put the vegetables and spinach and all we can think about. But at the time in is just lentil and have a bit of tomato, onion, and some, you know, cook fry and then put the lentil. That’s it, really.
There’s not really some when you put the lentil on a rice because there’s a lot of water. So in a lentil, there’s few lentils sits on the top and most of the rice the water, watery lentil, you know. So most difficult for the new arrival from Tibet is the lentil because it’s not used to. And in Tibet, this kind of lentil they give it to the horse or the animal, you know. You know, it’s rugged.
Mhmm. It’s the most really, there’s a quite a struggle, you know, the but they used to, you know, slowly. But at the first new arrival when they give lentil, it’s really difficult. You know? Lentils are kind of dull.
I like lentil. You know? But Geshe-la said, he’s very fortunate. Yeah. You know?
He likes lentil. Geshe-la No. Alright. Hang on. Is it okay to ask you what your name was before you became ordained?
Okay. Yeah. My that time, my name was Yama Dorje. Yama Dorje. So So Geshe-la said, you know, he got that name because he’s, you know, This is true of Geshe-la’s, the brother and sister had passed away.
So therefore, they give that particular name. Okay. Anise? Geshe-la, I’m curious to know what happened to the frozen yak butter. I’m sorry.
Sorry. I tell you the yak has no butter. Very light, you know. No. No.
Yak butter. Is male. Yeah. Alright. So The female is called dri.
Dri. Dri. Yeah. Dri. Okay, okay, okay.
It was you know, it was to sell in Lhasa. Yeah. Yeah. Hi, Geshe-la. I missed the first part of your talk.
What was the name of your town, your village? And how far is it away from your village to Chengdu? Yeah. My village is Rongbatsa, you know? Rombatta.
Not long. From Rongbatsa to Ganze, you know? Ganze, I think by car nearly one hour. Okay. Really?
Only half an hour. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly half. I’m not sure.
Then I think from Rongbatsa to Chengdu, is it? Some say, Chengdu city. Sichuan province. Yeah. Chengdu, is that?
Yeah. Chengdu, yes. Chengdu is the capital. Yeah. Capital city.
I went to be there, but Chengdu, no. You asked me. Oh, I thought you went over there and then to Lhasa. No. No.
No. Where you cut straight from this way to Lhasa, the Chengdu can like go backwards, you know. Actually, Ganze is the well known, you know, in the Kham area. Yep. Even Geshe-la said Rongbatsa is a very tiny town, you know.
Yeah. But actual Ganse is like a more next town. And it’s only forty thirty minutes by is not far away from Gangdean. Right? Ganze is from Ganze to Ganze.
Oh, Ganze. It’s at the time our group, we it took all day. But that time, the road wasn’t that good. But nowadays, from Chengdu, the Tibetan called Chengdu. The Chengdu to Geshe-la’s place, if you have a good four wheel drive, it’ll take one day.
From early morning, it reaches there quickly because the road is so good. You know? Yeah. That’s No. That’s the reason.
As a tunnel. Yeah. And many, you know, bridges built. You know? Mhmm.
So today, it takes probably one day from Chengdu to Geshe-la’s town, Ganze. So Geshe-la, how was the education there back in Tibet back in 1984? In primary school, did you learn any Chinese or you didn’t learn any there was No. No. But I I went to school at time Yeah.
For just one month. One month. For one month? Yeah. Yeah.
Because I did there was a monk came in last year, I think, from in from India. We could communicate in Chinese. His Chinese is really good. Where? Here?
That — in here, the monk came over from India, I think. Okay. Four months or three months. Oh, here. In Adelaide.
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Is normal now. That is normal. That is really friendly, you know.
So during the Cultural Revolution, Geshe-la’s family, you know, they put the black hat, you know. They they have this particular way of treating, you know. But his family is because it’s a kind of at the before the Cultural Revolution, his family was kind of wealthy family. So when the Cultural Revolution come, there is a very difficult those who are wealthy family. So they treat in a and when they go to school, they have also that they have to carry that burden.
So it’s a difficult. Geshe-la said he only spent one or two months in school, you know. And the Geshe Jamyang, the one you’re talking about who can able to speak, you know, there’s a different you know, they don’t have that kind of like the label, you know, so they can and Geshe Jamyang went in school and learned No. Think Gishinjama, you know, was at school six for six years, you know. Yeah.
Through time. Yeah. You see, Jamyang Tenzin, you know, which you’re talking about. He spent, you know, around six years Yeah. Yeah.
In school. Yeah. So at the time, you know, the the not so much encouraged to learn Chinese, and they’re more focused on Tibetan, you know. Yeah. That time I wasn’t, you know, interested in China.
Yeah. Learning Chinese. Yeah. Yeah. More Tibetan.
Tibetan. For me, I grew up in a I grew up basically in China. When I was growing up, I always have this impression, this concept of Tibet, she’s part of China, you know, just a different ethnic group. Yeah. I never thought.
I never I I didn’t know about history of Tibet at all. I thought it’s people dressed differently, know, be weird and stuff. But I never knew the history of that. And I thought, you know, everybody would speak Chinese. That’s the main language in sports.
I thought Tibetan was dialect. Yeah. It’s completely different language. Yeah. Totally.
So yeah. Yeah. Thanks. Yeah. How was it?
But when I was, you know, when I left my village, that time I could little bit changes, you know, but forgot. I said, you know, even though he spent a very minimum time in learning, but he can still and when he came out from Tibet, he can he can still speak a little bit Chinese. But now totally forgot. For Geshe-la said, in the present, if I learn English and Chinese, if he focus Chinese, he probably can learn faster Chinese. Yeah.
Why? Do you understand? Yeah. Because Geshe-la studied Chinese. Pamela said, you know, when he was young, he studied a little bit in one or three months in Chinese.
But the Geshe-la said, no. You know what it is? It’s the the the the the the what do you call? It. Yeah.
It’s a environment, it’s a hearing a lot. Yeah. Yeah. And all that. And also the the wind and the energy and all that.
Yeah. Exactly. 100% in. So Geshe-la, you have been away from Tibet a very long time. What do you most miss about Tibet?
Sorry? So Geshe-la? Yeah? You have been away from Tibet Yeah. A very long time.
Yeah. What do you most miss about Tibet? So is the environment, you know, the the views and the how is it located in Tibet, you know, the landscape. And not only that, and also the my same age, you know, people, he sometimes he miss lot. Yeah.
Friends, all that. Okay. Thank you all here tonight. Thank you. Good night.
Yeah. No. No. Okay. How was my English?