Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 77-minute talk, Kyabje Rinpoche recounts his pivotal 1984 journey from his Kham village to Lhasa at age eighteen, undertaken to pursue advanced Buddhist study at one of the great monastic academies. He describes the seven-day winter truck ride—crowded with forty-nine people and blocks of butter destined for sale—and observes the pilgrims and those performing prostrations on the same roads. Once in Lhasa, he walks through four months of pilgrimage to sacred sites: the Jokhang Temple with its ancient Śākyamūni Buddha, the Potala Palace, and the major monasteries of Sera, Drepung, and Ganden, all still being rebuilt after Cultural Revolution destruction. He warmly recalls his mother’s visit and their Losar celebration together, then grows quiet recounting the moment he left by bus and saw her circumambulating outside but could not say goodbye. He will continue next week with his arrival in India and Dharamshala.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 14122016Story2 – KR.mp3
UUID: af650a80-eb84-4959-a41f-ecc11eeba1b9
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Rinpoche's Story
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~5,849
Hello. So okay, thank you. Thank you so many people came for my story. So thank you so very much before. I can’t, it’s no worry.
It’s no worry I think because English is you know second language for me. So last week, you know, I thought about my life and my village and family and season and my school. But I’m I’m not telling again. So today I’m going to talk about my journey, know, my journey from my village to Lhasa and if we have time then to Nepal. This one.
Then I think So I think when I was you know 15 years old. Then I was begin to memorize, you know, from 15 to 18 years old. So that time I was to memorize it what? Memorizing. Memorizing a lot of texts, you know, texts, many texts.
So, Geshe-la said I was very lucky in some how my my intelligence or my, you know, wisdom that I can able to memorize so many texts, you know. Geshe-la said, I’m not saying that in in a ego way, you know, this is a more natural for me when he was 15 to yeah, 18. Okay, that’s fine, thank you. We are laughing you know because I said this already said, know, no need to repeat it. But you know, I was you know, not enough just to memorize.
So I wasn’t enough just to memorize them because I wanted to learn Buddhist philosophy, and also become a Geshe. And also my mother and brother more than me, I become a Geshe. So Geshe is saying, you know, the just merely memorization is really not enough for me Yeah. To so Geshe-la want to further pursue his studies, you know, study in Buddhism and he has a great desire to become monk and become a, you know, the Geshe. So and Geshe-la said, My mother and my brother.
Oh. Encouraged. Encouraged me. Alright. So his mom and his brother really wanted him to become a monk.
And also And not only become a monk, but also want to become a monk and plus Geshe. So that time there wasn’t, you know, there weren’t any monastery monastery Because at that time, at that time. At that time, yeah. At that time there weren’t any monastery but there was beginning repairing. Reestablishing.
Repair what? Repair the monasteries everywhere. And also they want they want any qualified, good enough teachers. Because of the, for example, his holiness Dalai Lama and our Rinpoche that time escaped from Tibet, Really? So he should say at the time, you know, when around that he’s 15 to 18, around that time, there wasn’t that many monasteries.
You know, monastery all the monastery were destroyed, but they are just starting to repair or establish in around that where Geshe-la’s area. Uh-huh. So Geshe-la said, you know, many of monk plus our Rinpoche and his holiness escape up from Tibet to India. Geshe is very rare in Tibet around that time because most of the monks, they already escaped from Tibet. They’re all in India.
And inside Tibet, they’re very little. You know, Geshe-la said, it’s very rare. So I wanted to go to India. So when I left my village, that time 1984 in the winter. Winter?
Yeah. 1984? Yeah, 1984. And in the winter. In winter, yeah.
Winter, yeah. Because that’s when we when people go to Lhasa from Kham and Amdo in spring. So Geshe-la left out from his village in the wintertime. He said, that’s the best time this, you know, traveling. Because in the summer, there’s a lots of rain and the road also wash away.
So it will take for months and months to reach in a way their destination. So Geshe-la said the best time of traveling at around that time as winter and spring. So I left my village in winter, you know? Winter season weather. Winter season, yeah.
So when I traveled with my brother and cousin, what? Cousin and 47 other Tibetans, you know. Then by truck, it’s funny, truck. Truck. We carried.
Carry. Carry. Carry. Carry. Carry.
Then we carried many butter. Butter. Butter. Yeah. Yeah.
Forty, forty one. Correct. Total, you know, all together forty nine people. People together. Yeah, together.
Travel in a truck from Geshe-la Village Yeah. To Lhasa. Yeah. They carried lots of butter. Butter.
Tibet Tibet tradition, that one. Very heavy, you know. Lots of butters. Kajer butter? For sale to Okay.
I I just asked what for butter? Just say Geshe-la said that’s for the business to sell. For sale, you know, to Lhasa. To Rasa, yeah. Sorry.
Oh, Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Sure. Of course.
No. No. Before, we, you know, bought from people. Buy money. Buy Money.
Money. Not Geshe-la said from directly steel, but but bought from other people. Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, so when I was traveling to Lhasa at that time, I thought, oh, now So from a village to Lhasa for seven days, you know, seven days by truck, know.
So sometimes I thought, that time I thought So once when Geshe-la left from his village, you know, he has this thought come into his mind. I will never see back in my village again. I would, I think. I would never see again in this life. Oh.
Yeah. Yeah. That’s right. So when I left my village, I was 18 years old. Yeah, so because I will be, you know, I will be living in India long time, long time.
So he thought, you know, I will never see my village again because I’m moving towards in India and spending long time in India. So that he thought at that time it’s not never going to see his village again. Then then when we, you know, when we wanted to food, then the driver would stop on the way. So during their traveling, you know, Geshe-la said they have to stop over, you know, time to time. And the the driver, very kind, he stops, and then everybody gets off.
And they go around in a forest, get collect all the woods, and then they start the fire, you know, on a roadside and then make it, you know, boil water. Cold water, you know. Yeah. Geshe-la said, when we’re traveling, it was really good good time, good fun. And also we have plenty of food, you know.
Then we had tsampa with butter and dry meat you know. Dry meat? Dry meat. Meat.
Dry meat, etcetera. And it’s funny, know, we were traveling, you know, sometime I saw, you know, people were walking all the way to Lhasa. Because they wanted to see the Potala Palace and many other things. They want to see. I think for for six months, you know, long time long time.
So they were Geshe-la said he he was one of very lucky one can able to go in a in in a with a truck. So there were many on the way he met many Tibetans traveling towards Lhasa because they want to see the Potala. So Geshe-la said many of them are walking and some people they do, you know, to do go traveling with the prostration. So Geshe-la said it took for them take long time, six months, know, journey from Kham or Amdo, you know? Vansas.
Ando, many areas. Tsampa. Tsampa, you know, with butter and yogurt.
Yeah. It’s very kind in a when you especially if you’re traveling with the prostration, they stop over or either near the monastery or the the villages and the many villages Many villages they offer, you know, those prostrators, you know, to, you know, Tsampa or, you know, etcetera. So Geshe-la said, when they see the prostrators come into through your village, you know, villages, the people are so happy they’re able to offer them, you know, because this is a very, know, the virtuous action they engage, you know, so. So and also they took, you know, took a cart with them. Geshe-la said that sometime they use animal, but the most the prostrate is they drag themselves, you know.
Few people drag and then they go back and prostrate, put the thing Mhmm. Up there, you know. Yeah. Then then I thought much better to walk than in a truck. Yeah, yeah exactly.
Because because we were very difficult, you know, very difficult, not relax and come to the talk and also we truck didn’t cover our Toiyama, cover our roof. Very funny, you know. Then there were, you know, many butter, you know, I tried before, butter underneath, over underneath. Very difficult, very cold. It’s Geshe-la thought at around that time Geshe-la thought, it’s actually better if you walk, you know.
Those people are very lucky, you know. Because I thought that time. Exactly. And Geshe-la said, why is the reason is the truck is not that really huge truck. There’s 49 people, and they it has no roof.
And plus, they’re carrying a lot of butter, and butter is frozen. You know? So they’re sitting on a butter, which is a very Yeah. You know? And, you know, very crowded in a in a truck.
And he told, oh, those people are very lucky. They can stop anytime, you know, anywhere. You know? So he thought, first, they you know, Geshe-la said we were lucky, but it’s not really. You know?
They’re very lucky, they can, you know, stop anytime, anywhere and home. Exactly. I thought that time, you know. Also very funny, very funny because our driver didn’t have a license. So we arrived nearly to the town, many towns sometimes, know, then we were stopped.
We couldn’t go during the dry. Okay. So Gishula said, you know, you understood that Funny thing is our driver hasn’t got a license. He’s driving a truck carrying it to 49 people. And the problem is Dangerous.
You know? Geshe-la said, when we get into in town, he he will stop, you know, he will not move any until at night. And when it becomes dark, and then he’ll start move, you know. Yeah. Start to yeah, travel, you know.
Because he’s worried about maybe the police might catch him. He traveled, traveled the town, you know? Yeah. Through the towns. Through the town.
Yeah. All the all the the names that Geshe-la mentioned, from Geshe-la’s village to reach in Lhasa, you have to pass all those town, Derge, Chamdo, you know, all the Kongpo, Nyitri, you know, etcetera. You know? Many villages say you have to cross. So he have to stop over, you know, for the day and then travel at night here.
Yeah. So sometimes they slept in a in a crowded in truck, but sometimes they stopped over and they stay in a side on the ground and put sleep over there. So at that time very cold, very cold. Very cold. We caught winter, you know.
Winter. Yeah. As Geshe-la said, around that time, the road wasn’t that good, know, and Geshe-la said the many trucks, you know, fell over and on a clip, so disappears, you know. And sometime they have to walk, and the driver and his assistant just drives, and then they, you know, walk maybe two, three hours after that. You know, Geshe-la said that time to time there’s snow.
Yeah. You know? Very strong, you know, strong. Yeah. Strong snow.
Yeah. Okay, then seven days later, you know, seven days later, we were arrived to Rasa. Before I think two hours two hours I saw the fantastic Potala Palace in the distance. Distance. Distance.
Distance. The Potala Palace very high, tall, I think 39 stories. Geshe-la said he, you know, one beauty thing is before two hours of arrival in Lhasa, he see, you know, this beautiful Potala from distance. And Geshe said the reason that is Potala is a high is a built in a kind of like a hill. And Geshe said there’s probably 30 kazai.
33 stories. Is that? 39. Someone said to me. Told Gishla 39 stories.
Yeah. Very I think Suzie have been there. Yeah. And Parma. Is it?
Yeah. And another? Shang? No? Yeah.
Okay, yeah, very tall. So then I was very happy, you know, happy. Then I stayed auntie’s in house, you know, auntie’s house. She had a husband. She had two sons and husband and also mother, my grandmother, but she passed away.
Two sons. Two sons. He said two husbands, no, never. But she had two sons and husband and her mother, grandmother. But she passed away when she 84 years old.
This one. Okay, just a minute please. Yeah. And then I stayed in the class for four months. Four months.
Thank you. Four, four months. So I wanted to see many things, you know. Firstly, Firstly, I wanted to do Jokhang. Jokhang, yeah.
Jokhang. It is very popular. The first thing when you run-in Dhasa, you know, everybody is really common and popular. You must see the Jokhang first. Yeah, first, first is Jokhang.
And second, second, Potala and many things, you know. The first really Jokhang. Jokhang. You know, before I did good motivation, good motivation, and Wearing very nice, you know, clean clothes, you know. Yeah.
Before you go to Chokang Yeah. Geshe-la said, set up my motivation and then cleansing myself and then wear nice clean clothes because the Chokang is very, very precious and it’s a really space, it’s a very holy So you must go like this way. Then I went to Jokhang, that time very crowded, know. Very? Very crowded.
Very crowded every day, every day, very crowded you know. Thousand thousand. Yeah. Then the line, know, Yeah, line up. Yeah, then I could see This Śākyamūni statue is a very popular.
It’s over 500 years old. Yeah. And it has a beautifully, you know, ornament. And so Geshe-la said, you know, it’s really beautiful to see. But there is a huge queue up, you know, line up.
Yeah. Then So was very fortunate and see not only the Śākyamūni Buddha, but there’s many very famous statues around in that temple and the central chapel, you know. So Geshe-la said, you know, it was very fortunate for him. To see all And secondly, I travel to, I think probably, Potala. No.
Every day, just weekend, you know, you could see. That time Foreigner. Foreigner? Yeah. Yeah.
Foreigner Gishla said, you know, he’s only open on a weekend. You know, Gishla said, his second visit is the Potala. And around during around that time, you know, they’ll they’re only open on a weekend. And Geshe-la went with the So they open for foreigner, you know, they can go through with the foreigners, you know, to see Potala. Then we saw everything, you know, wonderful.
Wonderful. Wonderful. Wonderful. So Geshe-la said, it’s really beautiful to see Pothala. It has a soul, you know, all the statues and stupa and for such a way, old ancient holy statues, you know.
So one of the very famous stupa in there. Okay and few days later I’ll try to One and only in the world there’s one stupa, you know. I think we went to see downstairs that there’s there’s no anything like that stupa anywhere Yeah. Then a few days later I travel to I think the fifth Dalai Lama statue is Not a stupa, sure. Not sure, yeah.
Then a few days later I traveled to Sera Monastery and Drepung Monastery, you know. But So Geshe-la said, then after that, he visited in many different monastery and, of course, visit Sera Monastery. And Sera, there’s not that many too you can see only in temples. Rest, most of them are, you know, destroyed and only you can see the Buddhist. You know, Geshe-la said that his visit in Sera, one of his districts, khangtsen, we call it.
And when he visit his Kansen, there was hardly see anything. They just, you know, yeah. Just only just empty walls. That’s it. Yeah.
And then finally, I travel to Ganden Monastery. Ganden Ganden Monastery. It is a little bit of father from Rasa. I think by two hours, by truck also, know. Funny.
And they’re free also. So then Ganden Monastery is one another one of the biggest monastery in Tibet is Geshe-la said is further from Lhasa, two hours away from Lhasa. And Geshe-la said he went in a truck, you know. If he go early morning in near the central chapel, there is a truck that they can carry you and there is no charge. With my friend, you know.
With Geshe-la’s friend. Yeah. Just two people. Ganden is located in a kind of like a hilly area and Geshe-la say it’s really beautiful, you know. And once you reach up there, can see a real distance, you know, from Ganden Monastery.
So there is a one of very famous stupa, the Tsongkhapa stupa. Yeah. Then one day, you know, my mom got, what, go to Lhasa. Came to Lhasa, yeah. I came to Lhasa with a few people.
Then I was very happy, you know. And then sometimes, you know, my mom and auntie and I traveled to Potala and Lhasa because they were very close from my auntie’s house. Then somebody did over that day. Then Yes. Someone.
Tomorrow. Yeah. Couldn’t love. Gisha said, did you understand what I said? Yes.
Yeah. Gisha said, you know, it’s very easy you can understand because I practice many times. Yeah. That that that one, you know, prepared, you know, couple of days ago so easier. One day, you know, one day my brother, you know, my brother, he nine years older than me.
He’s 59 years old. So 59 years old because nine years old I mean. Yeah. So one day my brother took took. Anyway, this very important for me, you know.
One day my brother took me to somewhere, you know, at Jokhang corner, then he gave good advice for I think two hours. Now I still remember you know. This is negative for you, this is positive for you, long time long advice, I still remember. That time I was very young, you know. So One day his brother took him around Central Chapel.
Mhmm. Everybody do circumambulating around the central chapel. Then he just took him inside in a corner near this central central chapel, and he’s giving him nearly two hour, you know, advice, you know, you know, what you should do, what you shouldn’t do, what’s a good thing for you, you know, etcetera. You know, giving so long advice in a you know, Geshe-la said, at the time, I was young, and I don’t have you know, I can now Geshe-la said, I understand. You know why he do that?
And I still remember all this his what he was saying. And, yeah, at the time, he said he was young. I just, you know, want to get away from you. But he just kept there, only keep talking, you know. That’s a traditional way in Tibet, you know, very controlled controlled younger.
Controlled. Controlled. Controlled young brother. Young brother. Young brother, you know and also when I was in my village that time he sometimes hit no.
Geshe-la said, the brother is a is a Tibetan tradition, you know, they look after the your younger brother. And so they control, you know, all the time. And Geshe-la said when he was in his village, you know, he’s he’s he’s hitting, you know, beats. You know? But he know why he do that is really not for anything reason.
He say he want to him to be a good person and to do study, etcetera. You know? That’s why, you know, he try to sometime he beats, you know, punches. Punch, yeah. Dangerous, but Dangerous.
You know, No worry. No trouble. Okay. Geshe la said, you know, he’s giving a bit Yeah. By with the time, you know, and try.
He hit with his love, you know. It’s not the anger, you know. It’s with the love, you know. He wants to be a good person. Yeah.
And I said, this is very hard to get into that. Hit by love is doesn’t get match, you know. It’s it’s true. So Geshe-la said, no matter how much he hit me or he’s, you know, giving advice, these are all really good, you know, that Geshe-la said. All what I learned is due to his, you know, his kindness.
You know? So Geshe-la said he can able to read, you know, Tibetan around that time very fast and, you know, thorough. And thorough, long. And not only that, memorization, that, you know, due to his kind. Very kind, you know, very kind.
Very kind. He was very kind. Was very kind. Kind for me. Yeah and also I spent, you know, Happy New Year in Tibet tradition.
In Hasa? In Hasa, with my mom and brother, you know. At that time they did many things to celebrate, you know. So Geshe-la had a new year in Lhasa, so it’s a very special. There is so many celebration, you know.
Before new year come, Geshe-la said there is so many preparation, etcetera, you know. New Year is very fantastic in Lhasa. Yeah. After new year, I left Lhasa. I Thassa.
That time I saw my mom from the bus, you know, that time she was walking, circumambulating. Circle? Yeah. Emulating. Yeah, she was walking circle, you know.
Yeah, circle. I saw, you know, from the bus. That time I thought, say hello to my mom, but she didn’t hear because she was deaf you know, I think that one. That was the saddest thing for Geshe-la. Yeah.
This life, you know. La said he was in a bus and he saw his mother is circumambulating, you know, And he saw the mom from there. So when you have travel when you when you when you I was traveling, you know, in bus. Bus is just moving. Yeah.
So Geshe-la yelled. Mom say, you know, mom and goodbye, you want to say it. But Geshe-la said, his mom, I think it’s the right side. She is deaf. So she couldn’t hear it.
So he was sad about that, you know. He wanted to say goodbye, you know. Yeah. This one very sad in my life, you know. Sadness, is it?
One sadness. Sadness, sadness. Then I thought Should I cry? Cried, yeah, nearly now not bad. So I would, have never seen my mom again in this life.
So I was very sad and still feel sad, know? Yeah, the things. When my mom passed away, I think she was 73 I think years old, that time I was in India. And I was 31 years old too. One day later we arrived at Tsang Tashilunpo Monastery, you know.
Tashilunpo Monastery. Yeah, the big monastery in Tibet, bigger than you know, Sera Monastery. But too late, I wanted to see inside, know, temple but very light, all the way crossed. Another unlicensed driver. Sorry?
Another driver. Another, that different, different, the bus you know, the bus. Yeah. That’s okay, Bus, know. With the license, yeah.
Yeah. Bus. You know, when you arrived, when you arrived, arrived, and bus terminal? The bus station. Bus station.
Yeah. So Geshe-la said, you know, the the you know, when he as a bus move you, he couldn’t say goodbye. His mother couldn’t hear it. So he was very sad at that time. He thought, you know, I’m never going to see again my mom.
And that was the saddest thing for him. And it happened. You know, he never saw mom since he left. And when he was 31 years old in a ceremony after he arrived in India, you know, and mom is passed away. And Geshe-la said he’s she’s probably around 73 years old.
Yeah. And and then the other thing is when they left and stopped in Tashilunpo Monastery, you know, which is one of the Pänchen Lama’s Monastery. Yeah. So it’s a very big and bigger than Sera. Yeah.
So Geshe-la want to see, but it’s too late. You know, the whole thing is close. Yeah, when you arrive to Tashilunpo at night, you know, so all closed. Yeah. Then one day later, we go to the border, you know, of Nepal and Tibet.
So Few days later, you know, Geshe-la said they arrive in a border. And then border, it took for such long time because they put two separate luggage, they put in a one part and the people on the other side and they will check it thoroughly, you know. So all the day, you know. So it took for long time there. Yeah.
Yeah. When you arrived in the morning, you know, took border, then left border I think in the evening, long time, long time. Then one day later we got to Nepal. So I think stop here tonight, that’s enough. Then will, you know, try about India, you know, in Dharmasala, many things next week.
Yeah. So we will stop here and rest Geshe-la will, you know, from Nepal, India, and also, you know, his time in Sera for next week. And I wonder So Geshe-la said there’s a very good stories afterwards. Mhmm. You know, I arrived in India, you know, in Dharmasala, there is a Geshe Ngawang Darje, probably you some of you know Mhmm.
Is a book. And Geshe Ngawang Darje and our Rinpoche are same classmate. And Geshe Ngawang Darje at the time, he was in Dharmasala. And there is another relatives in So the sent met special letter to, you know, Rinpoche and asked That time our Rinpoche, you know, about Sera Je Monastery. Yeah.
I think Yeah. In 1984, yes. You know, Rinpoche was abbot at the Sera monastery. And Geshe Ngawang Darje resides in Dharmasala and he sends letter to him to take that to Rinpoche and then that’s how. It is a very important for me, this level.
But I will tell you next week, next time. Next week. No hurry, today. That too early. Yeah.
Then I have your questions. Okay. Yeah. Steven, yes. Steven here.
Yes. I was just Geshe, I was just wondering when you cross the border, it must have been quite difficult. The authorities, they wouldn’t want to check out everybody. Why do you want to cross the border and can be a lot of troubles? How was that?
So the I I can explain that a little bit more. The Geshe-la is a very lucky one, you know, because he has the the the document to him to cross over, but it’s just simple check up in a border. But there is a lot of stories, you know, that many of them who doesn’t have the document, skip out from Nepal to no. Tibet to Nepal. There is a lot of issues, you know, difficulties, you know.
Yeah. Pamela. Geshe-la, can you remember what was standing at Ganden at that time? Because Ganden has also been destroyed twice. What was what was there?
So the the one of the Jangchub statue, the stupa is there, but the main temple was there, but the rest of the monks residential was is destroyed. It’s just about to start to rebuild. Yeah. Yeah. So Geshe-la said the reason he doesn’t have much recollection of the at that time was one thing is a part of that, you know, Geshe-la said, in order to have a strong feeling and all that, you may in a before the destroy, if you see if you know the monastery was there and you know the whole story, then after you destroy, if you see, they you probably have a very strong feeling.
Mhmm. But Geshe-la said around that time, he was young, and he doesn’t have really, but he’s he was very fortunate, you know, to see the you know, stupa is still there, you know, great, you know, that stupa. So that was his time, you know. He he can yeah. There’s not that huge feeling in that way, yeah.
At that time I thought, you know, how how was Nepal and how was daily. Just So Geshe-la’s whole interest in his mind was because he’s traveling further so he’s always wonder you know how the Nepal look like and how the India and Delhi look like etcetera you know. So when I arrived to Nepal. Just in the border, that time I saw Nepal people, wonderful, you know? So it’s not used to in your eye because the costume and all different, know, it’s funny, you know.
And then they you know, very interesting wearing a lot of nose rings, earring. Yeah, know, here, it’s different, you know. Yeah. In Tibet, they wear in the earring, but not so much on, yeah, no. Anila here.
Geshe-la, why did you choose to go to Sera instead of maybe staying in Nepal at Kopan? Sera is a big monastery, you know. Mhmm. Just joking. Was that was that because small, you know.
Very small. Yeah. So I I decided before I wanted to learn Buddhist philosophy, know, so So the the reason is the Sera is Sera, Drepung, Ganden, these are the very famous in the Gelukpa tradition and, you know, all the very, you know, great scholars, great, you know, practitioners, practitioners, you you know, know, they all come out from those monasteries. There’s not even hear about the small monasteries. And was that because Rinpoche was there, and he was from the same area?
Is it traditionally, you know, the when It’s not only that, but, you know, in a traditionally, you know, the when in a in a the the distance from east and Amdo, they go study three year in major monasteries, and then they go back, you know, back to in their monastery. They have to come study, you know, three years. The many, many reasons and all other reason is there were that many Gishis. Most of Gishis, they came out from in the major monasteries, Sera Drepung Ganden. And, you know, as for for Geshe-la, you know, his holiness and Rinpoche, they’re all in in India in Sera monastery.
Yeah. Geshe Geshe monasteries. Geshe la, you were saying when you left your village is that Rongpatsa? Rongbatta. Yeah.
Rongbatta. There weren’t many well, were very few Geshe’s and few monks. Was Tashi Dargye Gompa, did that exist when you were 18? Or was it built after or was it destroyed? Before the revolution, you know, start, you know, it’s a very rare gishes in in Tibet, in the East Tibet or only the gishes more stay in in the Central, you know, in the Sera Drepung Ganden.
And some of them come back, you know, but it’s very rare. And Geshe-la said, after the revolution, even worse, you know, so there’s no and so that at around his age, 18, you know, the the the the Dargye monastery is just starting reestablishing. You know? Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Geshe-la, in Tibet, did you ever see any meditation caves where people would retreat and meditate in cave? Yes, did. I saw many cave, you know, and there is in my village many Many many That, you know, Geshe-la’s monastery look like, you know It’s like a retreat, you know. Retreat place.
And Geshe-la said in a in an area near Geshe-la’s village, there’s a nunneries. You know? Some of the the our nunnery, which we support here, we will support two nunneries in Dargye Monastery. One of the nunnery both of them, one is even further. It’s right up the cave.
You know, really high up. I even haven’t been there. You know, I’m a bit scared. But other one we visit, you know, is a bit much lower. There’s a there’s a few nunneries in near Geshe-la’s village and beside the Dargye Monastery.
There those nunneries are, you know, two nunneries, they are in a cave type of in a in a yeah. Very yeah. Yeah. Yeah. There are many yeah.
Caves and meditators. Yeah. Okay. I think No question? They say.
Yeah. Yeah. Was the butter that you were carrying from the countryside to the city, was that, like, for the Losar celebrations and the Monlam celebrations? And and, I mean, was was that mainly used by the monasteries for butter lamps? Or What was it for?
Yeah. For, you know, sell to Rasa. Then then So the the not only Geshe-la and his brother, but there’s a few in a truck. They’re all carrying some butter. And some of them they sell in a when they reach in Lhasa.
Have you seen? Bottle? That one. Beautiful. Oh, really?
And very heavy, you know. In the leather? Yeah, yeah, that’s good. What do call it? Leather.
And very yellow, Yeah, inside. Inside very yellow color. No. It’s because the the this, they can have flowers on the hill. You know, they eat the flower and they get produce beautiful yellow milk and the butter.
Yeah. As I said, you know, some of them sell, some they do make offering, butter lamps and yeah, etcetera. So good price in Lhasa. And Lhasa there is less because it’s they don’t have much, you know, the nomads, you know, near Lhasa. So the nomads in a more on a up in a Kham and Amdo area, there’s a lots of people make butter and they travel to Lhasa to sell.
Okay. Stop here too. Okay. Lily. Lily.
Sorry. Geshe-la, what process did you have to go through to get the paperwork to exit Tibet and did the authorities think that you were going to return? Do they think you were just visiting Nepal or did they know that you were immigrating for good? So the the Geshe-la has a proper document. They of course, they’re thinking that he come back.
But, you know, the document is expired. Then I arrived, you know, documented way. Document, yeah. Document Yeah. Yeah.
Mhmm. Travel document passport. When you arrived in Nepal, I arrived to make passport in Nepal, you know. When Geshe-la arrived, and Geshe-la left his passport with his friend there, and ever since that he never had one back. Red one, isn’t it?
Red books. Red books. Yeah. Nice. Yeah.
Yeah. Alright. Let’s stop here. Yeah. Okay.
I have before we stop, if you like still interest cook for Geshe-la in January, I got a few space available in case you can help. And, you know, afterwards, you can see me. And I can put your name down, the date, and the time, and what Geshe-la likes to have for lunch. Sorry. Okay.
Okay. And there is a chai, you know, before you go, chai and biscuits. Please have a fresh chai.