Specific  Projects

Dolma Ling construction site, 1993.

        We try to help as many nuns as possible, from all sects of Tibetan Buddhism and from all areas of Tibet. For now, logistics have forced us to concentrate on those in the area near Dharamsala, India. Thus, the nuns on our sponsorship list come from the following groups:

        Dolma Ling. This non-sectarian nunnery was founded by the Nuns Project principally for new arrivals to India. The nuns study Tibetan language, Buddhist philosophy, Buddhist debate, elementary mathematics, and english. They come from all areas of Tibet; a few come from border regions in India near Tibet and Nepal, Indians by citizenship. Dolma Ling Nunnery shelters over 100 women. We have a long waiting list, because we have no room to take in others at this point.

        Shugsep Nunnery. This nunnery also operates under the auspices of the Tibetan Nuns Project. The original Shugsep Nunnery near Lhasa, Tibet, is famous as the home nunnery of the most renowned female teacher of this century, Shugsep Jetsunma, who died in 1953 at the age of 103. A large number of Shugsep nuns participated in peaceful demonstrations in Lhasa and were subsequently expelled from the nunnery. After fleeing to India, they wished to remain together to maintain the unique Nyingma traditions of Shugsep.
        The Nuns Project was able to purchase for them a small piece of land with two small buildings in an isolated area of Dharamsala. Their numbers have grown to over 45 nuns and in the future we hope to build an assembly space and classrooms large enough to hold them all. We have been able to build an indoor kitchen, and bathing and toilet facilities for them. The study program at Shugsep, under the direction of Penor Rinpoche, is based on the model of the Nyingma Shedra. Every year he sends two young monks as teachers. Several of the nuns visit Nepal, where they undertake a three-year retreat, and we help support them.

        Geden Choeling. This is the oldest nunnery in Dharamsala. Over 120 nuns live there, with about 85% of them on our sponsorship list. In the past, they completed a new assembly hall and converted their old one to living quarters so they could admit new nuns, considerably relieving the pressure on the Nuns Project. We assist Geden Choeling Nunnery by finding sponsors for all their new admissions. The Tibetan Nuns Project is not the sole source of support for this Gelukba nunnery, but we offer sponsorship support to improve the quality of food, provide medical care, assist educational programs, improve standards of hygiene, and so forth.

        Tilokpur. Located an hour and a half from Dharamsala, this nunnery follows the Kagyu tradition. Of the over 60 nuns at Tilokpur, about 42% are now on our sponsorship list. We help them by donating towards improved medical care, food, education, and we helped them install a water pump so they no longer carry water uphill in buckets.

        Dama Nunery and Orgyen Chokhorling Nunnery. Dama Nunery in Solo Kumbu, Nepal and Orgyen Chokhorling Nunnery in Sikkim have requested funds for teachers' salaries to help educate their young nuns. The Tibetan Nuns Project is very happy to assist with teachers salaries because educational opportunity for all nuns is the main aim of the project.

        Floating Nuns. Someone coined this term to describe nuns who are not attached to a nunnery but live on their own. Many are older, some have lived all their lives in retreat, and some became nuns later in life after their children had grown and their spouses had died. Some are younger nuns who have come from Tibet recently and are living on their own, either for health reasons or because they cannot find space in a nunnery. Most are scattered about the mountain above Dharamsala, although some live as far away as Manali and Rewalsar. We support over 35 such nuns with a monthly stipend.

        Recent Arrivals. A never-ending stream of Tibetan nuns arrive at our office. We give them all a meager stipend, but we cannot offer them space in a nunnery, since ours are completely full. We have waiting lists for each community, and we do the best we can to help the new nuns assimilate into their new surroundings. The number of these nuns is increasing as more keep coming from Tibet all the time. When they see what few opportunities exist for them in India, unfortunately, many get discouraged and return to Tibet, unable to fulfill the goals that brought them into exile. This is why we feel such an urgent need to expand the facilities at Dolma Ling and Shugsep; so that more Tibetan nuns will have the opportunity to study and practice their religion.

Dolma Ling construction, 1995 & 1996.

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