Tibetan clergy studying their way to prestige

Learning is a life-long task no Tibetan clergy can skip, whether living buddha or average monks, as Tibetan Buddhism followers value scholarly attainment more than inherited titles.

"An incarnated lama normally learn quickly, but that doesn't mean they need not study", said Jampa Chide, a scripture lecturer at the High-Level Tibetan Buddhism College of China in Beijing.

"On the contrary, to live up to their titles, they must prove their erudition and capability," said he.

Chimed Thubten, a living buddha of the Sakya Lineage who was enthroned at the age of eight at the Kongtse Monastery in Qamdo of Tibet, is among the 40 clergy enrolled this fall to pursue "Tho Ram Pa" (doctorate) and "Chi Ram Pa" (master's) diplomas at the Beijing Buddhism college.

"The entrance examination is quite tough. My title of living Buddha did not bring me any privilege," said the 38-year-old. ' Having studied at the Buddhism Schools of Dzongsar and Dege in Sichuan for years, Chimed Thubten was admitted to the intermediate class to pursue Chi Ram Pa.

Another new student Dondrup of the ethnic mosuo minority from the Zhamei Monastery in Lijiang County of Yunnan Province goes to the senior class.

Having dreamed to be a lama since the Grade One of elementary school, the 25-year-old is only two years away from getting the highest title of Tho Ram Pa.

"Both of the two have stood out in the entrance exams and impressed assessors with their solid Buddhism knowledge", said Chimed Thubten. "In Buddhism contests, age, nationality, family background and previous lives are all insignificant compared to wisdom."

Chimed Thubten said that in the eyes of the clergy, Buddha was not a deity but a teacher. This teacher encouraged people to challenge and question his teachings so that people could respond wisely to whatever circumstances they find ourselves in.

"Personality cult is perhaps the last thing Buddha wants," he said.

NO HERO WORSHIP

Neither Chimed Thubten wants to be worshipped as a hero.

When pious villagers swarmed into his monastery at a hilltop in Jomda county and worshiped before his throne, Chimed Thubten said he didn't think they were worshipping him.

"By way of such worshipping, they are showing their respect to Buddha and Buddha's teachings, and let go their egoism," said Chimed Thubten.

He thinks Buddha could be described as a scientist and many of his teachings have been proven by modern science and technology.

For instance when he was young, he was told by his teachers that a bowl of water was not as clean as it appeared.

Through microscopes, scientists have found microorganisms there. Some 2,400 years ago, Buddha told monks he saw 8,400 germs even in one bowl of water.

"I am very interested in science and wished I could go into a comparison study between science and Buddhism in the future," said he.

Apart from science, Chimed Thubten also hoped to improve his mandarin at the Beijing college and if time permitting learn some legal knowledge.

Unable to find a mandarin teacher back around his monastery, he learned phonetic alphabet from a friend and then taught himself on a Chinese dictionary.

Depending on horses for material transportation for centuries, Kongtse Monastery is remote and perfect for the recluse. The downside however is tough living conditions, dilapidated facilities and buildings.

After local government renovated the narrow meandering trail into road there a year earlier, transportation become a lot easier. Old scripture hall was dismantled and a new one is under construction.

Better road also brings more visitors from elsewhere in China and abroad to the 800-year-old monastery with some 80 clergy.

"To spread Buddhism, a Living Buddha must keep up with the times and know more about the society. We don't pursue prestige, but prestige comes with your scholarly attainment and promotes Buddhism," said he.

EDUCATION MATTERS

Though Dondrup of the senior class does not run a monastery, he often thinks about the future of the traditional cloistered education.

As a mosuo monk, Dondrup had to learn Tibetan first before joining Tibetan clergy in Sichuan to study the five essential works of Tibetan Buddhism that covers logics, wisdom, commandment and others.

"Most of the monks in my monastery are Mosuo people who don't speak Tibetans. Even we had a teacher capable of teaching these classical works, few could understand," said he.

For non-Tibetans aspiring to study Tibetan Buddhism, the first and great obstacle is the language, Dondrup said.

"We can't count on all our mosuo monks to speak Tibetans. A more reasonable way for me is to become a venerable Buddhism practitioner myself and then help those in need," said he.

Dondrup's idol is the Venerable Yeshe Wangchug, also a mosuo clergy, who won the first prize in the contest for Larampa Geshe in Lhasa in 1985 and passed away in late 1990s.

Khenpo Ngawang Chorten with the Bimdo Monastery in Qinghai was the first batch of graduates of the Beijing college holding the Tho Ram Pa title.

He said that enrolling the best students for the Beijing Buddhism college had always been a challenge, because most Tibetan monasteries couldn't offer all courses on the five classical works.

Therefore, those enrolled all valued the chance to learn as much as they could, said he.

Established in 1987 with the endorsement of the State Council following a proposal by the late 10th Panchen Lama, the Beijing college has so far trained nearly 1,000 clergy including living Buddha and senior monks.

"To enhance the education quality of all Tibetan monasteries, more eminent monks are in need," he said.

Dondrup attributed his winning in the enrollment exams to his classmates at the intermediate class of the Beijing college.

"Having a great teacher is not enough if you want to study Buddhism well. You must make sure you have the best classmates," said he.

Each day, students were given one or two hours to debate about what they learned at class, according to him.

"Sometimes, you feel like you've got it at class. But in the debating court, within only a few minutes you will realize you are still stuck. I removed most of my doubts during debating with classmates," said he.

Traditionally, Tibetan monks obtained diplomas through debating. An additional test at the Beijing college is paper-writing and dissertation defenses.

Khenpo Ngawang Chorten takes it "a necessary change" as the spread of Buddhism relies no longer just on the word of mouth but also on modern publishing. Endi