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This is a story about a school of young Buddhist nuns in Sikkim, India. There are approximately 70 women and girls at this monastic school (gompa). Most come from poor areas where free education is rare, and Buddhist training is nearly impossible to find. Many have no family to support them, and no money. This center gives these young women a positive alternative to living on the streets, as well as an opportunity for a bright future.
In 2005, a small tract of land with a garden and an old wooden house was provided to the Palchen Chiseling Nunnery in Sikkim, for a small nunnery (gompa). Soon, young women and girls began to arrive from remote parts of India.
By 2010, the facility housed nearly 70 residents, but the building was deteriorating, and there was not enough room to properly accommodate everyone.
Living quarters were cramped, with old beds lined up on the floor even in the attic. The walls were thin boards covered with plastic to keep the wind and rain out. The conditions were unsanitary and living there was unhealthy.
This was the kitchen. It was impossible to keep animals out and to clean properly. In this picture you can see a water pipe coming through a hole punched in the corrogated metal wall. If this wasn't bad enough, the building was falling apart.
In spite of all these difficulties and hardships, the nuns remained devoted to their dharma practice and meditation, studying the Buddhist teachings and learning essential practice methods and rituals. Here they are conducting a ceremony while learning to play the reed horn (gyling) and cymbals.
Paper and plastic helped to seal the walls and floor in this makeshift classroom, which also served as sleeping area. In this picture, a sagging tarp covers a hole in the roof! But now, the story gets more interesting...
High up in the hills, not too far away, a house and some land was donated so that the nuns could have a new place to live.
With a few generous contributions, construction was started on a new gompa. Plans were drawn up, materials were puchased and a new building was beginning to take shape. Then on September 18, 2010 a 6.9 magnitude earthquake hit...
...destroying a giant water tower, sending mud and debris downhill, right into the old building where the nuns were still living!
This picture shows the side of the hill where the water and mud came down. It knocked an electric power pole right onto the roof of the house! If you look at the mud on the house, you can see how deep the water was.
Fortunately, the sisters were not hurt, but now the building was completely unusable. They gathered what they could, and were safely relocated to the new house.
The new place is wonderful. It is bright and clean. But construction on the new buildings is not finished, and there is a lot that still needs to be done.
The new buildings are clean and modern, but the sisters are still living in cramped quarters. Funds are needed to complete the new construction with good building materials as quickly as possible.
Funds are also needed so that teachers can be hired for academic instruction including English language.
Life is getting back to normal for the sisters, but there is still a lot to do. Please contact us for more information about how you can help. Find out more about Harmony Association, Lama Tenpa, and how you can help this project while benefitting your own meditation center.