Classrooms

Traditionally monks would receive their basic education in Tengboche and some would continue to study in Tibet where the great monasteries provided extensive opportunities for further studies. This changed in Tengboche with the occupation of Tibet by the Chinese. Most of the Buddhist teachers in Tibet fled to India and Tengboche lost educational opportunities that had previously been available. Therefore, 10 monks have gone to India to study and it is hoped that they will return to Tengboche to teach.

Presently, the school at Tengboche provides only a basic education for the younger monks. Tibetan and Nepali reading, writing and grammar is taught along with an introduction to the Sutras and Tantras. The students are trained in the traditional arts and crafts and learn how to perform the ceremonies. They are also introduced to their duties within the community from tasks such as shopping, cooking and the handling of the accounts.

There are about 30 young monks in the school and the abbot has a further 20 applicants wanting to enroll. Some monks enter the school as young as seven but only a small number will remain throughout their whole lives. A few of the small monks are orphans, because many Sherpas parents die while working as high altitude porters for mountaineering groups. It is virtually impossible to find a single household who has not lost a family member in a mountaineering expedition.

The important traditional education provided by the monastery ensures the culture remains a living heritage. It means that there are always some people in the villages who can read Tibetan/Sherpa and so the culture is preserved and strengthened. There can be no doubt that moral values and ethics are changed by the impact of tourism. Western values are affecting Tengboche as materialistic aims gain greater importance in a community that before placed greater emphases on spiritual development. Sherpas are tempted to work to earn foreign dollars in the tourist trade rather than entering a monastery. General knowledge of the culture decreases as fewer people learn to read and write in their own language. Profound teachings can become misunderstood or reduced to ritual through ignorance of the real meaning.

Therefore, there is a tremendous need to strengthen the educational facilities at Tengboche Monastery itself. Extra classrooms have been built and it is hoped that teachers' accommodation will be added. With adequate room and facilities at the monastery a unique opportunity for study in the tradition setting of the high Himalayas will be created.

Teachers Accommodation

As there are more students at Tengboche and the school facilities are being upgraded, better-qualified teachers are also needed. Good teachers in specialized subject are not easy to find and working in such a remote location is an extra hardship. It is important to provide teachers good facilities because of Tengboche's extreme winter climate.

The Tengboche Master Plan designated a site for the teachers' quarters behind the present school building but within the monastic premises. There have been many attempts to raise funds for this purpose, and work should begin in spring 2001.

Raising the funds for the construction of the teachers' quarters remains a priority to ensure that the present teachers stay and new ones can be hired. In addition, arrangements need to be made for the monks who are completing their studies in India and will return to Tengboche to teach their fellow monks.

In addition, to the establishment of three classrooms in the inner courtyard and the library, the Tengboche Development Project has provided books and educational materials and is paying for two teachers in Tengboche.