The Monks of Sera Je Monastery

India

Who are the Monks?

Most of these Tibetan monks are refugees who were born in Tibet but have fled  the Chinese Communist government and their regime or torture and genocide.  They come into India with the clothes on their backs and without material possessions, often seriously ill,  usually suffering from frostbite from their perilous journey over the Himalayas, and bereft of family support.  The horrific stories of the sufferings endured by the monks at the hands of the communists, and also the horrendous trek over the Himalayas by foot in order to escape Tibet, is heart-wrenching. 

Many years ago, all the monks had to take care of their own food since the Monastery could not afford to provide even basic necessities such as food, clothing or books. Only a few monks were fortunate enough to get support from their parents, relatives or sponsors. Most of the monks were Tibetan refugees and did not have any relatives in India.

Even if they had relatives in India, they were too poor to be able to give any support. Many of them did not have money to buy even milk or tea. Some of them would eat very little. As a result, many monks either fell sick with T.B. or suffered from gastric problems. This often led to stomach ulcers followed by stomach cancer if not treated early. Many monks died due to stomach cancer.Because of these difficulties, many monks left the Monastery. Young men were reluctant to join the Monastery when they heard about these hardships; even though from the depths of their hearts they wanted to study.

The living conditions of the monks has improved tremendously since sponsorship schemes have been implemented, although many monks still suffer from gastric problems and many more serious diseases. The Monastery now to provides simple lunch and dinner for all the monks and they can finally focus their energy on their studies.  Sponsorship helps provide one meal per day, and very basic medicines.

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A Day in the Life of a Buddhist Monk at Sera

The day of a Buddhist Monk starts early, usually with morning prayers and mediation at around 5:30am!!  This is then followed by a regular routine of prayers, study and debating classes. 

A part of following the Buddhist path is renouncing worldly attachments in order to create space for spiritual activity, and the monks at Sera are trying to live this path.  As such, the monks have few material possessions, mainly consisting of clothes, study equipment, perhaps a small altar in their room, and treasured photographs of their family and teachers. 

This is a typical day, but it depends on the time of the year, and also excludes Tuesdays, which is a holiday.

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Studies In the Monastery

Within Sera Jhe Monastery there are two divisions for study. For young monks of age of 7 to 18, they attend the Sera Jhe School which provides general modern education with subjects such as English, Mathematics, Science and Arts in addition to Tibetan Grammar, Buddhist Philosophy etc. At the moment there are around five to six hundred students in the school from grade 1-12.

Once they have graduated from the school, they proceed to join the Monastery's main University to study Buddhist Philosophy in more detail. The system of study in Sera Jhe is similar to that of Nalanda Monastery in ancient India. Nalanda was the largest Monastery and university in India for the study of Buddhism during its peak. The Monastery produced many great masters and practitioners such as Nagarjuna, Shantideva and Dharmakirti, to mention just a few. This system involves debating in order to understand the texts correctly, to dispel any misconceptions or misunderstanding of the subject and particularly to help to understand their essential points.

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The Five Great Scriptures

Five Great Scriptures or texts are studied in the Monastery. They are :(1) Abhidharma Kosha by Basubandu, (2) Parmanavartika by Dharmakriti, (3) Abhisamaya Alamkara by Maitreya Buddha, (4) Madhyamika by Chandrakridi, (5) Vinaya (Root Sutra) by Buddha Shakyamuni and also commentaries by other Indian and Tibetan masters.

"Abhidharma Kosha " has eight chapters. The first chapter explains about the elements; the Second chapter is about the faculties; the Third chapter is on the Universe and sentient beings dwelling in it; the Fourth chapter is on Karma; the Fifth is about afflictive emotions; the Sixth is on the Buddhist paths and persons engaging in those paths; the Seventh talks about Exalted Wisdom and Buddha's qualities; the final Eighth chapter explains about the concentrations and so on. All these explanations are according to the Vaibashika system (one of the four main schools of Buddhist Philosophy).

"Parmanavartika" has four chapters. It explains mainly about mind and its functions, past and future lives, valid and invalid cognitions/persons, direct and inferential cognitions, the Four Noble Truths, love, compassion, the basis, the path and its results according to the Sautrantika (Sutra school) and Cittamatra (Mind only school), but mainly acccording to the Cittamatra School.

"Abhisamaya Alamkara" has eight chapters. It explains about Mind and its functions, valid and invalid cognitions, direct and inferential cognitions, the Four Noble Truths, love, compassion, Bodhicitta, the Six Perfections, Five paths, Ten Bhumis (grounds), qualities of the Buddhas and spiritual teachers etc. In brief it is about the Basis which is the " two truths", Path which is the "method and wisdom", Result which is the "two kayas", emphasizing more on the method side. This scripture explains mainly according to the Svatantrika Madhyamika (Autonomous Middle way school).

"Madhyamika" has ten chapters. It explains about love, compassion, Bodhicitta, Two and Four Truths, Five paths, Ten bhumis, Six perfections and the qualities of Bodhisattavas and Buddhas in great detail. Particularly about Emptiness, Interdependence as well as the wisdom realizing emptiness in every detail. In summary, it is about the Basis which is the "two truths", Path which is the "method and wisdom" and Result which is the "two kayas", emphasizing more on the wisdom side. This scripture explains mainly according to the Prasangika Madhyamik (Consequences Middle way School).

"Vinaya" explains about all the eight Pratimoksha vows, Yarne ( monk's summer retreat) Gaye ( break after the retreat ) and Sojong ( restoring and purifying ceremony). All the things that ordained ones should avoid and things that one should practice.

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Number of years to complete the studies

It takes at least 16 years of intensive studies to complete these five great scriptures. There are 13 grades within the University. The first seven grades require a year of study in each grade. 2 to 3 years for the eighth grade, 3 to 4 years for the ninth grade, 2 to 4 years for the tenth grade and eleventh grades and several years for the final twelfth and thirteenth grades.

During the first seven grades, the monks study various preparation texts for the major scriptures such as the three collected topics: "Lorig", "Tarig" and parts of the "Abhisamaya Alamkara" and "Parmanavartika".

During the eighth grade, the monks study the complete "Abhisamaya Alamkara" in detail. In the ninth grade, they study "Madhyamika". In the tenth grade, they study " Vinaya". During the eleventh grade, they study "Abhidharmakosha". During the twelfth and thirteenth grades, they review all the scriptures and particularly "Vinaya" and "Abhidharmakosha" again and again.

The studying of the "Parmanavirtika" is from grade 3 till 13 for two months every year.

Once the monks have completed their studies and pass the various examinations, they receive their "Geshe" degree, which is the equivalent of a PHD in Buddhist Philosophy.

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