Larung Gar is located in the Kham region of Tibet. It is home to around 40,000 monks, nuns and students, though the official number is around 10,000. The Chinese army is tightening control over the Larung Gar forcibly asking the nuns and monks to leave the place and return to their respective homes after renouncing their nun/monkhood. The nuns and monks are forced to wear Chinese military uniform and forced to sing Chinese songs saying Tibet and China belong to the same motherland. Massive destructions of the homes and massive evictions are taking place and the number of nuns and monks is to be forcibly brought down to 5000. This marks a major bolt leading to erosion of Tibetan language, Tibetan Buddhism, spiritual beliefs and worship. Eswar reports the gross Human Rights violation, in the weekly column, exclusively for Different Truths.

Larung Gar is located in the Kham region of Tibet. It is home to around 40,000 monks, nuns and students, though the official number is around 10,000. The monastery sits in the valley, which is at an elevation of 4000 meters and huge prayer wheels mark the entrance to the monastery. There is a huge wall that runs through the middle that separates the monk and nun residences. There is close to 9000 estimated nuns living in the area. The houses are built with woods in a traditional manner, built so close to each other and on appears to be on top of one another. The temperature during winter ranges from -25 to -40 degree Celsius. Though situated in the Kham region, it is part of Golok, an Amdo speaking region and most of the native people speak Amdo Tibetan.

This historical site was originally found, in 1880, by Dudjom Lingpa¹ (1835 – 1904). Dudjom Lingpa was a great Nyingma master, a reincarnation of Khye’u Chung Lotsawa, who is one of the 25 disciples of Guru Rinpoche – Padmasambhava – the founder of Tibetan Buddhism.

Amongst many masters who resided in this historical monastery includes Yukhok Chatralwa Chöying Rangdrol, a disciple of Tertön Sogyal – who was a teacher of His Holiness the XIII Dalai Lama.

The monastery was re-established, in the 1980s, by Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok (1933 – 2004), considered to be reincarnation of Tertön Sogyal. In the 1990s, Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok was invited to India by His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama to receive and give teachings to His Holiness.

Just like other parts of Tibet, the Chinese army is tightening control over the Larung Gar forcibly asking the nuns and monks to leave the place and return to their respective homes after renouncing their nun/monkhood. The nuns and monks are forced to wear Chinese military uniform and forced to sing Chinese songs saying Tibet and China belong to the same motherland. Massive destructions of the homes and massive evictions are taking place and the number of nuns and monks is to be forcibly brought down to 5000. This marks a major bolt leading to erosion of Tibetan language, Tibetan Buddhism, spiritual beliefs and worship.

This is being carried out under the garbs of ‘eliminating hidden dangers and safeguarding personal safety and property of monks and nuns^2.

The area is closed to foreigners with police checkpoints outside the valley. It’s now a common sight that the monks digging sewage canals, workers ripping off metal roofs and dirt with rubble lying around from demolished homes.

Long stretches of homes torn down, chain saw heard everywhere trying to bring down the gentle prayers which tend to soothe souls. The aim is to weaken centre of powers that can come in the way of the draconian selective brainwashing of Tibetan history.

Monks and nuns are compelled to sign/thumbprint a document, which states the following in Chinese:

In accordance with the requirements of promoting regulation work in the Serthar County Larung Five Sciences Buddhist Academy, I left the Larung Five Sciences Buddhist Academy and will, after returning home, as always continue to love the country and love religion, and abide by the law. I solemnly promise not to return to the Serthar County Larung Five Sciences Buddhist Academy, except to carry out relevant formalities during large-scale Buddhist activities

Image Courtesy

www.landofsnow.com/sertar/    Wikipedia         New York Times

1 http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Dudjom_Lingpa

² http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/28/world/asia/china-takes- a-chain- saw-to- a–center- of-tibetan–buddhism.html?_r=0

©Eswar Anandan

Eswar Anandan

Eswar Anandan’s mother's traverse with Cancer opened his eyes and thoughts about the life outside the glass cubicles. In his own words: "Strong emotions gave way to words, words took poetic form, and I found a new purpose..." His first book, 'Seasons' is a dedication to her. He is currently working on ‘Thoughts in Silence’ and ‘Story of a Nation’. Eswar is an entrepreneur and Friends of Tibet Campaigner.

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