A story of a little Tibetan teen monk lives in South India.

This story was written by my Dad few months ago in a park near my house. He posted on his Facebook. Today I posted here for all of you to read.

A story of a little Tibetan teen monk lives in South India.

Chapter 1
Summer of 2013 I took two months off from work and went to India for month long volunteer to teach in refuge camp school. I also took nearly three weeks trip to south India Tibetan Monasteries. There I met a humble little teen monk name Tenzin from Tibet.

Tenzin told my me a sad story about him. I was stunned and shocked after heard what happened to him. Since then we have been friends and always contact each other whenever we have time. Today, I got phone call from him and it makes me remember everything he told me.

Here is what he told me:

" I was first son in my family. I supposed be stay at home with my parents. My brother and two sisters are younger than me. In tradition, first son in family has right to stay home and continue to heritage family's wealth. However, my parents gave me away when I was three they found out that I had mental disorder sort of disease.

Even though, I was young and I know what they were doing to mr and what was my parents' attention to give me away. My parent took me to the Head Lama of the local monastery did a (Mo) divination whether they should keep with them or give me to somebody.

I don't remember what Lama told my parents. However, somebody told my parents my chronic illness was a contiguous and it was dangerous to rest family. That was how my parents made final and worst decision to give me away.

It was pretty sad, I was three and few months but I still remember how I was cried and had a feeling that my parents trashed me.
I also clearly remember even today, the worst evening I was separated from my family and took away to another village which was pretty far from my birth village.

I stayed with family until I was five. They took me to hospitals try to get a treatment for my disease. However, I wasn't getting better rather than worse. Most of time I was locked in a room with tiny window when rest of the family was working in field or collecting firewood in forest. Sometimes I only get one meal a day because nobody at home.

I tried to cry and asked my adopted family don't lock me in room. They yelled and screamed every time request with tears in my eyes. That was hell happened to me.

When I was eight, my adopt family decided to send me to a local Monastery to become monk, which was not far from my birth village. I thought my situation might get better in monastery. It was even worse than lock in windowless room.

Because of my chronic disease, monks looked down on me and bulling and treated me with disrespect everywhere I go. The worst thing was sexual misconduct from elderly to teen monks was wildly practiced in the monastery. I was supposed to study Buddhist texts and prayers and educate myself. But the concept of education had never come arose my mind because I was so sad and depressed additional to my chronic illness. Thus I never thought to educate myself while I was in monastery rather always thought about to escape from that environment of bulling and sexual molastation.

Chapter 2

Few years ago, My uncle ( mother's brother) came back from business from Lhasa. I accidentally met him before he go back to his business and I told him everything I was going through in monastery. He was so angry and he decided to take me out of monastery. I was so excited and happy that finally my uncle really listened to me and he understood the hardships and stress I had with monks in that monastic community.

I was so weak physically because lack of food by time I was taking out. My illness also occurred frequently. Every time, it occurs for few hours I don't even know where I was. I lost some my eye vision. Whole entire my head was covered with small bloody chicken pox.

I came to Lhasa with my uncle and I tried to help him little here and there on business for few months while he was looking for an educational opportunity for me some where in Lhasa.

One day at dinner table, he hold my hands and told me that he decided to send me to India. He thought and believed it was the best solution that he can find for me to get some education.
After few month of preparation. He helped me to cross Himalayan mountains and rivers and walked many days and got me to Nepal.

Chapter 3

I was kept about two weeks in Tibetan Reception Center Kathmandu for new refugees from Tibet. From there my uncle advised me that to go to one of the major monasteries in south India so that I can learn something and be myself. I thought about to choose to go to school rather than monastery because my past experience in monastery were lonely, depress and sad. However, since my uncle wanted me to go to monastery so I had no choice and I trusted him.

My uncle and I pilgrimaged some holy places and finally we came to Bodhi Gaya. There we met one of my Khantsen monk, he is currently our manager here. He explained to us all the options that which monastery is more weatherly condusive envrinment for me to study and heal for longer term. Most importantly there were few monks already been there in the Khantsen (house) from my monastery in Tibet.

Chapter 4

I have been this monastery few years now. Initially It was very hard to communicate with other monks because I don't speak Lhasa colloquial. Some time monks laugh at me and at the same time everyone in this house really take time helped and embraced me into this big family brotherhood. I finally felt that this is the right place for me to study and be myself.

Second day of my arrival in this House. My Khantsen, (House) manager appointed my teacher to take full responsibility of me. It is a sort of culture here, whenever a new monk comes in. Khantsen manager has to appoint a elderly monk to be responsible for the novice. That was how my teacher was appointed to take care of me.

Chapter 5

I was pretty sick and I had to go to Hospitals so many times. I don't have much money. Only thing I have was few thousand rupees my uncle left for me before he returned to Tibet. Here Indian doctors very expensive. My teacher had to pay all the doctor and hospital bills. My teacher was also from a poor family in Tibet. He doesn't have any income except his monthly packet money. He sold some of his own stuffs that really important to him to pay my medical bills. Those things he sold were his mother left for him before she passed away. One day I was way back from morning prayer fell onto the ground and I didn't know until I woke up in hospital. My teacher was there for me with full tear in his eyes. Because we don't have money to pay the bill if I had to stay in hospital longer.

It was dark raining night. My teacher told me that he has to go back to monastery figure out so money to pay the bills. Otherwise they don't even treat me in Indian hospital. My teacher walked miles of miles in heavy rain, borrowed few thousand rupees from a friend returned to hospital next morning. There were so many occasions like that my teacher really scarified everything he has and took care of me. I am so grateful and lucky that Buddha and Dharma gave me such a compassionate teacher. Without my teacher I really don't think I will be here talking to you today.

Chapter 6

I was also admitted many times in Tibetan clinic here in Monastery. Monks from my Khantsen (house) also helped me so much. They came to clinic almost everyday brought me something to eat. I know most of monks they don't even have money to buy fruit and vegetable to cook a meal on off days but they still willing to spend money on me. I was so touched and amazed in deep, in fact that they all genuinely opened hearts to me. 

Even though I was sick, I still attended school because I don't want miss all the classes. I loved to read and write. Slowly, I was recovered from my illness. I gained some strength on my body. So I was able to focus my studies in school and philosophical debates trainings after school. Tomorrow is ( 07/14/13) my final examination in school. So I be graduated from school and step onto monastic trainings and pretty much solely focus on philosophical classes. That way after 18 years I will be able to fulfill my dream of highest Geshe degree".

The end