The uphill road to Upper Lumparing descends to Laban after a point. Right at the point is the Shillong Gaden Choeling Monastery, under the Gelukpa Cultural Society, established in the 1960s. This is the first and the oldest monastery in Shillong, the city with a population of over 400 Tibetans.
The concrete growth on the hills around looks shamelessly arrogant but vulnerable. The monastery quietly watches over the city from atop Lumparing Hill.
The serenity and sanctity of the place are still intact thanks to the absence of tourism. The breeze soothes body and mind after a long uphill walk. The colourful flags can be seen from a distance as if inviting visitors to experience the divine beauty of the surrounding.
Pema Dhondup, the Tibetan settlement officer, says initially the monastery did not have any monks and the faithful would go and pray. Later, the responsibility to run the monastery was taken up Geluk Tibetan Buddhist monasteries.
There are three leading monasteries under Geluk — Sera, Drepung and Ganden monasteries. Every two years, one of these monasteries sends its monks to Shillong to take care of the Lumparing monastery.
“The monks started coming from the 1980s when Tibetans settled here felt the need for performing various religious rituals. The Lumparing monastery promotes love and compassion to all the sentient beings,” he said.
The Geluk Tibetan Buddhism, like other Buddhist schools, has its origin in Buddha Shakyamuni. This lineage is again linked to the Kadampa tradition of Atisha (982-1054). It was founded by the Tibetan master, Je Tsongkhapa Lobsang Drakpa, also called Je Rinpoche. Tsongkhapa is the founder of Drok Riwo Ganden, widely known as the Ganden Monastery that was established in 1409 CE (common era) outside Lhasa.
The Geluk lineage relies on the writings of the primary Gelukpa masters, Je Tsongkhapa Lobsang Drakpa, Gyaltsab Dharma Rinchen, Khedrup Gelek Palsang and many others.
Dhondup’s parents came to Shillong from Kalimpong in 1959 after the Dalai Lama went into exile.
There are 14 monks in Lumparing, currently from Gaden monastery in Bengaluru. Lobsang Lama is the in-charge.
Lama speaks broken Hindi and not much English. He says he has spent many years in Bengaluru and this is the first time he is coming to the hill city in the northeastern state. “The place is beautiful and quiet. This is an ideal site to set up a prayer house where people come for peace. The weather is undoubtedly good. But I don’t know much about the history as I am new to the place,” the monk adds.
On one side of the monastery are the prayer wheels and on the other are the resting place for visitors, the head monk’s office and the lamp room. On auspicious days, hundreds of lamps are lit by devotees, each making a wish. The flickering flames make the darkness in the room dance around like a shadow being chased.
There is a kitchen garden on a small plot behind the monastery where monks grow vegetables. “But we have to go to the market to buy essential items in bulk. There is no market up here so we go down. The nearest place is Laban,” says Lama.
Every Wednesday, the faithful gather at the monastery to offer prayers. Those who miss the day make sure that they come on Sundays. Their offerings are an assortment of biscuits, potato chips, fruits and fruit drinks, among other things. People from other religions also visit the monastery “for peace of mind”.
“I have been visiting the monastery since childhood. Now, I cannot visit every week but I make sure I attend the important events,” says Tashi Delek, who runs a restaurant in the city.
On Buddha purnima, the monastery welcomes every visitor who can pray and sit in the courtyard for fresh air.
Lobsang Choejor, who is living in Shillong since 1984, says he and his wife visit the monastery on Wednesdays. “This is our special day and most of the devotees pray on that day,” he adds.
In 2014, the Dalai Lama visited the monastery during his three-day stay in Shillong. “It was a big moment for the Tibetans here as well as the monastery. It was His Holiness’s first visit to Meghalaya,” says Dhondup.
The Lumparing monastery is more than a place for prayer. It is the perfect option for one in need of solitude.
For some non-Tibetans, the monastery is a source of tranquility and a getaway from the daily bustle. “I have been visiting this place for years now. Whenever I feel restless, I come here to think peacefully,” says a visitor from Laban without giving her name.
~ NM