Help us reach our goal of 25 new sponsorships by May 31st, 2023!
At Thrangu Tashi Yangtse Monastery, at the sacred site of Namo Buddha, under the care of the Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, Shree Mangal Dvip Branch School was established for young monks. On this subject, Rinpoche said: "Education is not merely the basis of attaining happiness in one's own life. One should also serve humanity and the people of one's country and region. This cannot be accomplished without education, and therefore when one is young the most important thing is to study and take an interest in knowledge and education. Being able to complete such training depends on a school that has all the necessary resources and facilities." Accordingly, the SMD Branch School (SMDBS) was founded in 2002.
At present, the SMD Branch School has 93 monk students (18 of whom were just freshly enrolled) and 12 teachers. 80% of these monks have no sponsor. Support is badly needed in the form of either individual sponsorship of monks or in general donations.
Following are pictures of some of the monks that need a sponsor:
Their secular education is from Kindergarten to Class 10, and they study the curriculum established by the Nepal Board of Education. Additionally, they also receive a monastic education in Buddhist studies and meditation and also learn Tibetan, Nepali and English languages, so that they speak all three fluently. Their teachers are mostly monks and some graduates of the main school, Shree Mangal Dvip in Boudha, Kathmandu where lay children, 42 monks and 40 nuns are studying. Occasionally, volunteers come from abroad to teach.
Slideshow of monks and their teachers from SMD Branch School:
When the monks complete the school program, in accord with each student's intellectual ability and readiness, some enter the monastic college (Shedra) for Higher Buddhist Philosophical Studies and some enter retreats to learn Buddhist rituals and practices and some do both. In this way, they are able to train future generations of monks, benefit their communities or become resident teachers in Buddhist Centers abroad.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
Sponsoring an individual monk: annual sponsorship for a SMD Branch School monk is $675.00 CAD (or monthly payments of $56.25 CAD). If a full sponsorship is not within your budget, you may choose to do a partial sponsorship. We will match your chosen contribution with the partial payments of others until we cover the full amount. You may also decide to share a full sponsorship with other friends or family.
Give general donations to the SMD Branch School for monks: donations of any amount are always greatly appreciated and are extremely helpful.
Spread the word: Please share this information with friends who may be interested in sponsoring a young monk. Many thanks for your generous support.
Help us reach our goal of 25 sponsorships by May 31st, 2023 ($16,875.00 CAD)!
Donations can be made by donating online through Canada Helps:
To dedicate the merit of their generous support, sponsors of a monk will have prayers said for them by the monastics during the nine-day grand Mahakala Puja in Jan/Feb, during the auspicious time of Saga Dawa in the month of June or on the auspicious day of Guru Rinpoche.
More photos of monks at SMDBS:
