While Tibetans grapple to negotiate with China for settlement of five decade -old Tibetan issue, Tibetan Buddhist monasteries are finding it difficult to recruit trained Chinse language teacher for the monks.
Conforming to the wishes – The Dalai Lama, Tibetan department of Religion and
Culture had proposed to introduce Chinese language for Tibetan monks in monasteries scattered across India, Nepal and Bhutan.
Tibetan monasteries have spent two years in fruitless hunt for trained Chinese teachers. Off the total 230 monasteries only five monasteries were able to recruit teachers trained in Chinese language. “It has been two years now only five monasteries were able to find teachers qualified in Chinese language’ Gompo Phuntsok, Secretary Religious and Cultural affairs told Hindustan Times. Three monasteries located in the south India monasteries, including Gomang, Drikung Chetsang and Gaden, took the lead, Tibetan monks who are well-versed in Chinese language were recruited - as teachers. All the three monasteries are situated in Muglod, Ballkyuppe in Karnataka.
Initiating process for recruiting Chinse teachers, two years ago Tibetan department of religion issued advertisement, in the Tibetan newspapers and on online news service and also on its official website, but these advertisements did not evoke response.
The department of religion had got request from eighth major monasteries - Sakya, Drepung Loseling, Sera Jhe, Sera Med, Gyudtoe, Gyudmed, Tashi Lhunpo and Ratod. Two monasteries Sakya and Drepung in Dehradhun were able to find Chinese teachers for Tibetan monks, while it could not find trained teachers for the other monasteries.
According to Tibetan officials , four years back the Dalai Lama has advised the Department of Religion and Culture to explore ways of upgrading the curriculum of monastic academia, by including Chinese language classes.’ Since Tibetan Buddhism has is gaining popularity and has begun to revive in the mainland China, we thought Tibetan monks should have knowledge of Chinese language, which would enable them to teach the Chinse vistors’’ said Gompo Phuntsok.
Chinese language has been made optional in the monastic curriculum. Over the past four decades, the Tibetan community in exile has established over 200 monasteries and nunneries with an enrollment of over 20,000 monks and nuns. The Dalai Lama who fled Tibet in 1959 after Chinse took over Lhasa had set up Buddhist institutes and schools for conserving the Buddhist culture. Dalai Lama since he came into exile has been demanding more autonomy for Chinese controlled Tibet within Chinse constitution.
Conferred with Nobel Prize for Peace for his advocacy, Dalai Lama emphasizes the Tibetan people to improve their ties with Chinese people.