A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN FPMT LAMA

Geshe Tashi Tsering is one of the new, young, English-speaking geshes graduating these days from the Tibetan monasteries in south India. Thirty-seven years old, he was brought up in India and educated at Sera Je, graduating as a Geshe Lharampa in 1990. He has been resident teacher at Jamyang Centre in London for nearly a year, having taught at Nalanda Monastery in France since 1992. Bridget Harris talked to Geshe Tashi in May.

“I have bad habits from monastic life – I always went to bed around 1 or 2 am [Geshe-la loved to debate], so I didn’t get up early. For a few months when I first came to the West I tried to go to sleep early and get up early, but it didn’t work, so now I get up at 7:30 am. I usually watch TV until around 1 am.

“In the morning I get up, wash my hair and brush my teeth, it’s all very boring! I have a cup of tea and muesli and cold milk – even in the winter! Then I do my practice: fortunately I don’t have a lot of recitations! I am a bit naughty in this area. From time to time I go jogging in the park near the center for half an hour. After this I have a bath or a shower and then it’s 11:15 …

“Then I study until lunch time at 12:30. I watch TV during lunch time in the sitting room with the others in the center – I really like to watch the news, which is just as well as the Ven. John [Feuille] makes everyone watch it three times!

“In the afternoon I see some people who want to see me, I try to give advice. If there are no people I go to the center of London for a walk. I also like to play tennis if there is anyone about to play with in the park.

“When I get to the city center I like to watch the people, and maybe go to a big shopping center and look at all the shops. I love charity shops and I buy clothes and shoes. Yesterday I found a great pair of maroon shoes; I’ve also got some green suede boots. I have now got five pairs of shoes and boots and the most I ever pay is £7 [$12]. You can’t wear robes in the street here. I get clothes at charity shops too. I really enjoy these outings.

“I have to get back to Jamyang on teaching days by around 6 pm. I teach three nights a week and on Sunday afternoons. After teachings we have supper – it’s usually leftovers. Sometimes I cook tukpa or something. And by this time it’s nearly 9:30 pm. Then I go to my room to watch TV – Newsnight, a news discussion program at 10:30 pm. Then I watch whatever I fancy until 1 am or so.

“Life was very different at Nalanda Monastery, in the countryside. And the monastic life there was very different from my past monastic life in India. Nalanda is a small monastery. The food in France was very different, and also the formal study program. I feel it’s good to teach in the traditional way in that setting, and of course, the teachings are much more in depth. The topics were concerned with Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, whereas herein the city the emphasis is much more basic. I prefer to teach really practical things – maybe because I’m not good enough to teach philosophy!

“We are still working on our program here in London to make it really useful to city people. I still feel that there is something missing. But I’m always working to improve it.

“On the one hand I like being in a city center and meeting so many different people. On the other hand it is sometimes quite difficult. At present though, I enjoy being in London. I like to go to the cinema, I like to spend time with other people, I like to go to parks and restaurants, whatever comes up. Actually, I came to the West to see different cultures and modern education.

“It’s very interesting. In London there are many different cultures. City people have many different choices, but like the Dharma says they never get what they want, so there is a sense in which it is all the same living in the city or living in the country, samsara anyway.

“If you want to study the really extensive and vast view it is a difficult subject, but you can go on the surface level and do it that way. I think we really need some change in our monastic studies, and how we study, when we start our study, what happens after we finish, and what we are going to do. The training needs to be changed to fit the times we live in, in order to benefit the maximum number of people.