The Sangha community at Istituto Lama Tzong Khapa is presently composed of six monks and five nuns, all of whom contribute on a full-time basis to the spiritual and administrative activities of the center.

Up until now much of the energy at the institute has been put into creating a functioning self-sufficient structure for the entire community; for this reason the present situation of the ordained Sangha is not yet autonomous and independent. However, thanks to the kindness of several directors and Ven. Geshe Jampa Gyatso, some years ago one of the wings of the institute’s building was set aside as a residence for the monks; this is what is presently known as Takten Shedrub Targye Ling Monastery.

The institute more recently allocated a small house adjacent to the building to the nuns. Shenpen Samten Ling is the name of the legal association that the nuns constituted so as to be able to receive donations. These two physical locations give the institute’s Sangha the possibility to offer hospitality to visiting monks and nuns.

For many years the Sangha community at the institute has been considering establishing both a monastery and a nunnery outside the institute, nearby, but so far the proper karmic conditions for such a development for the Italian Sangha have not yet ripened.

In general the ordained Sangha who live here do not have much time available for personal study and formal practice, although many of us attend the regular teachings given by Geshe Jampa Gyatso and the daily meditation sessions at the institute. And although we rarely meet to practice together we do keep the three commitments of the ordained Sangha: sojong, yarne, and gaye.

Unfortunately, Shakyamuni Buddha’s essential teaching concerning the interdependent relation and mutual support between the lay and monastic communities has not yet been sufficiently understood nor realized here. At the institute we continue to live in a precarious equilibrium without ever clearly defining the respective functions and roles of the ordained and lay residents. This is probably partly due to this being a time of degeneration as well as to the fact that our practice is not yet completely pure.

We would like to take advantage of this opportunity to ask our spiritual guides and lay practitioners to consider and examine the following proposals:

a) To establish a requirement that aspiring monks and nuns undergo a period of training prior to receiving ordination, as do Catholic monks and nuns.

b) To create favorable conditions for the financial and educational support of Sangha; for example a national or international Sangha fund could be supported by the centers contributing an agreed upon percentage of their income from course fees.

c) To further develop the presently existing international Lama Yeshe Sangha Fund and create regulations concerning the aims and use of this fund by way of a general agreement among all IMI Sangha members.

d) To organize a periodic Dharma celebration for the Sangha where they can meet and get to know each other and receive detailed teachings on Vinaya so as to taste together what it means to choose a monastic style of life.

e) To improve hospitality in the centers for visiting Sangha; for example, to reduce the cost of room and board by fifty percent and to offer free hospitality for the first two or three days to Sangha who are in transit.

…We’ll begin to see the incredible benefits to the whole of Buddhadharma of the presence of vibrant communities of monks and nuns, however few or however small, and will delight in supporting them.

– Ven. Thubten Kunsel