May-June 1997

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN FPMT LAMA

By David Strom

Geshe Tsulga (short for Tsultrim Chöphel) arrived in the US in December 1992 at the request of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and the FPMT centers here. Until the end of 1995, he split his time equally between three FPMT centers: Kadampa Center in North Carolina, Milarepa Center in Vermont, and Kurukulla Center in Boston. He now makes his home in Boston, giving regular classes at Kurukulla Center and leading retreats at Milarepa Center during the summer. Periodically he travels to other centers, including the Tibetan Buddhist Temple in Montreal and a study group emerging in Connecticut.

Geshe-la was born in 1939 in Kham to a nomadic family. He became a novice monk at the age of seven and entered a local monastery. When he was 17 he traveled to Lhasa and took ordination at Sera Je Monastery. During the mass exodus in 1959 after the failed uprising against the Chinese, Geshe-la fled to India, crisscrossing the landscape over many weeks to avoid the Chinese patrols.

Between 1961 and 1969, Geshe Tsulga lived at the refugee camp at Buxa, where he reports the conditions were very bad: very hot, many bugs, and bad water. He remarks that there were many very learned people there and it was there he had the opportunity to meet Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa. It was during this time, as well, that he, along with some other monks, got the opportunity to read the Bible and study Christianity. He feels that having done this has helped him in teaching Westerners and in having respect for the Christian tradition. Although his studies were often interrupted during the 1970s while he participated in the building of Sera Je Monastery in exile in Bylakuppe in south India, he completed his geshe lharampa degree there in 1985.

On a typical day, Geshe-la gets up at 5:00 or 5:30, washes his face and hands, cleans the room, sets out offerings, makes prostrations and confessional practices, and then does his regular commitments until noon with a short break at 8:00 for breakfast. In the afternoon, he studies Buddhist texts. Twice a week he has classes in English.

Geshe-la usually teaches two evenings per week in Boston. Recent teachings have included the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination, Togmay Zangpo’s Thirty-seven Practices of Bodhisattvas, a Medicine Buddha initiation and commentary, Nagarjuna’s Precious Garland, transference of consciousness at the time of death, and preliminary practices. All his teachings are fused with the lam-rim, and most teachings begin with an explanation of refuge and the three levels of motivation. Geshe-la also gives an introductory Tibetan class once a week. Teachings are currently held at the Quaker meeting house in nearby Cambridge. “The future of Kurukulla Center,” he says, “depends on a physical center, a place for a permanent altar, cushions, statues, texts, etc. With a house, the center will flourish and many good people will come.”

When asked what his advice is to other geshes who are coming to teach in America for the first time, Geshe Tsulga said, “It is important to take care of your health: the food is very different and Americans are liable to serve you a lot of cold vegetables. It is all right however to say, ‘No, thank you.’ And if you drink lots of hot water to keep your stomach warm, in time you will get used to the diet. It is good for the younger geshes to study English at Sera beforehand or in the US. The most important thing, however, is to guard your practice while teaching. If your mind-state is not pure, your teachings will not bring much benefit.”

When asked to compare teaching Americans to teaching Tibetan monks, Geshe-la says there is quite a big difference. “Primarily, with the monks you don’t need a translator, which is much easier on both teacher and student because there is not so much waiting. Also, with the monks I quote scripture extensively, but I cannot do this with Americans because there is no familiarity with the texts and translating quotes is quite difficult.” In general, he says, he needs three days to teach what he can teach the monks in an hour because the Westerners have no background.” On the positive side,” he says, “teaching in America is very satisfying because Westerners are very intelligent and introducing the Dharma to beginners is very rewarding.”

At Tibetan New Year this year, Geshe Tsulga gave a blessing at the local Tibetan community celebration. Many Tibetans came to Boston because of the resettlement project and their families are now starting to arrive as well. He says the main advantages for the Tibetans in Boston are financial. He is not too worried about Tibetans here losing their culture. On paper, they may be Americans, he says, but they still eat Tibetan food, they speak Tibetan, and the young ones will get some education in Tibetan.

Geshe-la believes that Buddhism will thrive in America and that in 50 to 100 years there will be quite a few practitioners. What is most important, he says, is to have people who can explain clearly and methodically how to advance along the path. And again he stresses how important it is for teachers to be practicing: They must practice. “If you try to teach without practicing yourself, the teachings will not take root and grow, and there will not be much benefit. Practice is the most important thing.”