A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN FPMT LAMA

Geshe Jampel Senge and his family left Tibet in 1960 when he was 8 years old. His father died near the Nepal-India border after the grueling journey, and his mother died a few years later due, in no small part, to the hardships encountered while working on Indian road gangs. Geshe Senge, who teaches in English, has been resident teacher at Hayagriva Tibetan Buddhist Centre in Perth, Australia, for more than two years. He spoke with David Turnock.

In 1971, I finished school and went back to Nepal and taught English at the Tibetan school. I wanted to go to university and, to do that, I needed a scholarship. Unfortunately, I misread my history paper and didn’t get a first degree pass.

I was very unhappy, became very ill with tuberculosis and thought I was dying. At the time there was a monk who was teaching Buddhism and Tibetan language and he asked me to teach him English. He started telling me about Buddhism and it interested me. He told me some nice stories and asked me if I would like to become a monk.

I became very aware of suffering when I was sick with TB, so when the monk asked me again a year later, I said okay there and then. After my ordination I went to Sera Je Monastery where I completed my geshe studies.

I didn’t really have a strong intention to go to the West, although I had it in my mind that one day I would like to see the Western lifestyle people spoke about. My main expectation before coming to Australia was to do my utmost for my students in India. They are from very poor families and I wanted to provide them with the maximum financial assistance. I was a bit apprehensive about coming to a new place, but now I am happy. The people are very kind and the teachings are going well.

I teach at Hayagriva Tibetan Buddhist Centre on Wednesday and Thursday nights, and every fortnight go to the Hospice of Mother Tara in Bunbury, two hours’ drive north of Perth. I do a lot of preparation before teachings, so when I give a teaching, it’s not actually line by line from the text but whatever I feel would be relevant or beneficial.

In Tibetan society, whatever is taught, whether it is interesting or not, is accepted. Even if it doesn’t seem to directly help the student, it is said that it leaves an imprint on your mind, which will be beneficial in the future. So, whatever you talk about, the students will come and listen. But here in Australia, students expect you to say something that does straight to the heart, or something they would like to hear.

The Western mind is always searching, searching, searching. It can be an obstacle if people expect things such as changing one’s mind or controlling one’s emotions to happen quickly. These things are a very gradual process.

Impermanence is the most beneficial teaching as it teaches about one’s mortality. Knowing about that can help control the mind, instead of it running all the time and being scattered. Of course, with that understanding, you can realize the truth of suffering. Then you understand your own suffering and can understand the suffering of others.

I always try to focus on love and compassion. There should first be love within the family itself. When there is a very harmonious feeling within the family, then it can extend to neighbors and further on to others. We have to have a good heart. For an individual to have happiness, they must have a good, compassionate heart.

I believe teaching and raising awareness of the Tibetan cause are part of the same thing. I came here as a teacher but I had it in my mind I would utilize every opportunity to publicize anything to do with the Tibetan people. I have been an activist since my school days, so it is something that comes naturally to me. So I’m here to help bring Buddhism to the West and also bring attention to the situation in Tibet and the plight of exiles, so people take notice of our situation and do something about it.

From giving talks at schools and social events, I have been surprised and encouraged by the level of support for the Tibetan cause in Australia.

Recently I went to a conference for the geshes from Australia and New Zealand, held at Chenrezig Institute near Brisbane. It was a great feeling. It was just like we were back in the monastery. The best thing was that we could talk and discuss the things that I might not have been sure of. I could ask the other geshes and they would also have questions to discuss. It was very interesting and meaningful. It not only gave us a feeling of getting together and a feeling of the monastic life, but it was meaningful in the sense that we could discuss a lot of things about the centers, any problems, peoples’ expectation, the ways of giving teachings, what teachings are most beneficial, and how to deal with people in the West.

Also, I went to Broome earlier this year (two hours’ flight north of Perth) and was amazed at the interest in the teachings. There were 50 or 60 people at each teaching and the students were so attentive. At the same time, the questions were very smart, not just from one or two people, but very nice questions from all over.