Diskit monastery – Nubra Valley

Diskit Monastery forms a dominant feature of the northern vast Nubra Valley in Ladakh, India. The road to the monastery leads over the highest passable saddle in the world, Kardung la. The monastery is situated on a rock, below it is a 32-meter high statue of the future Maitreya Buddha. The convent school, classrooms and kitchen for young students are located under the statue. It is this school for children from 1st to 5th grade that is the subject of our support.

The monastery was founded in 1463 by a follower of the Gelugpa school, Šerab Zangpa, on the site of the former royal seat of the local ruler from the 12th century. Formally, the monastery is subordinate to the central Thikse monastery. Diskit is home to about a hundred monks.The main building of the monastery is situated on a rock, which is separated from the rest of the mountain massif by a steep ravine. The water source flowing from it was carried by monks up a steep wooden staircase to the monastery for centuries. Today, the monastery is supplied with water using pumps.
It is the largest monastery in the Nubra Valley, which also offers traditional education for local children. In recent years, it has become more and more a destination for tourists. In 2016-2017, the monastery expanded its facilities with accommodation facilities, a restaurant and a small shop. In 2017, HH Dalai Lama’s teachings were held here for 50 thousand people.

Diskit monastery

The monastery school and its classrooms are located in the same building as the accommodation for the junior monks. Both traditional (Buddhist philosophy, Tibetan language, prayers) and modern (Hindi, mathematics, English, to a limited extent IT) teaching takes place here.

The number of students in the school is decreasing every year. It used to be attended by 50 monks, in 2015 there were 16 and in 2017 only 11. The school is entitled to one teacher per 10 pupils. The average number of pupils in one class is 4, teaching allows for a very individual approach. Although it is the only monastic school in the Nubra Valley, the annual increase of students in the monastic school is two boys per year. After completing their studies, students usually return to the area for CIBS (Central Institute of Buddhist Studies – Choglamsar in Ladakh) or monks from monasteries in South India (primarily Tashi Lhunpo, then Drepung). It is true that the southern monasteries fall under their mother monastery, Thikse. Studying in South India can take decades.

Teachers have education at the level of higher vocational schools and universities, but they do not have to teach the exact subject of their qualification. Due to the lack of students, the teacher has to cover the entire spectrum of teaching. There is regular teacher training under the auspices of the CIBS Institute. They are gradually developing and using more modern teaching methods. Unfortunately, the school still has a very limited amount of teaching aids.

Finances

The school’s annual budget is approximately INR 1,400,000 (approx. CZK 600,000). The predominant budget items are food and teachers’ salaries. The MOST ProTibet contribution makes up 50% of the budget.

Other sources of funding are provided by:

CIBS (the institute sponsors the school, they provide an allowance for textbooks, teachers)
other foreign NGOs to a small extent the Diskit monastery itself, however, there is an obvious administrative separation of the monastery and the school in terms of resource acquisition. Budget increases over the years due to rising costs and inflation are evident.

The average annual cost per pupil is INR 40,000.

The monastery cooperated in the past or still cooperates with other Czech organizations such as Lungta, o.s., or with a group of restorers led by MuDr. Leblocha.