Nestled on a small meadow in the midst of soaring Himalayan peaks is Serang Gonpa, also known as Nubri Monastery; a unique Tibetan Buddhist sanctuary. It is hard to imagine that this little refuge has existed for 500 years high on these harsh, southern slopes of the Himalayas at the border of Tibet and Nepal.
Nubri has at its core the blessings of the Dharma and a raw untouched beauty. Situated at 12,000’ the monastery is cradled in the sacred, hidden Kyimolung Valley (meaning place of Peace of Happiness). Long ago, this valley was prophesied as a place of refuge for Buddhist practitioners which would be protected for all time. It’s a serene and undisturbed environment, remote and inaccessible; perfect for spiritual practice.
There are still hidden caves where recluses, continuing a centuries old tradition, meditate on world enlightenment. Serang Gonpa offers spiritual magic to a world much in need of it. As Rinpoche has said repeatedly, “It is important not to abandon this small monastery – its location has extraordinary merit and the Dharma here is very pure.”
The monastic community is now more than fifty monks and fifty nuns, who, unusually for Buddhism, are all educated equally. The monastery manages to run on a very meager budget of approximately $40,000 a year; an expenditure of $400 per monk or nun each year. Nevertheless, its future is now financially threatened.
Life is harsh in this inaccessible and remote, hidden land. It can only be reached by week-long trek or helicopter. Supplies mostly come in by mule train. Winters are long and the growing season short. The economic base of the supporting lay community has been eroded. The surrounding villages are not able to offer what they once did. The monastery and the children from the community surrounding it needs our financial help to survive.
Nuptul Rinpoche, the Spiritual Director of the monastery, wants the magic of this monastery to continue unbroken and for the teachings to be made available to as many people as want it. He is also committed to building a secular Primary School in the monastery grounds to educate and empower the children from the local villages as well as providing them with food and lodging. Serang Circle was created to support the community of monks, nuns and children who live there and to support the building of this school. By becoming part of Serang Circle you are helping this vision of schooling for these beautiful children, to become a reality.
Nubri Monastery is a branch monastery of H.H. Chabjay Dodrupchen Rinpoche’s monastery (Chorten Monastery) in Sikkhim.
