Everything here is mystically arranged. Whoever visits this place gets inspired and overjoyed both physically and mentally. I always think, only fortunate people can see such a heavenly place on earth which is like one they might see in a dream. This place is outwardly decorated with a variety of beautiful plants and inwardly adorned with wall paintings depicting the life stories of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and the great Buddhist masters. It is also surrounded by thousands of prayer wheels and statues of the four great dharma kings in the four directions. This paradise I’m speaking of is Namdroling Monastery—popularly known as the Golden Temple—a place where hundreds, sometimes thousands of people visit every day and return with admiring eyes to enjoy the tranquillity of the monastic environment and satisfy themselves with the wealth of inner peace. Many people from nearby places come to circumambulate the temples and stupas, counting beads with a mala in their hands and reciting the verses of praise and the heart mantras of their particular deities.
Within this living paradise of His Holiness Penor Rinpoche, thousands of Buddhist monks and nuns reside who come from various Himalayan countries like Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan and India, as well as from abroad, for the purpose of fulfilling a spiritual quest. All are living harmoniously, with a moral bond of love and respect between elder and younger. H.H. Penor Rinpoche was like our only parent who showed us the right path to Buddhahood and also within the mundane world.
Namdroling Monastery is divided into five sections: the Junior High School, the Dratsang (Study Centre for the Ritual Arts), the Ngagyur Nyingma Institute (Higher Buddhist Studies and Research Centre), the Retreat Centre and the Nunnery.
The Jr. High School: Around 1,200 monks study in the Jr. High School, learning basic Buddhist subjects such as Tibetan grammar, drawing, ritual arts, etc., as well as standard school subjects including English and mathematics. The teachers take care of them by giving education, checking their health and medicating them on time as if they were their own children. So, the children do not miss their parents so much while staying here.
The Dratsang: The monks in the Dratsang gather for ritual ceremonies and perform prayers and chanting with religious musical instruments daily.
The Ngagyur Nyingma Institute (NNI): Around one thousand students beginning from the preliminary class to the ninth and final year are busy at NNI studying with full concentration and devotion; memorizing root stanzas; and reviewing texts on poetry, composition, grammar, the histories of Tibet and Buddhism, etc. They come for the main purpose of listening, contemplating and meditating on the path to liberation and to propagate Buddhism. Here, we can hear them like buzzing bees extracting nectar from various flowers. After completing their courses, they go to spread dharma in different institutions and monasteries around the world.
The Retreat Centre: Namdroling also has a retreat centre for the practice of meditation. Many monks enter a three-year retreat after completing their studies at NNI, after which they get the title of Dorje Lopon (Skt: Vajracharya). Everything is calm and quiet inside the retreat area.
The Nunnery: To provide equal education to the nuns, the Tsogyal Shedrup Dargyeling Nunnery was established 1 km from the main temple. The nunnery also has a Jr. High School, Dratsang, Institute and Retreat Centre. All the rules and regulations there are the same as for the monks.
By Jangchub Wangdi
7th Year, NNI
