Tour Day: Gaden

We started our tour by picking up the other ETSI instructors.  They are at Gaden, a monastery a short drive from our monastery.  They stay farther from the monastery building, so get driven in every morning.  It seems like the arrangements there aren't quite as good - no air conditioning, not as good food, etc.  So when I return in future years, I certainly hope to be back at Loseling...

Ganden is comprised of two different main monasteries.  Both were rather lovely.  Most of these buildings are very old - there was a large influx of Tibetans into India in the 1990's, so the monasteries grew a lot shortly after.  Loseling was built in the 2000's, though there are older (smaller) buildings nearby.

At Gaden we were able to see one of the kitchens.  These are at "industrial" kitchen scale, but don't feel like a factory.  Food gets made for 100s of monks, including pieces of bread and buns shaped by hand.

Mural at the entrance.

This is a side "chapel", where monks chant for the protector spirits of the monastery.

The prayer hall - monks would sit on the foam pads.

These statues are probably 8-10 feet tall.

I assume that candles were traditionally used, but now there is an assortment of colored bulb, flicker bulbs, and even some color-changing LED lights.  Offerings are made for each of the statues.

The central Buddha is about twice as tall as the others.

A 3-dimensional Mandala, depicting a temple where the gods dwell.  These are presented as gifts during visits from lamas and during important teachings.

A wok big enough to bathe in.  The stack of pans are steamers, and the burner is about 3 feet in diameter.

Cooks preparing to take the bread that has been made.  Monks rotate through cooking duty.

The many Buddhas are representative of the belief that there will be many Buddhas (enlightened ones).