The Life of Monastery

Most Tibetans are religious people and they have rich religious life. In Tibet, every family wants to send at least one boy to the monastery. So there used to be thousands of monasteries in Tibet. The monastery life used to be the only access to education and improved social status .Explore Tibet Team, a professional Tibet travel agency, today introduces the life of monastery to you.

Usually, boys would be sent to temples at the age of seven. They get educated, to merit their family and to pursue religious fulfillment at monasteries. Although educational and economic conditions in Tibet have improved, many Tibetans are still drawn to the monasteries.
The monastery life is very strict. Their daily life usually starts in the early morning and ends in the late night. They will be engaged in all kinds of religious services. Older monks will bear greater responsibilities, and they will maintain the discipline and leading the group prayers. Younger monks will do kitchen errant, such as shopping, serving food and tea.
The main theme of the monastery life is religious study and services. The younger monks will start from basic Tibetan language, some literature, sutra chanting and how to do pray. The learning process will last about 18 years or more years generally. Their mainly task is to study sutras and read Buddhist texts. Besides, they also have to learn various subjects, such as handcrafts, and Chinese medical. In addition, monks retreat for hours in an ascetic meditation. They will meditate on the meaning and implications of Buddhist philosophy what they learned.
Sutra debate is very popular in some Monasteries. Monasteries always hold Tibetan Buddhism sutra debate every afternoon except Sunday. The debate process can help the younger monk master and deepen the Buddhist theology. It is also a method of examination. High lamas will debate with the applicant monks to see if they can pass the examinations or not. Only those monks who pass the examinations will be qualified to participate in the Monlam Debate.
In Tibet monastery, only a few talented monks can advance to religious fulfillment. But most people finally become practical talents, such as craftsmen, builders, artists and cooks.
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