Buddhist Monastic Culture

Tashi Lhunpo is renowned for its sacred music within the Gelug, or Yellow Hat, tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.

Monks begin their training from a young age, studying texts and engaging in dialectical debate (Taksel) before progressing to advanced study or the Tantric College. There, teachings are passed down through an oral lineage, including ritual practice, music, and cham (sacred dance).

Music plays a central role in daily prayers and ceremonies. Chanting forms the foundation, supported by instruments used during important rituals. The Dungchen (long horns) are sounded before major ceremonies, calling both the local community and higher spiritual beings to join in prayer.

Although a written notation exists, these traditions are primarily preserved through oral teaching passed from generation to generation.

One of the most exquisite traditions of Tibetan Tantric Buddhism is the creation of sand mandalas—intricate representations of the celestial realms of deities. Using coloured marble dust, monks carefully place millions of grains of sand to form detailed designs learned through years of training.

Once completed, the mandala is consecrated as the dwelling of enlightened beings, who are invited through prayers and meditation. After several days, a closing ceremony is held, and the mandala is ritually dismantled. The sand is then released into running water, symbolising impermanence and spreading blessings for the benefit of all beings.

Following His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s escape from Tibet and the destruction of much of Tashi Lhunpo during the Cultural Revolution, a small number of monks fled into exile and re-established the monastery in South India. The Panchen Lama remained in Tibet, enduring imprisonment for nearly ten years before his death in 1989. In 1995, His Holiness the Dalai Lama recognised the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, who has since disappeared and remains missing.

Today, religious practice in Tibet is heavily restricted, and traditional dialectical debate (Taksel) is rarely seen. In exile, however, it remains central to monastic life at Tashi Lhunpo, where monks debate daily, drawing on deep knowledge of Buddhist philosophy.

Debate follows a symbolic and disciplined form, with precise gestures representing compassion and the overcoming of negativity. Despite its intensity, monks remain composed — “the face like a lion, the mind like a snow mountain.”