Everest Center for Buddhist Studies" in Laudo, Solukhumbu until it was reestablished in 1972 by Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche on the hill of Kopan village in Kathmandu valley, with their first western student Zina (a Russian princess), whom they met in 1965 in Darjeeling India. Kopan Monastery School had its beginning in the Solu-khumbu region of the Himalayan Mountains. After returning from India, in 1969, Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, the reincarnation of the Lawudo Lama, a yogi of the tiny hamlet of Lawudo, fulfilled the promise of the previous Lawudo Lama to start a monastic school for the local children. The school was named Mount Everest Center for Buddhist Studies. Slowly the number of monks increased at Lawudo and yet being at mountainous region, difficult to manage plus the harsh climate, which made study barely possible in winter. Due to such circumstances, twenty five monks moved down from the mountain to Kopan Monastery. Now Kopan Monastery is a thriving monastery of 370 monks, mainly from Nepal and Tibet, and a spiritual oasis for hundreds of visitors yearly from around the world. Nearby is Khachoe Ghakyil Ling Nunnery which was open 1993 and has 380 nuns. Both the monastery and the nunnery are under the spiritual guidance of Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, and were taken cared by the late abbot Khen Rinpoche Geshe Lhundup Rigsel. Since mid-2011, Geshe Thubten Chonyi, as new abbot, took the reign to look after management of both the monastery and nunnery. Kopan Monastery is also a member of FPMT, a network of some 161 centers and activities world-wide. Education at Kopan
Education plays a pivotal role in the monastic life of Kopan as the monks are mainly from an economically backward mountainous region, where the access to education is minimal. Kopan Monastery freely provides all the facilities, full board, and education to all monks. At Kopan, monks are taught both modern and traditional monastic education. The education is basically divided into three categories:
• General Education,
• Ta***ic College,
• Geshe study program
The purpose of General Education is to teach monks, the modern education systems which enable one to go to the university to further their studies, if one wishes. The general education curriculum and standards are following those of the main stream schools of Nepal and India. Currently, there are monks enrolled from kindergarten to grade 12. Up to the grade 5, the subjects taught are primarily; Tibetan, English, science, math, social studies and art (drawing). At the higher level fewer subjects are offered as the students also follow the Geshe study program but we are planning to offer more in the near future. At the Ta***ic collage, apart from carrying out rituals such as arranging initiations and prayer ceremonies, students are also taught rituals related to arts such as creating sand mandala, making of butter sculpture, ritual dance and chanting. They also do the memorization and study of the ta***ic texts in details and learn how to assist those wishing to do retreat. The Geshe Study Program includes study of five major Buddhist treatises by Indian masters such as Nagarjuna and Asanga, and commentaries by Tibetan scholars that spans 16 years. The five major texts studied are Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom Studies), Madhyamika (Middle Way), Vinaya (Monastic Discipline), Abhidharmakosha (Phenomenology), Pramana (Valid Cognition). And these courses are overall conducted in the form of debate, text memorization, oral commentary / explanation, prayers, and abiding in monastic discipline. Once the monks complete these philosophical studies, they will graduate with a Geshe Rabjampa degree. Apart from the above, monks are also taught translation from Tibetan to English when they completed the grade 12, to become translators or once they become Geshe, they will be able to teach themselves without the need of a translator. Future Directions
As His Holiness the Dalai Lama always says: “the purpose of education is to produce a good human being” and it is the same wishes and vision of our spiritual teachers--- the founders of Kopan Monastery, Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, who always emphasize that “the purpose of educating monks and nuns is to make them human beings of good heart that will enable them to benefit numberless sentient beings”. Thus in keeping with the vision of Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, Kopan Monastery continues to bridge the gap between science and spirituality, integrating modern education into the daily spiritual practice. Once the monks complete their study at Kopan; the monks either go back to their home village/town to teach and benefit the community or continue to stay in the monastery and teach the younger ones. They can also go to overseas Buddhist Dharma centers to serve as a spiritual teacher. And those who do not wish to teach but to do retreat for life then Kopan Monastery will also provide facilities or places for them. As Lama Zopa Rinpoche always says “any form of studies is to aid our daily dharma practice and ultimate goal to achieve the state of enlightenment”. Kopan is also aiming through its curriculum to affiliate with a university which will be able to cater for non Tibetan speaking students to study Buddhism academically.
