Lama Thupten is either the first or certainly among the first to leave the Tibetan monastery and engage in, as charged by the Dalai Lama, serving the community. This is very much in the footsteps of the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Than, who walked with Martin Luther King, espousing social engagement not detachment. Like Gandhi, serving good by serving the poor.

Tawang, India. Born in Tawang, the middle of three sons, Lama Thupten Phuntsok was by tradition placed by his parents in a Tibetan monastery here. By this tradition here, the first son inherits the family’s wealth, the second son becomes a Buddhist monk, and the third son marries and devotes his life to his wife and her family.

With staff and supporters at Manjushree Orphanage for
Tibetan Children in Twang, India. Photo: Stewardship Report.

In 1959, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama fled occupied Tibet into exile across the Himalayan Mountains into India; 85,000 of his adherents followed him. They settled largely into Dharamshala, the capital of the Government-in-Exile, but many were scattered across Tibetan settlements in South India. Hundreds landed in Tawang, a part of Historic Tibet that after a border war with China came under India jurisdiction. 20,000 Indian troops on the border in Tawang to keep it India.

Photo: Courtesy of Lama Thupten.

This socially-engaged monk, Lama Thupten, told me:

“After I graduated, I was asked by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to return to my community in Tawang and engage in supporting the children. I began with 18 who were either orphaned or disadvantaged, and soon opened a home for them. At first, we were in a shack with a tin roof, but we kept going – through TB and lice – as we raised funds to build new facilities and improve the orphanage.

Lama Thupten was asked by His Holiness to return to Tawang
and help destitute children.Photo: Courtesy of Lama Thupten.

Lama Thupten gave me a personal tour of the Shrine of the Fifth Dalai Lama, the leader who united Historic (Greater) Tibet. The monastery there is where Lama Thupten had grown up. The Fifth Dalai Lama had received Genghis Khan from Mongolia at the end of his life. The Mongolian was repentant for all of the bloodshed he had caused and the Dalai Lama welcomed him. In fact, the temple here has a large painting of Genghis Khan on its wall.

Photo: Courtesy of Lama Thupten.

On the two-day ride from Guwahati over the 14,000-foot Se La Pass to Tawang, Lama Thupten had told me about his own amazing life. He expounded on how the overarching theme of all faiths was Kindness and Compassion. We chatted about how in my own life, working with orphaned children from Buddhist, Christian, Hindu and Muslim backgrounds, the central theme for all was Kindness and Compassion.

Photo: Courtesy of Lama Thupten.

Manjushree Vidyapith Orphanage for Tibetan Children is one of the major projects in Arunachal Pradesh, Eastern part of Himalayan region. Their purpose is to promote love, kindness. It was founded by Lama Thupten in 1998, from nothing. Today, a looming Japanese castle-like academic building looms over the dormitories, prayer hall, dining hall and soccer field – with the magnificent mountains stretching off into the horizon.

A rare image of Lama Thupten relaxing. Photo: Courtesy of Lama Thupten.

Friends of Manjushree Vidyapith School and Orphanage (Link) is a registered charity in the U.K. providing support for Manjushree’s orphans, handicapped and destitute children “in the high Himalayas of N.E. India.” The Manjushree Fund of Orphans International Worldwide in the U.S. likewise accepts contributions for this charitable institution. 

Lama Thupten with benefactor Dr. Kazuko Hillyer Tatsumura of New York, 2012.
Photo: Stewardship Report.

It is my understanding that Lama Thupten is either the first or certainly among the first to leave the Tibetan monastery and engage in, as charged by the Dalai Lama, serving the community. This is very much in the footsteps of the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Than, who walked with Martin Luther King, espousing social engagement not detachment. Like Gandhi, serving good by serving the poor.

Photo: Courtesy of Lama Thupten.

In Protestant tradition, this would be considered engaging in the Social Gospel. In Catholicism, it could be likened to Liberation Theology, such as preached by Bishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador. In Christianity, there are those who preach about Christ, and those who walk barefoot down the dirt road with Jesus.

The author with Lama Thupten. Photo: Stewardship Report.

Lama Thupten, Tibetan monk, is clearly walking in the path of Buddha. Not devoting his life to worshiping Buddha as God, but following the Buddha’s own words to become Buddha-like himself. Through his selfless service to humanity.

Lama Thupten Phuntsok: Tibetan Monk’s Life Outside Monastery (Oct. 10, 2019)

SERIES ON/FROM TIBET IN INDIA, SEPTEMBER 2019 IN 20 PARTS

1. The Dalai Lama & Dr. Kazuko: A 47-Year Friendship
2. Tibetan Children’s Village: Step One to Success
3. India: Great Protector of the Tibetan People
4. With Incredible Tibetan Orphans, Reflecting on How I Got Here
5. Meet Japanese Grandmother of Tibetan Orphanage in India
6. Lama Thupten Phuntsok: Tibetan Monk’s Life Outside Monastery 
7. First Trip to Tibetan Orphanage High in Himalayas
8. Dharamshala for Americans: His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Hometown
9. Himalayas: From India/Pakistan to Bhutan & Nepal + Chinese Tibet
10. Himalayas: Once Greater Tibet, Now Tragically Divided 
11. Meet American Lobsang Sangay, President of Tibet
12. Dr. Kazuko: Planning Nine Orphanages Globally Through Gaia
13. Viewpoint: Whatever Faith Tradition, It’s All About Kindness
14. Orphanage Burns in Indonesia; Matt Luce Pledges to Rebuild
15. At Fifty, I Gave Away My Wealth; at Sixty, My Possessions
16. Autumn Elegant Evening to Highlight Charity Efforts Around World
17. New Look: Stewardship Report on Connecting Goodness at Tenth Year
18. Luce Leadership Experience Looks to Israel after Greece, Indonesia Trips
19. Charities at Twenty Confer Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Kazuko
20. New Look: Orphans International Website Refreshed for 20th Anniversary

SERIES ON PILGRIMAGE: FOLLOWING FOOTSTEPS OF BUDDHA ACROSS INDIA IN 15 PARTS

1. On Pilgrimage: Following the Footsteps of Buddha Across N.E. India
2. Under the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya Where the Prince Became The Buddha
3. Photo Essay of Bodh Gaya, Where Buddha Became Enlightened
4. Next Step of Indian Pilgrimage: Vultures’ Peak Where Buddha Preached
5. Touching the Untouchable in a Rural Indian Village
6. Rediscovering the World’s First Great University in Buddhist India
7. Buddhism for Beginners: Insights from a Non-Buddhist
8. Buddhism and the Universal Concept of Social Responsibility
9. Help Me to Support Education & Orphan Care in Bihar, India
10. Most-Photographed Man in the World Prepares to Retire
11. Yoshimitsu Nagasaka Photo Exclusive: The Dalai Lama in Bodh Gaya
12. Varanasi: Holy City of Buddhists – As Well as Hindus, Jainists, Jews
13. On the Banks of the Ganges: Reflections of a Journey in Time
14. My Pilgrimage Complete: Life Continues Like a Wheel
15. Pilgrimage Postscript: Pneumonia and Possible T.B.

SEE ALSO

• Dr. Kazuko Opens Academic Building at Tibetan Orphanage in India
• Next Generation Leadership for Dalai Lama’s First U.S. Temple
• Peace, Compassion and The Dalai Lama’s NYC Birthday Extravaganza
• Tibetan Monk Gatzo: No Matter How Hard, People Can Endure
• NYC Gala in Support of Tibetan Orphans Set for January
• Japanese Holistic Healer in NYC to Build School for Tibetan Orphans in India
• History from Time: How and Why the Dalai Lama Left Tibet
• Life Changer: My Visit to an Indonesian Orphanage
• Jim Luce on Orphans International Worldwide
• Jim Luce on Tibet
• Jim Luce on Buddhism
• Jim Luce on China & Chinese-Americans
• Jim Luce on Cambodia
• Jim Luce on Sri Lanka & Sri Lankan-Americans
• H.H. The Dalai Lama’s 83rd Birthday Interfaith Celebration in NYC (2018)
• Peace, Compassion and The Dalai Lama’s NYC Birthday Extravaganza (2017)
• From Daiwa Bank to Heiwa Foundation

TAGS: 14th Dalai Lama, Arunachal Pradesh, Buddhist children, China, Christian children, Christianity, Compassion, Dalai Lama, Dharamshala, Dr. Kazuko Hillyer Tatsumura, Fifth Dalai Lama, Friends of Manjushree Vidyapith School and Orphanage, Gandhi, Genghis Khan, Greater Tibet, Guwahati, Himalayan Mountains, Hindu children, Historic Tibet, India, Jim Luce, Kindness, Lama Thupten Phuntsok, Liberation Theology, Manjushree Fund, Manjushree Orphanage, Manjushree Vidyapith Orphanage, Martin Luther King, Mongolia, Muslim children, Orphans International Worldwide, Oscar Romero, Path of Buddha, Se La Pass, Service To Humanity, Serving the Poor, Shrine of the Fifth Dalai Lama, Social Engagement, Social Gospel, South India, Stewardship Report, Tawang, Thich Nhat Than, Tibet, Tibetan children, Tibetan Government-in-Exile, Tibetan monastery, Tibetan settlements, Vietnamese Buddhism