Jamyang Study Programs in Kinnaur

Jampa Choling Institute (Meeru)

Jamyang Study Programs in Spiti Valley

Jamyang Study Programs in Zangskar (Ladakh)

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Spiti Valley

Two Jamyang Foundation schools are located in the snowy land of Spiti, a desolate region surrounded by high Himalayan peaks. Yangchen Choling is located in the village of Pangmo. Dechen Choling is located in Pin Valley. Life is arduous in Spiti, especially during the frozen winter months.

Due to heavy snowfalls, transport and communications to the Himalayan region are impossible much of the year. Economic hardship, particularly disruption of the wool trade from occupied Tibet, has led the men of Himalayan areas to seek jobs in Indian cities. Women now shoulder a heavy responsibility for both family and livelihood.

Intense cold and high winds prevail outdoors, so handicrafts and Buddhist practice – meditation, teachings, and prayer – are favorite winter activities. The solace of these spiritually-enriching activities helps offset the sufferings of the harsh environment.

Traditionally women's work has centered around the home – spinning, knitting handcrafted clothing, and caring for the family, animals and fields. Women's education and spirituality have also centered around the home. Buddhist culture has flourished here since the 8th century, but there has never been a traditional learning center for women.

Traditional values are still strong in this area, which has been home to a unique Buddhist culture for over 1000 years. Loving kindness and care for the young, old, and infirm has been the core of women's spiritual practice over the centuries. Rarely, however, have women emerged as spiritual leaders, due to a lack of educational opportunities.

With the Tibetan border now sealed and access to their cultural heartland denied, the threat of cultural extinction in the Himalayan region looms large. Social and economic changes seriously endanger traditional values. It is now more urgent than ever that women be granted equal social and educational opportunities.

The work of establishing schools has not been easy for the women of the Himalayas. Plagued by poverty, they face many social and personal obstacles. Gradually, however, through sheer determination, these obstacles are being overcome.

There are now two Jamyang Foundation projects in Spiti, Yangchen Choling Monastery and Dechen Choling Monastery. An additional project, Sherab Choling Institute in Morang, is now self-sufficient. The addresses of the two current projects are:

Yangchen Choling Monastery

In 1985, a group of courageous young women from Pangmo village took the initiative to establish Yangchen Choling, the first Buddhist education project for women in Spiti. Originally located in caves above the village, the nuns were gradually able to build a meditation hall, teachers' quarters, classrooms, and student housing with their own hands. Today, 28 nuns between the ages of 8 and 43 are enrolled in education programs at the monastery.

Yangchen Choling Monastery
   Village Pangmo, P.O. Hull
   District Lahaul/Spiti
   Himachal Pradesh 172 114

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Dechen Choling Institute

At the moment, there are 23 nuns studying at Dechen Choling, Pin Valley. The majority are teenagers or between 20 and 30 years old. All the nuns are beginners in English, but there is much variation among them. All of the nuns can communicate some basic English phrases, like greetings and introductions, but their vocabulary is very limited. And while they can often make themselves understood, they often don't use proper grammar or sentences. There are a few exceptions whose English is above average.

Dechen Choling Institute
   Near Kungri Monastery
   Pin Valley, District Lahaul/Spiti
   Himachal Pradesh 172 114

With diligence and dedication, these women are struggling to overcome their educational and social disadvantages. With increased confidence and training, they are becoming community leaders, making valuable contributions toward cultural preservation, environmental protection, health, and community development.

Undaunted by unimaginable hardships and disappointments, these women bravely persevere. The goal of their endeavors is to serve others. To do so, it is important for women to get both modern and traditional education. Unaided by anyone in their struggle, the greatest obstacle these women face now is economic.

Please help these women fulfill their dreams!

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Spiti Valley image Spiti nuns image Spiti nunnery image

Support Jamyang Foundation

Just $240 a year can educate and put women in leadership roles in a desperately poor and culturally endangered region of the Himalayas. Please lend your support!

  • Demonstrate solidarity with sisters faced by poverty and illiteracy.
  • Provide health care, education, and cultural enrichment for hundreds of women in remote Himalayan villages.
  • Help a young woman fulfill her spiritual and intellectual potential.
  • Further intercultural understanding.
  • Make someone very happy!