Monastery

Details: Category: Monastery; Published: 01 May 2016; Hits: 5302

Sera Jey Monastery follows its centuries old tradition and culture dating back to its great period in Tibet, to this present day without much significant change. As such the monastery continues to exist in a typical Tibetan Gelukpa monastic tradition to this day.

The monastery's organization is well organized into two separate streams, one involved in Spiritual / Educational Administration and the other in General / Financial Administration.

Structure:

Spiritual / Educational Administration
General Administration

Spiritual / Educational Administration

The Spiritual Administration is associated on all spiritual affairs, prayer / puja curriculum and academic course / examination

The monastery's abbot (Khenpo) is the spiritual head monk of the monastery and also the chairman of the institute as a whole.

General Administration

The General administration manages the general and financial affairs of the monastery.

An Administration Committee, referred as chanzo-khang in Tibetan, comprising of 5 members appointed by the governing body for a term of three years, manages the entire General Administration work. The Committee will be led by one of the five appointed members as the Chief Administrator / Secretary.

A team of appointed staffs assists in the general administration work.

Khenpo (Abbot)

Khenpo (Abbot) is the Chief Priest and Chairman of the Monastery.

He is appointed for a term of seven years, by a particular system prevailing in the Monastic tradition. His appointment is preceded by a formal & characteristic monastic system, where some (about 5 in no) of the most eligible senior & learned monks of the Monastery are short-listed by the General Board Members. These short-listed candidates are forwarded to His Holiness The Dalai Lama, who will select one likely candidate. The selected candidate will henceforth take the Abbotship of the Monastery for the full service term of 7 years.

However His Holiness The Dalai Lama can recommend in the extension or acceptance of resignation of the Abbot's term of office.

Ghe-gheu: (Disciplinarian / Dean)

Ghe-gheu in English means - Disciplinarian. He is considered the Dean of the institute, but with a greater responsibility over wide range of monastic affairs - supervision in overall disciplines - monastic discipline, Academic Course, Curriculum schedules, Examination, Assembly Prayers...etc.

He is elected for a term of 1 year. The General Board Members of the Monastery through a process of election short-list a couple of candidates who fit best for the post of Disciplinarian. And from this short-listed candidate a general election by the masses (member monks) will take place to elect one candidate for the post of Disciplinarian.

The new Disciplinarian (Dean) takes charge of the responsibility during the day of Ngamchoe (Lama Tsong Khapa day) 25th day of 10th Tibetan Calendar Month.

He is assisted by 2 deputies called - Chapre, who are voted through general election by the sanga assembly.

Committee For Sera Jey Philosophical Studies & Board of Examination -

The committee is responsible for the administration of Monastic University Course, and holds a similar responsibility that of a modern Academic University Department. The Committee manages the day-to-day Debate class schedules and maintains attendance register, sets question papers and conducts examination, valuates examination answers and reviews course syllabus. The committee in consultation with the Advisory Committee, the Disciplinarian (Dean) and the Abbot in particular, can make amendments to certain aspects of Monastic University Department.

The Committee consists of five member Directors, elected in two alternate batches with a service term of 3 years.

Advisory Committee For Sera Jey Philosophical Studies:

The Committee comprises of senior most members of the monastery - all former Khenpos (ex Abbots), Ghe-gheus (ex - Disciplinarians / Deans) with current Directors of Committee for Philosophical Studies.

The Advisory Committee provides guides and recommendations on the functioning and administration of the Monastic University Faculty.

General Administration

The General administration manages the general and financial affairs of the monastery.

An Administration Committee, referred as chanzo-khang in Tibetan, comprising of 5 members appointed by the governing body for a term of three years, manages the entire General Administration work. The Committee will be led by one of the five appointed members as the Chief Administrator / Secretary.

A team of appointed staffs assists in the general administration work.

About Us

Current Core Offices

Ganden Tri Pa

Lhundup Tsundue
Jedrung Thupten Kunga

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104th Ganden Tripa

Lobsang Tenzin
Lobsang Tenzin

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Former Abbots

61st Khensur Ngawang Gyatso
64th Khensur Lhundup Thapkhe
65th Khensur Lobsang Wangchuk
66th Khensur Lobsang Dhonyoe
67th Khensur Dhondup Topgyal
Khensur In Tibet Lobsang Sherab
68th Khensur Ngawang Legden
69th Khensur Lobsang Thupten
70th Khensur Lobsang Tsering
His Eminence Geshe Lobsang Tsering, the 70th abbot of Sera Jey Monastery, was born in Tibet in 1923. He was ordained at the age of five and started his Buddhist philosophical studies at twelve. At the age of seventeen, he joined Sera Jey Monastery and underwent rigorous philosophical studies. He served as a philosophy teacher at his native monastery for three years. In 1959 he was imprisoned by Chinese authorities for seven years and had to undergo extreme hardship. In 1969, he fled Tibet under immense hardship, to India for exile. At Sera Jey Monastery in South India, he earned the first position in his Geshe Lharampa Examination in 1978. In 1986, he was enthroned the 70th abbot of Sera Jey Monastery and made several developments in both spiritual and administrative fields. He devoted his entire life to teaching the Buddhist philosophy to scores of aspiring students.
71st Khensur Jampa Theckchok
His Eminence Jampa Thekchok, the 71st abbot of Sera jey Monastery was born in Phenpo, Tibet in 1930. He was ordained at the age of eight and began his study of major Buddhist texts around the age of ten. His eminence arrived in exile in 1959 and continued his studies in major Buddhist texts. He taught Buddhist studies at Central University of Tibetan Studies, Sarnath, for seven years and travelled aboard to give teachings. In 1993, he was enthroned as the abbot of Sera Jey Monastery and he served the monastery in great length in both spiritual and administrative fields.
72nd Khensur Lobsang Dhonyoe
His Eminence Jetsun Lobsang Donyo, the 72nd abbot of Sera Jey monastery, was born in 1925. At the age of nine, he joined Lhatse monastery, gained basic Tibetan education and memorized all traditional monastic scriptures and studied basic Buddhist epistemology. At the age of nineteen, he joined Sera Jey Monastic University and studied all major Buddhist texts.

In 1961, he left Tibet to take exile in India and continued his study at Buxar in north India. He has served as proof-reader at monastery’s printing office. In 1967, he studied at Central University for Tibetan studies, Sarnath and received the Acharya degree.
In 1999, he was enthroned the 72nd abbot of Sera Jey Monastery and made great contribution to both spiritual and temporal affairs.
73rd Khensur Lobsang Palden
His eminence Jetsun Lobsang Palden, the 73rd abbot of Sera Jey Monastic University, was born in 1936. At the age of twelve, he joined Dhargye Monastic School and memorized all traditional monastic scriptures as well as studied basic Buddhist epistemology and other texts.

At the age of seventeen, he joined Sera Jey Monastery and studied all major Buddhist texts. In 1959, he fled to India and continued his studies at Buxar in north India. In 1965, he studied at Central University for Tibetan studies, Varanasi, and received the Acharya degree.
In 2005, he was enthroned as the 73rd abbot of Sera Jey Monastic University and made great contribution to both spiritual and administrative fields. Moreover, he devoted most of his time to give teachings and oral transmissions on Buddhist scriptural resources to scores of pupil monks.
74th Khensur Lobsang Delek
His Eminence Jetsun Lobsang Delek, the 74th abbot of Sera Jey Monastery, was born in 1939 at Karze district in Tibet. At the age of seven, he joined Karze Monastery and started memorizing traditional monastic scriptures. His given name is Lobsang Delek and received ordained name as Ngawang Soepa while he was newly ordained at age of seventeen. In 1959, he fled to India and continued his Buddhist philosophical studies at Buxar in north India. In 1968, he received the full-ordained vows from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. In 1982, he was honored with first position of Lharam Geshe degree. Moreover, in 2005, he was enthroned as the abbot of Gudme Tantric Monastery, and he became the 75th Sera Jey Abbot on 6 May 2012. Generally, he devotes his precious regular time in giving teaching and conferring different initiations and oral transmissions.
75th Khensur Gedun Choephel
His Eminence Jetsun Gedun Choephel, 75th abbot of Sera Jey Monastery, was born in 1941 at at his native Kartze province in Eastern Tibet and was initiated at the age of 8 in his native Kartze monastery. He joined Sera Jey Monastery – Tibet in 1955. In 1969 left Tibet for India and was among the foremost member monks to re-establish the monastery at exile in South India. He has received the highest monastic scholastic award of Lharam Geshe – Doctorate in Buddhist Philosophy, and has dedicated his entire life to teachings at the monastery. He was enthroned the 75th abbot of Sera Jey Monastery on 18th July 2016.