Thekchen Chöling, Dharamsala, HP, India - In the morning of Sunday, 18th October, Geshé-ma Tenzin Jorgyal, President of the Nuns’ Jang Gunchö Committee, Geshé-ma Ngawang Chökyi, President of the 9th Geshé-ma Exams Committee and Youdon Aukatsang, Director of the Buddhist Women’s Education Society, greeted His Holiness the Dalai Lama as he reached the gate to his residence on his way to meet participants in this year’s Winter Debate (Jang Gunchö) for nuns in the Tsuglagkhang (Main Tibetan Temple) courtyard.
His Holiness then walked through the courtyard to his throne at the foot of the temple. 253 of the nuns who had participated in this year’s Winter Debate and 33 Geshé-mas, who graduated this July and received their degree certificates during this Jang Gunchö—Winter Debate—assembly, sat on either side of the aisle. The Geshé-ma graduates sat in the front rows.
Once His Holiness was seated, Geshé-ma Ngawang Chökyi, offered him representations of the body, speech and mind of the Buddha as is traditional. The Geshé-ma graduates then presented him with a thangka painting of the three Deities of Longevity—Amitayus, White Tara and Namgyalma and a painting of the Twenty-one Taras.
Nuns, both graduates and students, then proceeded to give a debate presentation that displayed their knowledge and analytical skills. His Holiness observed their exchange with pleasure.
On this occasion a new booklet had been published containing praises by His Holiness of twenty-one exemplary Buddhist practitioners who were women, some of whom were Indian, while the others were Tibetan. In the booklet, each four line praise was accompanied by a painted illustration. His Holiness was requested to give an oral transmission of this work, which he did by reading it aloud to the nuns, who followed his words in their own copies of the text.
After his meeting with nuns who had participated in the Winter Debate and the Geshé-ma graduates, His Holiness briefly observed debates taking place in the Main Tibetan Temple as part of the annual examinations held by Namgyal Monastery School. As events came to an end, His Holiness rode in a golf cart through the courtyard as the nuns chanted the ‘Mig-tse-ma’ prayer. His Holiness waved and smiled at them on either side as he passed.
