Tashi Dhundup, New Manali.

‘My parents sent me to become a monk at the age of 5. I am 16 now. 

My family is quite poor and lives in a very remote area between the border of Tibet and India. They are farmers. I have 4 brothers and 2 sisters. They are all helping my parents in the farm. 

When I first arrived to the Monastery everything seemed quite challenging. I was way too young to understand the concept of what it meant to be a monk. I wanted to play rather than sitting in front of the Buddha statue and learning how to read the scriptures. I was craving sweets and not butter tea. I wanted to sleep late rather than getting up early. I wanted to watch cartoons and not gaze at the burning butter lamps. I wanted to be a kid rather than a monk! 

But now I know I am lucky. While my brothers and sisters are looking after domestic animals, I am here reading and going through these thick Buddhist texts. Brining my knowledge to another level. Debating about life, life cycles, Buddhism, karma and so on. My family respect me a lot, and have high expectations of me. I am the only one educated in my family. ‘

‘Yet, I still have a child's heart deep within but I control myself. You know, it is all about training your mind.’

‘I want to continue my studies in Buddhist philosophy. I will be a monk forever. I love being here. I like my monk friends. ‘

'Sometimes I just wonder what if I wasn't a monk. What might I be doing instead? Where might I be?‘
‘Anyway, this is my story. Ahhh, let me take the mask. I just bought it from the street shop near my monastery.’

Tashi Dhundup, New Manali.
Interview and photo by Kunsang Tenzing
Edited by Yasmine Tanwidjaja-Pajares