How Ta Yang Guardians Came To Be.

In July 2006 Rabgyi went back to Golok, Amdo, in Eastern Tibet to visit his family and three of us went with him. We were treated with great hospitality by his family and visited his original monastery, in the village of Vasser in the Ta Yang valley. We were appalled at the poor conditions. The walls were crumbling, the old temple was rotten and decayed. The children had a classroom with a floor and walls and a roof, but no other equipment. Their desks were old cardboard cartons, the windows were broken. Some of them slept behind a curtain in an old shed – in an area that gets below 20degrees below freezing frequently during the long winter. Many were suffering from kidney weaknesses and disease. Some had no shoes. There had been more of them, but they had to be sent away because the monastery had no food for them. Some were orphans.

We felt we had to do something. But what could we do? Three ordinary women, none of us at all rich in money terms. We took photos of the 30 young boys and monks and, having left clothes, sleeping bags and whatever else we could do without, came home without a lot of hope.

We now support about 90 monks and nuns in the Ta Yang valley. Somehow we found sponsors for all these special people at $30 a month, and we have also fundraised so that we have built a schoolroom, a dormitory for 50 young monks, a dining room and kitchen for them, all surrounded by a safety wall so they don’t fall into the river or get attacked by wild dogs.

For the Nuns, at their request, we provided funds, through fundraising to renovate their main dwelling that includes their Gompa or meditation hall. The floor was transformed from dirt to concrete, the leaking roof was fixed, the walls re plastered and shelving was erected for books and statues. We also sent portable shower cubicles with simple solar showers.

We are now the Ta Yang Guardians and there are now more of us, but still not many. All the money we raise, except for bank fees and a bit of printing, goes to the Monastery. We are proud of what we have achieved and hope that we can achieve a great deal more. We are grateful for all the help we receive from other ordinary people whose generosity is overwhelming.

Our Objectives

The objectives and purpose of the TaYang Guardians is to preserve, promote and develop the economic, social, cultural and healthcare needs of the TaYang Monastary and surrounding community in Vasser, Golok Amdo, Tibet.

In particular YaYang Guardians aim to minimise the factors threatening such development resulting from amongst other things:

• lack of education
• poor health
• lack of infrastructure and resources
• isolation

Our Aims

To Preserve the Culture in the region by supporting traditional education of the little Monks and the Nuns at TaYang Monastery and Nunnery.