Brief History of Drepung Gomang Monastery

 In 1969, a small group of Tibetan Buddhist monks left Dharamsala, India, and went south into Karnataka State. Acting on the advice of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and with a generous donation of land from the Indian government, these monks set about reestablishing Drepung Gomang Monastic University. The original university was founded in Tibet in 1416 AD, and had been a vital part of the community in the Tibetan capital city of Lhasa until the takeover by the Communist Chinese government in 1959 forced many of the monks to flee.

Currently nearly 2000 monks live, work, and study at Drepung Gomang; almost all are refugees. About 100 monks arrive every year. In their home away from home the monks have labored building housing, libraries, temples, and classrooms, while continuing their studies, growing crops and caring for livestock. They continue to care for the community of Tibetans, also in exile, that surrounds them, and work diligently to save their culture and way of life.

About Drepung Gomang Institute

The Drepung Gomang Institute was established in 2000, and is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, working in cooperation with the monks of Drepung Gomang Monastic University.

Drepung Gomang Institute has two primary goals:

• to help preserve the endangered Tibetan culture that leads a fragile existence in communities of exiled refugees living primarily in India and Nepal; 
• to offer the greater communities of Louisville, of Kentucky, and of the US, the opportunity to study and practice Tibetan Buddhist traditions and philosophy.

The Drepung Gomang Institute does not seek to convert individuals to the tenets of Tibetan Buddhism. As an organization, we follow the injunction from the Dalai Lama to monks who prepare to come to the West:

“You do not need to go make more Buddhists. We don’t need any more Buddhists. You should rather go and help make good people”.

About Geshe Sangay Gyatso

 In the summer of 2003, the first resident teacher, Geshe Sangay Gyatso, a Tibetan Buddhist monk and highly revered scholar, arrived in Louisville. He currently holds regular teachings on the philosophy and practice of Tibetan Buddhism and works with the directors and members of DGI to initiate new educational and community outreach programs.

With the monks of Drepung Gomang Monastery, DGI offers teachings in Buddhist philosophy and practice; Tibetan language, cultural, and historical studies; and courses in the sacred arts of Tibet. Intensive teachings and retreats are led by qualified local and visiting Tibetan masters and offer a broadening of our community’s knowledge of Tibetan traditions.

Our Relationship with Drepung Gomang Monastery

The monks of Drepung Gomang follow a philosophy of tolerance and compassion toward all, and constantly seek to find what we as people share, rather than focusing on that which divides us. This is the spirit of the Tibetan culture that DGI hopes to help in its struggle to survive.