Buddhist nuns of Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute in northern India have welcomed the donation of a new vehicle that will provide safer and more reliable transportation for the more than 300 resident nuns. The new SUV replaces an aging car that had served the monastic community for more than a decade. 

The new car, which was formally welcomed to the nunnery with Buddhist prayers and blessing rituals on 15 June, will support the nuns on the steep mountain roads around the monastery as they carry out their daily administrative duties, supply trips, and occasional medical emergencies.

The Tibetan Nuns Project (TNP), a US-registered charity based in Seattle and in Himachal Pradesh, India, that supports the nunnery, shared that the new SUV would help the nuns better navigate the surrounding countryside and communities: 

“The roads around Dharamsala in the foothills of the Himalayas are hilly, challenging, and lack proper shoulders. During the heavy monsoon rains, there are landslides, cracks, flash floods, and debris on the roads,” said the TNP in a reports shared with BDG, adding that there was no public bus serving this area, and it was not possible or safe for the nuns to walk.

“For many years, Dolma Ling used a Mahindra Bolero that was inherited from the Tibetan Nuns Project Office. The vehicle was purchased in 2012 and had been in regular use for more than 10 years. As the vehicle became older, its maintenance costs increased, its resale value decreased, and it became increasingly hard to get replacement parts.

“The Bolero was also too small for the nuns’ daily needs. It was uncomfortable when three people traveled in the back seat and did not have enough space for shopping, supplies, or other materials needed for the nunnery.”

Inaugurated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2005, Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute of Buddhist Dialectics is located in Kangra Valley near Dharamsala in northern India. This non-sectarian nunnery was the first institute dedicated to higher Buddhist education for Tibetan Buddhist nuns from all traditions, and is fully funded by the TNP.

Almost 300 nuns are fully engaged in study, practice, and nunnery work at Dolma Ling, as well as organizing self-sufficiency projects, such as tofu-making and producing handicrafts. In 2013, 10 of the Dolma Ling nuns made history when they took part in the first-year geshema examinations.*

Despite a considerable delay in the delivery of the SUV to the nuns, the TNP expressed gratitude to financial supporters who funded the purchase of the vehicle, a Mahindra Scorpio, noting that the car would make a huge difference to the daily lives of the nuns.

“As Dolma Ling now manages its own administration independently, the vehicle is used almost every day by committee members for official work,” said the TNP. “It is used for daily shopping, collecting materials for maintenance and small projects, visiting banks and government offices, traveling to other nunneries, and taking nuns to hospitals during medical emergencies. With a resident driver stationed at Dolma Ling, the vehicle plays an essential role in the nunnery’s daily operations.

“We are deeply grateful to all our donors for their generosity, patience, and trust. Your support has made it possible for Dolma Ling Nunnery to purchase a vehicle that will serve the community for many years. It will improve the daily lives, safety, and well-being of the nuns for the future.”

Although the donations that purchased the car were received more than two years ago, the purchase was held up by bureaucratic red tape.

“Since the vehicle was being purchased for a nunnery institution, several legal documents and approvals had to be completed before the purchase could proceed,” the TNP noted. “This process took much longer than expected.”

Once the government documentation and registration hurdles were overcome, members of the selection team compared different models and confirmed that the Mahindra Scorpio would best meet the nunnery’s needs in terms of safety, performance, and reliability.

“Because of the steep road leading to McLeod Ganj, especially during the monsoon season when road conditions become very poor . . . the Scorpio’s stronger engine, higher ground clearance, and larger seating capacity make it much safer and more suitable for . . . daily journeys,” the TNP added. 

Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute is almost a 40-minute drive from the center of the Tibetan exile community, including the Tibetan Delek Hospital, the main temple where His Holiness the Dalai Lama gives teachings, and the offices of the Central Tibetan Administration. 

“The new vehicle was officially welcomed to Dolma Ling Nunnery on 15 June, with traditional Buddhist prayers and blessing rituals,” the TNP related. “The ceremony was held in the presence of Tibetan Nuns Project Founding Director and Special Advisor Rinchen Khando Choegyal, making the occasion especially meaningful for the nunnery community.

“The blessing ceremony marked the beginning of the vehicle’s service to the nuns and reflected the Buddhist tradition of seeking prayers for safety, good fortune, and the well-being of all who travel in it.”

The Tibetan Nuns Project provides education and humanitarian aid to refugee nuns from Tibet and Himalayan regions of India. Established under the auspices of the Tibetan Women’s Association and the Department of Religion and Culture of the Central Tibetan Administration, the TNP supports hundreds of nuns from all Tibetan Buddhist lineages and seven nunneries. Many of the nuns are refugees from Tibet, but the organization also reaches out to the Himalayan border areas of India, where women and girls have little access to formal education and religious training. 

* Dalai Lama Awards Historic Geshema Degrees to 20 Nuns (BDG) and Twenty Tibetan Nuns Make History by Passing Geshema Degree (BDG)

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Tibetan Nuns Project
Dolma Ling Nunnery and Institute (Tibetan Nuns Project)
Sponsor a Nun (Tibetan Nuns Project)

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