A Letter from Venerable Lobsang December 2009 Dear all: The recent visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tawang was not like any other visit in the past. The Chinese government tried to make his visit political, and it attracted overwhelming media attention and suddenly this unknown place is exposed to many people both in India and abroad. We have never seen so many media people in our town before, and we felt suddenly that the whole world is watching us and we became a part of the greater world for the first time. Sometimes it is bizarre to see your town and people you know very well on every television channel every day, and sometimes it is also frightening to hear threats from the Chinese government of possible war. Despite all the unwanted political games played by the Chinese government, we were blessed by His Holiness’ visit, and he brought us a message of peace and compassion once more for the people of Tawang. For Monpas, His Holiness is much more than just an international celebrity. For the people of Mon he is the real Buddha. I met many older people who traveled from far distances who were ready to die to see a glimpse of his face from a far distance. For the children and the staff of Jhamtse Gatsal Children’s Community, his visit and message of love and compassion was a real reinforcement for our mission to turn this community into a garden of love and compassion. It’s been over a year since I left the U.S.A. I am living in a place surrounded by hunger, preventable death and curable diseases and other sufferings. We know it doesn’t have to be like this, but we can’t do anything either. These sufferings are what we see and hear everyday, and many of us learn to cope with these challenges like changing the television channel. You watch for a while and cry; when it gets very sad, just change the channel for a happy program. This is what we do when we feel helpless, and just crying does nothing. Sometimes I feel Jhamtse Gatsal is also a place to escape where I flatter myself with the little good things I have done to avoid the bigger sufferings of my neighbors. I was a little dispirited especially since the time of admission of new children at Jhamtse Gatsal. I saw many [people] were crying because their child was not admitted, many were angry and many were speechless with sadness and hopelessness. I saw and heard many awful things from parents and relatives, and I realized I would do the same if I was in their situation. Your belief and self-confidence can be shattered by a simple question like the one I was asked by one of the children from Jhamtse Gatsal. “Gen-la,” she said (which means teacher in Tibetan in a respectful way), “You told my friend that we don’t have a place and money to keep her at Gatsal and sent her back to the village, but you took a new baby to our community! Would you take my friend if she was a cute baby like him"? I wished I had an answer, but I didn’t and I was greatly disheartened by her open and simple question.
Although my advisers and friends asked me to present a brief report on the progress of development of the Jhamtse Gatsal Children’s Community to His Holiness and request his blessing and support of proposed plans for the future growth and development of the community, I debated many times whether it is appropriate to request His Holiness’ time and attention for our modest work. Finally, I convinced myself to request the opportunity of an audience with His Holiness in Tawang. I was not sure, knowing that the schedule of events and activities for His Holiness was extensive, and this is a modest program among the many projects deserving his attention. But very fortunately, with the help and blessing of Tsona Gontse Rinpoche, I was able to meet His Holiness and was overwhelmed by his support and generous contribution to Jhamtse Gatsal. I went to meet the personal secretary of His Holiness that evening, as I was asked by his office to revisit on the same day. When I arrived there, his personal secretary told me that His Holiness wished to donate Rs. 100,000.00 to Jhamtse Gatsal and to come the next morning to receive the money. "I am very happy and grateful for his support, blessing and the opportunity to meet him this morning, but I cannot take the money from him," I said. His Holiness’ secretary was clear and direct as he said to me, "I understand, but this is not about the money. The most important thing is his support and endorsement for the Jhamtse Gatsal Children’s Community. His contribution of Rs.100,000.00 is auspicious and symbolic for our relationship and it will inspire your donors." He also said that [His Holiness] truly wants to support the project. I was overjoyed by his explanation and it made me feel much better to accept his donation. I was very happy and also felt that this is a big responsibility to accept. I am overwhelmed by His Holiness’ support and his endorsement to our modest effort reflects the importance of our work. I know there is a long way to go and I see a bumpy road ahead, but I trust that the necessary help and blessings will come at the time when needed and we will arrive at our destination safely! I want all of you to know that I feel very sad to be away and to leave everything on you when the needs of children are growing day by day, but the staff and I are working hard to ensure the children’s well-being and reach our goals and vision. We are always grateful for your tireless support and unwavering compassion. I miss you all. With much gratitude and love,
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Everyone has a different reason to see His Holiness the Dalai Lama with their expectations and dreams, but I wasn’t sure what I was really expecting during his visit to our town until I met His Holiness and he told me repeatedly, and I quote, “Very good work. Very good work. Very good work. Take good care of the children.” A little push to cross a speed bump which was needed at the time.
When people come to Jhamtse Gatsal to admit their child, often it is the case of saving the life of the child, and when my answer is no to them, you have to live with it for many years, if not for your whole lifetime, and I can’t even imagine what goes on inside them when I say no. This is a fight against poverty by saving children’s lives and teaching them to break the cycle of generational poverty. Every decision leaves a deep impact on you, whether it is a pleasant or an unpleasant one. It is hard to justify your good work when you hurt more and more people by your decision in the battle between poverty and compassion. 
At the same time it was very gratifying when His Holiness repeatedly said, "Very good work! Very good work! Very good work! Take good care of the children." These are the same words I heard from my guru when he came to Jhamtse Gatsal a month ago. I felt their support and blessings came when I was going through difficult time and not doing well as I should be. As I said earlier a little push to cross a speed bump was needed at the time.