[Tibet lover]

A farmer's son, the 19-year-old Sonam Gyatso has become the youngest monk at the Gonggar Chode Monastery since his middle school graduation. He has always held the dream of obtaining Geshe’s degree (a title of Tibetan Buddhism, equivalent to a doctorate) and becoming a sutra teacher who preaches Buddhist doctrines, classics and literature and who inspires more kids to embark on Buddhism. Gonggar Chode Monastery is an important Monastery of the Sagya Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. As a disciple in this discipline, Gyatso must study Tibetan grammar, poetry, rhetoric, astronomy calendar, orthography and Buddhist scripture before moving on to the theory of Buddhism and Buddhist classics. During the term, he also has to attend sutra debates and examinations. It takes at least 10 years for a monk to register for junior Geshe examination. As a freshman in the monastery, Gyatso spends more time in study in order to catch up on others. Gonggar Chode Monastery stands 3,598 meters above the sea level and hosts 60 monks. Life in the monastery is simple and plain, not much entertainment activities, no television apart from more than 10 hours study per day. Monks can only visit home once in a month or two. The good news is a basket ball court will be set up next year to give monks some relaxation.http://eng.tibet.cn/2012sy/xw/201311/t20131129_1954419.html