Monasteries

This probably won’t surprise anyone, but I’ve learnt that Buddhist monks are super chill.

On our second day in Ladakh, The Boyfriend and I visited some of the local monasteries—three of them in fact; each one more brightly colored and enigmatic than the last. On the outside these monasteries blend in perfectly with the landscape as they seem to almost grown into and out of the mountains. But on the inside these monasteries are an explosion of color--every last wall and door is painted brightly with Buddhist imagery; primary-colored prayer flags hang from every corner and the monks themselves hurry about in their red and orange robs. 

 [Outside of the monasteries and environs]

[Brightly colored interiors]

 Of course, the monks aren't the only folk scurrying about the monasteries;  clearly these buildings are big local attractions and a fair number of tourists roamed through the halls of each, taking pictures, gawking at the ornate walls and enormous Buddhas, watching monks as they chanted and generally being a nuisance. The monks however, who also doubled as ticket-salesman and museum and gift store cashiers seemed to take it all in stride. One monk noticed The Boyfriend taking photos of the courtyard and eagerly bent over The Boyfriend's shoulder to see the result. Another monk noticed a flow of tourists walking in on a midday chanting ritual in one of the monastery's shrines and very nonchalantly directly us all to out-of-the way seats with good vantage points. (The other monks, I should note, didn't skip a beat in their chanting).

 [Monks, chanting, being chill]

Basically, the monks were all a lot more relaxed about the multitudes of tourists pattering about their home, workplace and place of worship than I would have been. Must be all that meditation . . .

I wonder how much the monks are forced to put up with the presence of tourists for financial reasons. As I was walking through these beautiful, and quite old buildings, I found myself considering the finances of monastery life. To my, admittedly limited, knowledge, Buddhist monks don't produce or sell anything to earn an income. I didn't see any farmland around the monasteries which would allow the monks to grow their own food, either. I know the monks live pretty cheaply,  but even basic living costs some money. And the monasteries must be quite expensive to upkeep--a number of the murals on the walls were being repainted while we were there and I imagine that fitting-out 400 year old buildings with the necessary electricity and plumbing can't be cheap.

 

[Murals on the monastery walls]

Clearly, the tourist dollars must pay some important role in the finances of the monasteries--but honestly the entrance tickets were so cheap (like USD $2) that the monks must have another source of revenue as well. Is it just charitable donations from wealthy individuals? Do they get some funds from the government? Or are they secretly running a profitable call center from the basement of the monasteries? (Note, wouldn't monks be the best call center employees ever? So chill!)

I really couldn't figure out how these monasteries support themselves, but I'm certainly glad that they do.