Our Founder and Director: Venerable Thupten Donyo

As many of you who have visited the Gyuto Foundation already know, Venerable Thupten Donyo never sits still, never finishes his meal, and is constantly on the telephone. His desk is covered with papers. He sits in an office with several computers, fax machines, copiers, and a high-speed internet connection. Dealing with monks, monasteries, embassies, dharma students, utility bills, friends from the Tibetan community, as well as requests for tours, blessings, and CD recordings of the Gyuto Tantric Choir, Ven. Donyo is a whirlwind of activity. As the only monk fluent in English with a driver’s license, Donyo also does the grocery shopping. Ven. Jampa Thaye, one of the senior monks, laughs, observing that Ven. Donyo is so very special that he has three beds, though he never sleeps for long, while the other monks have only one. Besides his regular bed, Ven. Donyo naps in a chair in his office or on the couch as he goes over paperwork. The monks say that Ven. Donyo is frequently up until 1 or 2 o’clock in the morning! He always thinks big because, as he often says, America is the land of opportunity and one must think big.

Donyo’s Early Days

Ven. Donyo was born in 1961. His father, Pema Thinlay, and mother, Phurbu Dolma, named him Pasang– Friday – the day of his birth. Donyo’s grandparents had been traders from Kham in Tibet, but due to their business in Nepal, they settled their family there. He grew up in Solu Khumbu, high above the snow line, in the shadow of Mount Everest, in probably the highest village in the world. The Tibetan people of that region are known as Sherpas. They are renowned as the expert climbers of the Himalayan Mountains. Actually, “Sher” means East and “Pa” refers to a person. So Sherpa means Easterner and refers to the fact that the Sherpas are originally from far Eastern Tibet.

Life in the Monastery

When Ven. Thupten Donyo was about twelve years old, his parents asked him if he would like to be a monk, and for some reason, without knowing anything about a monk’s life, Donyo said yes. At the same time, his younger brother Dhondup also said that he would like to go with him to become a monk, and a few years later, another younger brother, Sonam, joined them. This made Ven. Donyo’s parents very happy, as they were very strong believers in the Buddha Dharma. As soon as Ven. Donyo agreed to become a monk, his father took him and his brother to India to the Gyuto Monastery in Dalhousie. On his way to the Gyuto Monastery, they visited His Holiness Ling Rinpoche, who was the senior tutor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. They met Ling Rinpoche in Dharamsala, on the very auspicious day of Saka Dawa, the day commemorating the birth of the Buddha, and Rinpoche gave Pasang the new name Thupten Donyo.

During his time in the monastery, Ven. Donyo had three different teachers who taught him different subjects drawn from the monastery curriculum. One teacher was responsible for his spiritual training, one responsible for his welfare and health, and one was responsible for his discipline of keeping his vows in proper order. All three teachers were very kind to Donyo, and they guided him for many years until he was confident with his studies and daily routine. However, one day Ven. Donyo became so worried that he would not be able to complete his studies that he planned to run away from the monastery. Fortunately, his teachers encouraged him, and with their full support, he remained and continued to follow their guidance. Because of his teachers, in 1985, Donyo was able to successfully sit for his final test in front of the Vice Abbot, the Disciplinarian, and the Chant Master. The test lasted for five full days. Ven. Donyo strongly believes that defining a goal is the most important thing for a student to motivate them to learn and lead a better life.

Teacher for Life

When Donyo first arrived at the Gyuto Monastery in 1974, he was introduced to a teacher named Ven. Tamdin Wangdu, who was responsible for Donyo’s welfare. Ven. Tamdin Wangdu was in his late forties, of small build, with snowy gray hair and a wrinkled face, and had a very good heart. He was asked by the monastery to take care of Donyo and his brother as his personal students. Surprisingly, he was very keen to take on responsibility for the two little boys he had never met him before.

Ven. Donyo lived with Ven. Tamdin in a British resort house in Dalhousie in Northern India. It was a beautiful, small, hilly town with a lot of trees and many walking tracks around the hills. During the winter season they had a lot of snow, and sometimes they would see large animal footprints outside the door in the snow. Ven. Donyo remembers sometimes hearing loud, strange noises around the building at night. When they went out at night they had to be very careful because there was always a danger they might be attacked by bears or leopards.

When Ven. Donyo was about sixteen, he became ill and needed regular medical treatment. He was so sick he could not even study. Eventually he was diagnosed with TB and had to have many injections to fight the disease. He was seriously ill and grew weaker and thinner. During this time, Ven. Tamdin nursed him night and day, until finally he recovered. His teacher told him that he would rather die than have Donyo die, as he could not bear to give his parents the terrible news. Ven. Tamdin also said that when he was old and sick that Donyo would not be able to put one spoon of water in his mouth. From this Donyo realized that he may not live with his teacher forever and that he could not predict when they would be separated.

In 1985, Donyo was sent with a group of sixteen monks to Dharamsala for two years by the monastery as part of his duty to perform pujas and prayers for the local community. However, before he had completed his duty, he received a message from the monastery saying that his teacher, Ven. Tamdin, was not well and had left the monastery for medical treatment. As soon as he heard the news, the very same night, he left Dharamsala and traveled alone by bus and train for four days to see his teacher, Ven. Tamdin. It was the first time he had traveled by himself for a long journey inside India. Because he was small and skinny, he was very scared on the train, even though there were thousands of people traveling with him. After four days of traveling, Donyo reached Kalimpong, where his teacher was in an excellent private Christian hospital. Fortunately, although he was seriously ill, he was still alive, lying in his bed surrounded by some local Tibetan friends. His teacher didn’t know that Donyo was coming to see him, but when he saw him he was extremely happy and had tears in his eyes.

As soon as Donyo arrived, he took full responsibility for his teacher. Ven. Tamdin’s main problem was cancer, but he was not able to communicate verbally because he had a severe throat infection. Donyo spent twenty-four hours a day, every day, with him, and was delighted to be able to serve him to repay his teacher’s kindness. Although Donyo did everything he could, the situation was worsening, even though Ven. Tamdin was receiving very good treatment in the private hospital. After about five months, Donyo ran out of money to continue to pay for Ven. Tamdin’s private doctor and a private room in the hospital. He asked his parents and other family members for financial support for his teacher, and as a result was able to keep Ven Tamdin in hospital.

One day when Donyo was sitting next to his teacher, he reminded his teacher of some of the stories he had told many years before. He reminded Ven. Tamdin that he had said, “when I get old and get sick, you won’t be able to put one spoon of water in my mouth,” and he told his teacher, “now is the time for me to take care of you, and I’ll never leave you alone.” Ven. Tamdin was very emotional at that time. Three days later, Donyo lost contact with him, even through writing, and knew his teacher would not live long. From then on Donyo dressed in full robes every day and night because he wanted to be next to him when his teacher took his last breath. Around five o’clock in the morning, Donyo was dozing on his bed and heard a loud hiccough, which woke him up. That was his teacher’s last breath, and Donyo had lost his teacher, Ven. Tamdin.

According to an astrologer, Donyo had to purchase a Buddha statue. He bought a high quality, beautiful 16-inch-tall Buddha statue in memory of his teacher. At that time, Donyo and his brothers made a commitment that from then on they would offer a butter lamp or candle light every night in front of the Buddha statue and try to recall their teacher’s kindness. The candle light is still burning in Donyo’s room at the monastery, tended by other monks on Donyo’s behalf.

Ven. Tamdin passed away in 1988, but Ven. Donyo has never forgotten him and his kindness. Donyo says Ven. Tamdin was like a father to him and his brother, a true teacher for life.

Donyo in Australia

In 1990 Donyo was invited to Tara Institute, a Buddhist center in Melbourne, Australia. He spent seven years there and went to school to learn English. He had a very good life in Australia. However, every two years Ven. Donyo returned to the monastery in India, and the monastery asked Ven. Donyo if he could help the monks. But he had no resources, and so he felt helpless.

Establishing Gyuto Foundation in the Bay Area

Ven. Thupten Donyo decided he had to find a way to help his monastery. Therefore, in 1997, Ven. Donyo decided to come to America with a dream of opening a branch of Gyuto Monastery. Since then, Donyo has made a firm commitment to help all the Gyuto monks and the Gyuto monastery. Upon arriving in San Francisco, he was encouraged by Gyuto friends, such as members of the legendary band The Grateful Dead, who offered their help in setting up the non-profit organization in San Jose, California.

The Gyuto Foundation was formally known as Gyuto Vajrayana Center and was officially established in 1997. How? First Ven. Donyo worked as an auto part delivery driver for several months, and then he worked as busboy for over year. He rented a three-bedroom house in San Jose and decorated it to look like a small Tibetan monastery. He then quit his job and invited four senior Gyuto monks from India and to provide programs through his private home. Slowly, the number of students attending grew and became too much for the small three-bedroom house.

Three years later, Ven. Donyo decided to buy a house for Gyuto Vajrayana Center instead of renting. Ven. Donyo was able to find an ideal home for the center in the Milpitas area. He always expresses his deep gratitude to the Gyuto members and friends from this time. Without their support, the Gyuto Vajrayana Center could not have bought a house.

The new center had a beautiful altar, a beautiful prayer hall that could seat 100 people, better living quarters for the monks, a modern kitchen, and a bigger dining area. He built a prayer-wheel house in the back yard and planted hundreds of flowers around it.

Due to Ven. Donyo’s enterprising desire to help his monastery and fellow monks, he established a branch monastery in San Jose. It had a growing base of members from which the Dharma could flourish. Ven. Donyo hosted His Holiness the Dalai Lama in San Francisco in 2007 for two days of teachings as well as in 2010 in San Jose. There were over 12,000 people who attended His Holiness’s teaching in San Jose. Ven. Donyo also invited the Gyuto Tantric Choir from India to tour and perform their unique chanting in cities across America and Canada.

Ven. Donyo had a lot of great plans for the Gyuto Monastery. His dream was to build a traditional monastery in the San Francisco Bay Area, so that more people could attend the programs. Since that time, Ven. Donyo, with the help and support of many friends and members, has been able to establish the current monastery, which is further north, in Richmond, CA, in 2013. This beautiful center is located in a tranquil neighborhood adjacent to Wild Cat Canyon Regional Park. It is able to house many more people. Ven. Donyo is a rare breed indeed–a monastic entrepreneur.

Ven. Donyo’s message to you, friends of the Gyuto Foundation:

From the bottom of my heart, on behalf of Gyuto Foundation and the Gyuto monks, I thank all of our friends for your precious support.

Thank you and Tashi Delek.