Why I Support Jhamtse Gatsal
– By Ruth Monstein
Ruth is a teacher, mindfulness trainer, trauma pedagogy counselor living in Switzerland.
To learn more about Ruth visit: www.binja.ch and www.ruthmonstein.ch.
Ruth Monstein
Tashi and the Monk
I remember it like it was yesterday: On a quiet Sunday morning in 2016, the film "Tashi and the Monk" was broadcast on Swiss TV during “Sternstunde Kultur”.
At the time, I was completing my further training as a trauma education counselor. In the two years prior to this, I had studied in depth how we can accompany traumatized children in school classes so that they can find a way to grow into healthy and happy people despite the violent experiences that overshadow their lives.
And then came the film! It struck me like a lightning bolt. The message hit me right in the heart.
Lobsang Phuntsok
Lobsang Phuntsok, a former monk who himself was neglected and traumatized as a child, has founded a children's home at the foothills of the Himalayas in northeast India, which currently accommodates 107 children. It is his heartfelt wish to offer children who have experienced a fate similar to his in this remote area a basis for life that enables them to grow into strong and responsible people despite the unfavorable start in their lives. He gives these traumatized children live in a loving community. Here they are not only supported academically; they also learn how to be at peace with themselves and in social contact with others. They are taught to take responsibility for their lives and to recognize and live their inner treasures for the good of the community and for their own joy.
Despite the severity of the story that Tashi and her siblings have experienced, I feel so much joy, humor, and love in this film. The belief that there is a seed in every child waiting to blossom touches me deeply. That is what I am convinced of – it is love that heals – and in this film, I see and hear about how love is lived in the barren everyday life at the foothills of the Himalayas and what wondrous blossoms it produces.
Trauma Education
It was immediately clear to me that I would like to show excerpts from the film "Tashi and the Monk" to Swiss teachers who attend my training courses in trauma education. It serves as a model of how it is possible to act lovingly and yet clearly even in challenging situations. So often I experience that teachers become discouraged in conflictual moments in everyday school life. They lose confidence in dealing with traumatized children. From the film clips, we can observe how Lobsang's words, his gestures, his being with the team and the parents have a healing effect on the wounded children's souls and even on us viewers. This gives us the courage to trust that a loving culture of relationships will also bring the hidden seeds in the children to blossom again in Swiss classrooms.
I am very grateful that the management of Jhamtse Gatsal has allowed me to use film clips from "Tashi and the Monk" for training purposes. I thank Jhamtse Switzerland for sending me a copy of the film. The love I feel every time I now show the film in the trauma training sessions does not only touch me. In every course group, the atmosphere in the room transforms into almost sacred silence. It is the magic from Jhamtse Gatsal that is now flowing into the Swiss schools. The seed from Jhamtse Gatsal is being passed on and is now strengthening and nourishing children and their caregivers in Switzerland too.
Christmas Meditation through Zoom
Out of gratitude that I can pass on these experiences here in Switzerland, I would like to give something back to the children and the management of Jhamtse Gatsal.
On 21 December, at 7 - 8 pm (CET), I will offer a Christmas meditation through Zoom.
Click here for the Zoom Link
Any donated contributions towards expenses will go in full to Jhamtse Gatsal.