A Conversation with our Kitchen Manager, Tenzin Dakpa

Can you talk a little bit about your life prior to joining Jhamtse Gatasl?

Before coming to Jhamtse I worked as a driver. I was a selfish man who just thought about myself and did not care much about others. Whenever I worked, I used to think about earning a profit. I used to get angry very easily and often hurt others through my words and actions. I never used to reflect on my behaviors thinking that I am always right. After coming to Jhamtse Gatsal, my life changed little by little. I began a new page in my life by reflecting on my actions. I came to know the deeper meaning of happiness, which is earned from our actions.

What attracted you to Jhamtse Gatsal as a place to work?

My main reason for coming to Jhamtse Gatsal was that when I was a child, I never got an opportunity to learn and my parents could not financially support me to send me to school. My childhood was in darkness with a lot of struggles, but I felt not having education was the same as being blind. I did not want my child to go through the same path.

I first joined Jhamtse Gatsal so that my child could have a bright future, but as the days have gone by, I have come to understand the deeper meaning of Jhamtse and I feel more enthusiasm to work for Jhamtse. Today, if I were working outside the Jhamtse, then I would be working only for myself and for money. However, after hearing Genla Lobsang, I have come to realize that helping others gives real happiness. These thoughts give me more energy to work even through the toughest moments. Jhamtse Gatsal has taught me life lessons, so it’s my life’s savior.

What is the appeal of Jhamtse Gatsal’s mission that transcends the challenges of remoteness (personal and social change)? Why have you stayed?

Despite the remoteness of the location, I still stay at Jhamtse Gatsal because of the teachings given by our Genla Lobsang. Since my childhood, I was taught by my parents that working hard is the prime motive of every human being, whether we live in the most developed region of the world or the remotest area. Truth be told, I feel that my village is not a very remote place.

Looking at knowledgeable people like our Genla Lobsang, Vasu ma’am, and our supporters from around the world who work hard to bring change to our remote region, I feel this is more my responsibility since I am from this region. Whenever I look at Genla and his work, it gives me inspiration to work harder. I know there will be obstacles ahead, but I pray that I am able to contribute my best to Jhamtse.

We have heard Genla refer to you (and all staff) as teachers of life. What does that mean to you?

As Jhamtse is a family, all of us are interdependent and learn to grow from each other. The younger ones will learn from their elders. So being an older member of this family, I have to be careful in my actions and the words I speak.

Education is not only academic; it is educating our heart, mind and body. All the children stay with us at Jhamtse Gatsal. I can’t help them in academics, but I feel I can teach them the basic needs of life, such as cooking, how to talk politely, etc. These are the basic skills of life.

When it comes to educating the heart, we can’t just keep telling the child to be kind, we have to show it to them too. Children mostly learn from our actions more than our words. Although I may not be able to contribute something big to the Community, I try my best to show the youngsters small acts of kindness in the hope that they will become a better person someday.

Can you briefly describe your work, your programs and project in terms of your goals and aspirations? As well as the impact that you believe you are having.

My goal is not complicated. It is simple—to be an honest and truthful person. As His Holiness the Dalai Lama says, ‘’We live very close together, so our prime purpose in this life is to help others and if we can’t help them, at least we mustn’t hurt them.” I strongly believe in this, so I implement this in my life. Even if I can change a single person to be honest and truthful then I will think I have fulfilled my goal. 

I have served in many roles at Jhamtse Gatsal, and am serving as the Kitchen Manager currently. I manage the Community kitchen where we cook over 500 meals a day. I feel that it is an incredible responsibility to take care of the nutritional needs of all the children and adults at Jhamtse. I never treat this job as a chore - it is a privilege and a responsibility - to add the secret ingredient of love and compassion to every meal.

Has living and working at Jhamtse Gatsal changed you in any way?

Yes, absolutely! I have changed a lot after coming to Jhamtse Gatsal. Before coming here, I worked as a driver and I used to gossip on unwanted topics with my friends, I did not care much about others and I used to get angry easily. Often, I used to speak roughly and use harsh words. After I stepped into Jhamtse, my behaviors slowly changed. I came to know what Jhamtse is and what its goal and vision is. I got a lot of support and care from my Jhamtse family and I had no time left for gossiping. Instead, I started to focus on educating my heart, mind and body so I can pay back the kindness to the family. When I look back at my old self, I see a lot of changes, and these happened because of Jhamtse.

What impact is Jhamtse Gatsal having on the children?

Every school gives education and knowledge to their students, but at Jhamtse Gatsal, we integratedly educate their heart, mind and body. We teach life lessons and life skills to our children every day, which I believe makes Jhamtse unique compared to other schools. Even with the highest qualifications, if we don’t have an education of the heart, then these may lead to the most evil things by misusing the knowledge we have. Being in one of the remotest places in the world, Jhamtse is giving the biggest opportunity to the children and the adults to live a meaningful life.

Has there been one moment, one event, one interaction where you had a ‘wow’ moment and said ‘‘this is it! this what Jhamtse Gatsal is and this is why I am here.’’

Once, Genla Lobsang gave a teaching on an interesting topic which I was unaware of. He said that many people say that politicians are quite corrupt and become rich in wrongful ways, but we are not aware that we also do corruption every day. For example, if we have to work for one hour, then instead of working for the whole one hour, we work for 45 minutes only. This is also corruption because we are being paid for one hour of work. At that moment, I was surprised that even an ordinary man can do corruption in their daily life. After hearing this new concept, I felt a sense of ‘wow’ because this was the most interesting thing which I learned after joining my Jhamtse family. It made me look at life differently and behave differently. Today, I try my best to work diligently and not be corrupt in my work habits.