Geshe Losang Gyatso is enjoying the peace of Dunedin.
From rural Tibet to inner-city Dunedin, he has been on a more than 20-year journey on the path to enlightenment.
Geshe Gyatso grew up in Zakhog, a small town in eastern Tibet.
"It is a small town, mountainous with clean rivers."
When he left Tibet for India to study Buddhism, it was for two reasons — to receive an education, and to see His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet.
Tibetans in Tibet desperately want to see the Dalai Lama, he said.
"I was able to see him and I was ordained as a full monk by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, which I consider a milestone in my life.
"Seeing and hearing His Holiness, seeing him in life, hearing him in person was an unforgettable moment for me."
Tibetans in their country had no opportunity to see the Dalai Lama or hear him, they could only look at his photo in secret, Geshe Gyatso said.
"When I was able to see him in person, and hear him, I couldn’t believe my good fortune."
Geshe Gyatso spent over 20 years studying at Sera Jey Monastic University in South India to earn his "Geshe" teaching degree.
"I studied the five major treatises of a Buddhist, including philosophy, psychology, phenomenology, epistemology and so on."
To be a successful candidate (to have a PhD equivalent) he needed to study these major texts for 20 years.
"Not just study, you had to debate and memorise the texts."
Since arriving in Dunedin, Geshe Gyatso said he already felt at home and enjoyed the city’s beauty and peace.
"I am a quiet person by nature, and this city, this house, is very peaceful.
"It marries with my requirement for quiet reflection and practice."
He hoped to not only serve the Dhargyey Buddhist Centre community in his religious capacity, but also serve the wider community in his daily life, he said.
"I hope that I’m able to live up to one of the highest Buddhist ideas, which is others before self.
"In Buddhism self is one, others are infinite, and what affects others, what matters to others is infinitely more significant than issues that affect one person," he said.
Dhargyey Buddhist Centre trustee Peter Small said the trust was delighted to have Geshe Gyatso join the centre.
The trust was in the process of applying for a work visa when the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
"So he has been waiting patiently in India for three years to get here."
He had connections with the other lamas (spiritual leaders) at the centre, and had settled in well.
"His official title is ritual master," Mr Small said.
