About Save Zanskar

About Save Zanskar

In 2003, Geshe Lobsang Yonten started what was to become Save Zanskar when he brought 17 poor children from Zanskar to Manali and Dharamsala, India for schooling—pledging to their parents to care for them as his own. Below is a short film featuring Geshe Yonten describing the work of Save Zanskar.

Aims and Objectives

The aim of Save Zanskar is to provide the children of the regions of Ladakh and Zanskar in northern India with both a proper modern education and ongoing immersion in their cultural heritage.

Geshe Yonten has said that just as a bird cannot fly without two wings, so humans cannot flourish without both an ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ education. Through this approach, Save Zanskar wishes to help educate the children and thus afford them with the best possible opportunity to become better human beings.

This dual approach will help preserve these ancient cultures, as well as embed an appreciation for their unique origins and destiny.

If you can help the children receive a proper ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ education, see our How to Help page.

The Children of Save Zanskar

The Need for Save Zanskar

Geshe Lobsang Yonten grew up in Zanskar, a remote part of northern India that is historically and ethnically Tibetan. It is one of the last places on earth where the original Tibetan Buddhist way of life still exists. As a child he saw many very poor families in his village and the surrounding area. He says he has always remembered those families and was concerned about their future and their lives. With rapid modernization and development happening in this area, Geshe Yonten believes that the people of this area can no longer survive without both a proper traditional and modern education.  As the traditional values of the region erode, he fears the younger generation may be more easily swayed to join in criminal activities or even participate in acts of terrorism that are becoming more prevalent in the region.

Currently, the only options that exist for education are Indian government schools or very expensive private schools. Neither option teaches in the Tibetan way, meaning the children are becoming more and more distant from their cultural heritage.

Geshe Yonten created Save Zanskar in hopes of providing the children of the region with what he calls both an inner and outer education that will instill in them traditional Tibetan cultural values so that they may lead successful lives while preserving their dying culture.

What is Inner and Outer Education?

Geshe Yonten says that an outer, modern education prepares students for jobs and allows them to meet their basic physical needs. However, he believes that an inner education is necessary to train people to get rid of negative thoughts and cultivate a positive mental attitude. He does not believe material things can alleviate mental suffering. As he says, there are two kinds of suffering and two kinds of happiness – physical and mental. Therefore a person needs two kinds of education – inner and outer. The physical suffering can often be alleviated by external means, but the mental suffering can only be alleviated by inner education and development.

The History of Save Zanskar

Upon becoming a Geshe and taking the Bodhisattva vows of compassion, the Dalai Lama asked Geshe Yonten what he would do as his service to others. Geshe Yonten, knowing the importance of the Himalayan region to the survival of the Tibetan Buddhism and its Tibetan culture, chose to take on the responsibility of educating the children of Zanskar and the surrounding regions of Ladakh.

In 2003, Geshe Yonten brought the first group of children from Zanskar to Tibetan schools in India; the children had to leave their families, with no foreseeable visits to them in the near future.  To date, he has brought twenty-two children.  He relies on donations to pay the student’s school fees and all expenses while they are in his care.

In 2005, filmmaker Frederick Marx accompanied Geshe Yonten to Zanskar as children were selected for, and ultimately brought south into Manali; this journey became the basis for the documentary film Journey from Zanskar narrated by Richard Gere.

In 2010, thanks to a generous donor, many of the children were able to return to Zanskar to visit their families for the first time in over five years.

See the Projects page to learn more about the current and future projects and goals of  Save Zanskar.