Zasep Rinpoche, our spiritual director, was born to a nomadic family in the Zadoh region of what is now eastern Autonomous Tibet, China. Our first project, started in 1988, was to reconstruct Zuru Monastery located near the town of Zadoh. Gaden Relief has been active in Tibet ever since.
Tibet is undergoing rapid change, particularly as the government is encouraging nomads to abandon their herding lifestyle and move to the cities and towns. This policy is affecting traditional life in rural Autonmous Tibet where all of our projects are located. In some cases the demographic changes have caused the near-collapse of rural monasteries. More than ever our support is needed to help preserve what’s left of traditions that go back centuries.
In general, with respect to Autonomous Tibet in China, Gaden Relief’s projects have been confined to mainly two geographical areas:
- Yushu or Yeshu Prefecture
- Zadoh region