Lungten has been following the same routine for the two years since his parents decided he should become a Lama (monk) and sent him to Gurupura.

Nearly 550 other monks of different ages keep Lungten company at the university which was established in 1972 along with the formation of a Tibetan refugee settlement in Karnataka state.

Their aim: attain "enlightenment" by mastering the basic works of the different schools of Tibetan Buddhism and meditation.

More importantly, the goal is to keep their religion alive and pass it on to a new generation of Tibetans who are cut off from Tibet.

Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and thousands of Tibetans fled their Himalayan homeland and took exile in India after an abortive uprising against Chinese communist rule exactly 40 years ago.

THE ONLY OPPORTUNITY OUTSIDE TIBET

"I need to educate myself so I can go around India and teach other Tibetans," says Lungten. "And maybe one day I can go back to Tibet and teach there too."

"Since we cannot offer prayers or follow our religion in Tibet after its occupation by China, this is the only opportunity outside Tibet for us to learn more about our religion," says Tenzin Thukje, a 31-year-old monk who came to Gurupura in 1983.

Nyima Dhondup, administrator of Gyudmed university, says monasteries for all three basic schools of Tibetan Buddhism -- Sera, Gadan and Deprung -- were established in the southern state while the northern hill station of Dalhousie has one monastery.

Geshe Norbu Chophel, a post-doctoral graduate from Gyudmed and now secretary of Sera Mahayana University in the neighbouring settlement of Bayalakuppe, says passing out of the monasteries is a tough process.

"The entire day is filled up with lectures, debates, prayer and more of them. And any kind of indiscipline is not tolerated...the guru will beat us badly," he says. "And we cannot question him as he is considered to be as respectable as the Buddha."

Chophel says monks who want to graduate to a higher level of learning have to take a gruelling oral test standing before thousands of monks, professors and students and are questioned by a row of teachers like himself.

"Answers must be apt and immediate and any hesitation, let alone a wrong answer, means failure."

FREEDOM WITH RESPONSIBILITIES

"Apart from religious studies, our young students are also taught English as in regular school so it is of help to them later," says Dhondup.

Chophel says that despite the presence of strict teachers, monks enjoy a good amount of freedom in their daily activities.

Young monks in Gurupura and Bayalakuppe can be seen chewing gum or riding the latest motorbike models, their maroon robes billowing behind them.

"We even watch movies when we visit (the nearby cities of) Mysore or Bangalore," confides one of the 4,000 monks at Sera. "Our teacher will beat us up if he finds out."

Chophel explains that a Lama watching a movie is fine as long as it is just to kill free time and learn something positive -- but he must not be wrongly influenced by it.

"The four basic rules for Lamas is that he should not lie, not commit theft, remain celibate and not harm another person."

RELIGION STILL ATTRACTS YOUNG TIBETANS

Despite the mix of a strict educational system with moderate personal freedom, Chophel says monkhood is a strong attraction for young Tibetans settled in various camps in India.

"Being a Lama gives a Tibetan a special place in Tibetan society," he says. "Everyone treats them with higher respect, including their own immediate family."

"I don't miss the things non-Lama Tibetans are able to do," says Lungten, sounding more mature than his 15 years. "And if you are intelligent, graduating out of here is not difficult."

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Last updated: 9-Mar-99