Much of the literature on Tibetan Buddhist monasticism has tended to characterize monasteries as homogenous and monks as direct representatives of institutionalized religious values. Very few studies have attempted to directly investigate the lifestyles of Tibetan Buddhist monks and the role that the social environment of the monastery plays in influencing these lifestyles. Research was conducted at two small monasteries of the Gelukpa order of Tibetan Buddhist monasticism – Spituk and Ridzong – in central Ladakh, a predominantly Buddhist region in India’s northern Himalaya. Despite sharing many similarities, these two monasteries differed in their location relative to Ladakh’s urban center, amount of integration with neighboring villages, size, and patterns in monks attending external institutions for monastic education. An array of field methods were carried out that included survey interviews, life history interviews, shadowing and traditional participant observation. It was found that there were significant differences between the two monasteries with regards to patterns in life history narratives and patterns in daily lifestyles. These patterns are suggestive of contrasting trends in the religiosities of the two communities: Spituk Monastery being pastoral – prioritizing service for the spiritual welfare of broader lay society – and Ridzong Monastery being cenobitic – concerned with accommodating the spiritual interests of the monastic community itself. This study provides insights into the details and variations in daily life, operations, social organization and career paths of the kinds of small, traditional Tibetan Buddhist monastic communities that have historically represented the majority of the monastic population in the Tibetan cultural sphere, and of which little is known.
