The Tibetan community of Madison, Wisconsin
Photo by Dani Csaszar.
By Dani Csaszar
The Tibetan Community of Madison may be a smaller one, but it thrives through its resources, allowing Tibetan families and individuals to practice their culture and educate themselves and one another.
Kalsang Dolma, a mother of two, has lived with her family in Madison for over seven years Having previously lived in Downtown Madison, the family now lives in Fitchburg, only about a ten-minute drive from the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.“Me and my husband grew up in India, where it’s very clean, and there’s a lot of trees. That’s why we like to live in nature”, explained Kalsang.
Kalsang was born in Tibet, which went under Chinese repression in 1959. At the young age of six, Kalsang fled her country to India for her education. “I finished high school. Then I went to college, finished college, and then I was a teacher there for 11 years, in India. I taught math and science for Middle High School for nine years,” said Kalsang. She is now a nurse, and her daughter Phurbu is also studying to become a nurse. Kalsang’s parents still live in Tibet, under Chinese rule.
Madison may be considered a small-big city, but it does have a focal Tibetan community that consists of around 500-700 people. In cities likeNew York or Chicago, these Tibetan communities are much larger. “It’s to the point where in like those areas, you can just get away with not even learning like English,” explained Kalsang. Communities in larger cities can exceed thousands of individuals, such as New York City, which holds a Tibetan population of between five and six thousand individuals.
One main resource for the Tibetan community is the Buddhist Deer Park located in Oregon, Wisconsin. It resides just outside of Madison and is the homeplace of Tibetan celebrations and get-togethers. Kalsang emphasized that Deer Park is used for religious ceremonies, practices and teachings. The Deer Park is accessible all day and is welcome to any individual wanting to see it. You can pray, meditate, or talk to the monks.
Geshe Sopa is the founder and emeritus of Deer Park and was a huge inspiration for the Tibetan people in the Madison community. Kalsang talked of him highly. “He gained a lot of support. And he asked his students were a lot of the sponsors. So that’s why there’s especially like a huge community in Madison.” Geshe taught South Asian Studies at UW and was involved with the University for over thirty years.
In 1979, the Dalai Lama visited Madison at the request of Geshe Sopa. Here, the Dalai Lama instilled the first Kalachakra empowerment for world peace in the Western part of the world. This was the Dalai Lama’s first time performing this outside of Tibet or India. He has visited Deer Park an additional eight times since.
Madison also has a community center for children to learn about Tibetan culture and other social events. Kalsang emphasized that the community will celebrate Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, the same day in history thatthe Dalai Lama recieved the Nobel Peace Prize. “We have been celebrating since 1989– it’s a big occasion for us,” Kalsang said.
Kalsang’s husband Dhonpa currently teaches at the community center which is located on the east side. “On Sunday, for three hours, the little kids are taught our culture and the Tibetan language,” explained Kalsang.
Having never been to Tibet, Phurbu still feels a spark from her culture and wants to continue that throughout her life. “I think the biggest thing is me having the urge to learn more about my Buddhist heritage. Every few months I’ll go to the temple or just stuff like that to reignite it,” explained Phurbu.
“If you get involved in community activities or community programs, then you will be able to learn about your culture, and you will be able to retain the rich culture you have. And then, especially if you have kids, you know, the kids will learn from each other. And then you will be talking to the people about what resources there are. It can be really helpful when you have somebody coming from another country,” Phurbu said.
Sponsors or identified individuals of the Madison community helped Tibetan people adapt to Wisconsin. Kalsang emphasized that these first generations survived because of these sponsors, and that’s what truly makes Madison a community. Coming from a completely different part of the world, everything from language to societal norms is an element one must adapt to in order to succeed in their new environment.
Kalsang’s journey here is similar to many others in the Tibetan community: many Tibetan individuals and families were relocated to the United States. Starting as a settlement project for Tibetan refugees in the 1980s, Kalsang had two of her sisters move to Madison. “We have a family here. The eldest sister wanted us to move here in Madison so that we can stay close by and they can help us.”
Phurbu Bhuti, daughter of Kolsang, has utilized her own experience of her Tibetan background. Having moved to Madison at only 8 years old from New York City, this was a huge switch in terms of knowing her culture based on her surrounding environment. “When we first came to Madison, we lived at my aunt’s house, and we lived there. There were a lot of Tibetan kids in that community and we all played together. That was that that was a fun memory for me,” Phurbu said.
Utilizing Madison’s many educational resources allowed Kalsang, Phurbu, and their family to learn English and American customs as well as find jobs and opportunities. Kalsang emphasized that their time at public libraries helped immersive them into American culture. Phurbu and Kalsang highlighted how much they love the educational opportunities that Madison has to offer. This involved not only Deer Park, but of general public services that would provide jobs and opportunities for the family. Some of these involve the Goodman Community Center and Urban League, two public organizations that help with food for the holidays, job opportunities, and more.
Kalsang and her family have hopes of retaining their culture for the following generations. “My goal for the future is like, we always try to teach our children how rich our culture is, especially in terms of trust we have in terms of prayers we do in terms of, you know, how we live our life, living with kindness, helping others, whenever or wherever you can know,”Kalsang said..
The Tibetan Community of Madison may be small, but it is a strong one. The one factor that can be highlighted for the Tibetan community of Madison is the people that make up it up. Individuals have the opportunity to relearn and educate themselves on a beautiful culture. One thing Kalsang wants all readers to take away is that anyone can find trouble in holding their identity close to them. It can be easy to avoid the responsibilities of who an individual may be, but Kalsang emphasizes that we all have the potential to hold on to ourselves.
