Tea is considered essential by all Tibetans,
lamas included. Every morning, lamas attend a morning mass
held under the aegis of the sutra teacher. This is followed
the consumption of buttered tea and a roasted highland barley
dish known as zanba. At noon, they gather in the sutra hall
of the Buddhist school of the monastery to pray and recite
Buddhist scriptures while drinking tea. This ceremony is much
the same as the morning mass, but is held on a smaller scale.
In the evening, lamas gather in Khang-tshan organized according
to where they are located to pray and drink tea in a fairly
informal setting. In Tibetan this is called Kamqa.
It is very common for benefactors to
visit monasteries, where they offer tea porridge to lamas
while presenting them with the names of the Buddhist scriptures
they wish the lamas to recite for them. There are also senior
lamas studying for Geshi, a Buddhist academic degree equivalent
to a Ph.D, who also offer tea porridge to the lamas of the
whole monastery.
