Professor Jamspal as I Knew Him
Shared by: Dr. Krishna Ghosh Della Santina, IBC Lecturer
I am humbled and immensely honored to write about our beloved Prof. Lobzang Jamspal, or Genla, as he was fondly addressed by many of his students and acquaintances. I knew Prof. Jamspal for five decades. He was a lecturer of Sanskrit and classical Tibetan language at the Department of Buddhist Studies in Delhi University when I joined the department as an M.Litt. student of Buddhist Studies. Prior to that, Prof. Jamspal received an Acharya degree in Sanskrit, Hindi, and Buddhist and Indian philosophy from the Sanskrit University, Benares, India. There he served as a librarian and Tibetan language instructor, and helped to establish the Central Institute of Tibetan Studies, where he later worked as a lecturer. After moving to the U.S. in 1974, he taught at a Tibetan Institute in New Jersey. In 1991, he earned his Ph.D. from Columbia University, where he taught classical Tibetan for more than 20 years. He later moved to Thailand, and from 2011 to 2021 he taught at the International Buddhist College, Songkhla, Thailand.
Although my initial encounter with Prof. Jamspal was very brief, I never lost contact with him, because my late husband Peter Della Santina was one of his students and they were very close friends. So even when we were not living in the same country, we had a close connection with him. The learning between the teacher and the student continued through the best methods available during the 80s and 90s, and I became part of that process indirectly. I witnessed great commitment, dedication, patience, and love for knowledge from both the teacher and his student.
Much later, in 2011, Prof. Jamspal, after retiring from his tenure at the University of Columbia, came to Thailand and joined IBC to teach, and we met again in a surprising way. Since then, until the time when he went back to his hometown in Ladakh to spend his old age among his relatives and his community, I met him almost daily, on campus. Every time I met him or had a conversation with him, I realised what a rare human being Prof. Jamspal was!
A formal introduction is not required for Prof. Jamspal. One can find his academic and professional achievements from many sources. I can just point out a few extraordinary qualities that Prof. Jamspal possessed. He was a simple person with the highest integrity and sincerity. He had a tremendous amount of patience, and stamina that made him exemplary. He was also extremely generous. His generosity exceeded the boundary of material gifts. He was always ready to give good advice, teachings, and his precious time unconditionally. Sometimes his act of generosity was for a very down-to-earth purpose. To clarify this point: I remember one time when, in Korat (another IBC campus in the north-east), Prof. Jamspal bought a full set of stainless-steel utensils for the kitchen; he wanted to replace all the aluminium cooking pots and pans. He did this out of concern for everyone’s health and wellbeing.
Likewise, Prof. Jamspal was very conscious about a clean environment. Every day, in the early morning, one would encounter the usual sight of Prof. Jamspal collecting discarded plastic bags and bottles, tins and cans, and other garbage. He took this task of cleaning very seriously and tried to instill the same habit in the students. The habit of keeping the environment clean inspired IBC students, who henceforth made a conscious effort to keep the surroundings clean. For sure, Prof. Jamspal had a great role in instilling such good habits.
One could learn many other things from Prof. Jamspal. From the outside, Prof. Jamspal looked fragile and delicate, but inside he was very strong and determined. In terms of his age, he was the senior-most resident of IBC, yet he was extremely energetic and never missed any religious or secular event organized by IBC. In this connection, I can also mention how disciplined he was. He led a very orderly life. He followed the routines of the day meticulously - eating healthy, wholesome food, maintaining a regular walking habit, doing his regular practice and meditation, and giving lessons to his campus and overseas students were part of his daily activities. Above all, a person of “self-reliance,” Prof. Jamspal did not like to depend on others. He insisted on carrying his books/computer to the class, washed his own dishes after lunch, and so on. “One should depend on oneself only, not on others” - that was his kind response when anyone offered him help.
Not many people know that Prof. Jamspal was ordained as a monk at a very young age and left for Tashi Lhunpho in Tibet and stayed at the monastery for many years. Before the annexation of Tibet by China, Prof. Jamspal travelled to India and could not go back to Tibet because of the hostile situation there. His years of training as a monk made him extremely disciplined and respectful towards the monastic establishment.
I would like to remind my readers that Prof. Jamspal could make anyone elated in a very unusual way. Around Korat campus, in a semi-forested area, Prof. Jamspal erected many miniature votive stupas collecting stones and pebbles. He told me each stupa was meant for a specific person. And before I could ask him anything else, he showed me one stupa that was meant for me. I could feel goosebumps all over me; my eyes swelled up and my voice choked. He was so humble and unassuming that he could honor and felicitate everyone/anyone irrespective of one’s age and status. No wonder he was and is so much loved and respected by so many people.
There are so many other things one could relate to about him. I think we are very fortunate to have had him among us. The presence of Prof. Jamspal was a great blessing for IBC. He was the epitome of a selfless, generous, energetic, compassionate, kind-hearted and joyful human being with no hatred or jealousy. Throughout his life, he adhered to his favorite text, Śāntideva’s Bodhicaryāvatāra and indeed proved himself to be a true follower of a Bodhisattva’s way of life.
