About Tapey

Tapey is a young Tibetan monk from Kirti Monastery whose attempted self-immolation February 27, 2009 in the marketplace in Ngawa Town, Ngawa County, Sichuan marked the beginning of the wave of Tibetan self-immolations.
The 14th Dalai Lama praying in the pavilion, closing the Kālacakra mandala and offering flowers

Tibetan Buddhist monks – Leaders of the Tibetan tradition

Buddhist monasticism is an important part of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, all the major and minor schools maintain large monastic institutions based on the Mulasarvastivada Vinaya (monastic rule) and many religious leaders come from the monastic community. Monasteries generally adhere to one particular school, Kagyu, Sakya, Gelug or Jonang. Medium to large communities of celibate monastics maintains several hundred and might have extensive land holdings, be financially independent, and sometimes also act as trading centers. Large .