Imagine building a mental skyscraper, laying one floor upon another—that’s essentially how Gelug monastic education unfolds. Starting as a bright-eyed novice around age eight, the journey typically spans 15–20 years, weaving together memorization, debate and guided commentary on five “great” texts:

• Prajñāpāramitā (Perfection of Wisdom)
  – Rooted in the Heart Sutra and its Tsongkhapa exposition, this lays the foundation for seeing through appearances.

• Madhyamaka (Middle Way Philosophy)
  – Nagarjuna’s stanzas get unpacked via detailed analysis, sharpening clarity around emptiness without falling into extremes.

• Pramāṇa (Epistemology and Logic)
  – Valid sources of knowledge and rigorous debate techniques form the intellectual toolkit—think of it as mental gymnastics.

• Abhidharma (Phenomenology)
  – Detailed maps of mind and matter act as guides for meditation and compassionate engagement.

• Vinaya (Monastic Discipline)
  – Codes of conduct ensure vows are lived day in, day out, cultivating integrity from the ground up.

At each stage, a monk immerses in Tsongkhapa’s commentaries, then takes to the debate courtyard—where lively exchanges on Zoom became commonplace during the pandemic—to test understanding and sharpen reasoning. Major exams loom every few years, culminating in the Geshe Lharampa degree, roughly the academic equivalent of a doctorate.

Alongside these texts, practice cycles, guru devotion and ritual arts thread through the curriculum. Retreat cabins tucked into the Himalayas or even a quiet corner in a Western dharma center host intensive meditation periods. Recently, digital archives like the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives have made rare commentaries accessible worldwide, fueling a new wave of monastics and lay practitioners diving deep into Tsongkhapa’s vision.

This step-by-step approach—no stone left unturned—ensures that by the time a Geshe teaching in a London temple or at the Dalai Lama’s annual teachings in Dharamsala stands up to deliver a lecture, the mind isn’t just informed; it’s been forged, tested and illuminated.