The religious orders founded by Atisha and those who followed him were sponsored by noble families, who gained credibility through the association. In exchange, the learned lamas served as teachers, adminstrators, and priests. Typically, the head of each Tibetan monastery was the son of a noble family, and the office was hereditary. Since monks were celibate, control would pass from uncle to nephew. Educated and worldly, the lamas helped run the monastic estates and counseled the kings.
Scholars believe life in the monasteries changed little over the centuries.
Unlike Europeans at the time, Tibetan monks ate well. The staple of monastic and peasant life was barley grown in mountain fields that were irrigated by glacial melt. Monks supplemented their diet with a wide variety of yak products, including milk, cheese, butter, and meat. The monasteries grew in power, thriving until the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950, when many of the largest monasteries and centuries-old religious libraries were destroyed. Led by the Dalai Lama, the monks who fled the country continue to follow the traditions set down by Atisha.