Busy busy.

I know it's been awhile since I last posted but May took me (and our Biology Field Trip class) to southern Missouri and then to a conference in Cincinnati, and June began with our Hogan Institute and a seminar in China and Tibet. In this picture I am eagerly awaiting the beginning of the Cham festival at Mingdrolling Monastery outside of Tsetang, Tibet Autonomous Region. During this festival the monks celebrate the life of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava, or "the Second Buddha," the yogi who brought Indian Buddhism to Tibet) through dance. It was amazing! This celebration only occurs once a year on Guru Rinpoche's birthday (May 10th on the Tibetan Lunar calendar), and we just happened fortuitously to be visiting Mingdrolling that day. We couldn't believe our luck! I am wearing a kathak, or prayer scarf, given to each of us as we were graciously invited into the monastery by the interim abbott, a very kind Buddhist Lama who arranged for us to have a tour of the monastery and fantastic seats at the Cham.