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Light at Sera Monastery I met this friendly little Tibetan Monk at the Sera Monastery during my short trip. He was in the middle of a courtyard full of monks who were engaged in the famous Monk Debates, which are a sort of verbal sparring match used as a method for teaching monks about Buddhism. The basic premise is that one monk asks a questions and the other has a limited amount of time to answer. It gets exciting though because the monk asking the questions makes martial art-like gestures while the monk sitting on the floor tries to retort before he gets a figurative karate chop to the head. The questions are all relating to the teachings of Buddha and are meant to test their knowledge. It was fun to watch these, otherwise peaceful dudes, let out some steam with all their crazy gestures and yelling about. Why the heck did I process this photo so that the little monk is shrouded in darkness? Well, just look at the relentless peace and optimism emanating from his face, despite of everything going on out there. It just seemed appropriate that he would give off light in the darkness.
We're Watching You I spent some time traveling through Tibet last year. I was prepared for all the typical things that come along with traveling in a foreign country, but the one thing that caught me off guard was the constant and pervasive sense that you were being watched. I don't mean this in an existential way, I mean literally being watched. First off, any foreign traveler must have set itinerary and a guide with him everywhere he goes. Secondly, there is a palpable tension among the locals which peaks when you ask anything more than superficial questions about their culture, history and current state of affairs. Understandably so, this is a country that has lived under occupation for a long time. I remember sitting in the lobby of my hotel room in Lhasa and looking out the window as a dozen Chinese soldiers marched up the street. This is a typical sight, especially in Lhasa. There are rumors of guides disappearing because they were too chatty with foreigners and it is widely known that there are surveillance devices in most tourist locations such as monasteries. As I walked through the Gyantse Monastery and looked around at the intricately decorated Buddhas, I kept wondering who was watching me on the other end …
Icarus
See photo in original gallery.
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