This is just a little post in honor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's visit to the United States. Today, the President met with His Holiness, making Bush the first president to do so publicly, and tomorrow Congress will present the Dalai Lama with the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition "of his many enduring and outstanding contributions to peace, nonviolence, human rights, and religious understanding." First presented to George Washington in 1776, the Gold Medal is awarded to individuals, institutions, or groups for outstanding service or distinguished achievements. Past award recipients have included Major General Andrew Jackson a.k.a President Andrew Jackson or King Andrew to his detractors, the Wright brothers, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Irving Berlin, Robert Frost, and Dr. Norman E. Borlaug.While I've not had the pleasure of an audience with the Dalai Lama, last summer I was lucky enough to attend His Holiness' birthday celebration in Dharamsala, the northern Indian town where he has lived since his exile from Tibet in 1959. And so, here are a few pictures of the Dalai Lama's adopted hometown:
A foggy morning in Dharamsala, July 2006.
This mural is outside an old person's home near Namgyal Monastery, Dharamsala.
Om Mani Padme Hum rocks on the circumambulation path around Namgyal Monastery, Dharamsala.
A woman hangs prayer flags down the hill from His Holiness the Dalai Lama's house. People hang flags at this site throughout the year, but many more come to hang flags on the Dalai Lama's birthday.
Young monks debating at Namgyal Monastery, Dharamsala.
No comments:
Post a Comment