Manjushri Sculpture at Deer Park

In the Manjushri Hall at Deer Park is a large central image of Manjushri approximately 7 feet tall. This sculpture is a copy based on a photograph of the famous Manjushri sculpture in Sakya, Tibet, said to be made by Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltsen. The photo used for the copy was taken by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche during his first visit to Sakya Monastery.

Conference,1st Day

It is 7:30 in the morning on Monday the first full day of the conference. The first session begins at 9:00. It is warmer this morning with nice light and sunshine beginning to streak over the mountains catching the eye at odd angles. The wi-fi internet is supposed to be turned on from 6:00 in the morning but wasn't active until 7:20 today. The Internet users are competing with a yoga class about 20 feet away.

The image above is of me in the mountains above Dzongsar Monastery, Kham, Eastern Tibet, back in August of 2004. The monastery, not visible, is way down in the valley below. At this time Victoria Blythe-Hill and I were doing and a conservation survey and cataloguing of all the sculpture and paintings in Dzongsar monastery.

Karmapa Visit Photos

The group photo was taken the morning of Saturday March 14th by a monk attendant using Matthieu Ricard's camera fitted with a wide angle lens. In the full photo Matthieu is kneeling in front with the big smile. Seated on the floor to the right of Karmapa is the happy face of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. Gene Smith is standing to the left of Karmapa with Paldor seated below and to the left. I am standing at the back, almost center, with Jake Dalton standing below and slightly to the left, above Karmapa.

The painting to the left of me behind the Shakyamuni Buddha sculpture depicts the five forms of Manjushri associated with the five peaks of Wutaishan Mountain in China. This recently painted portrayal of the five forms shows that the subject of Manjushri at Wutaishan is as popular as ever.

Hang Gliding Images

These two images are taken from a window of the Tara Wi-fi Lounge at Deer Park Institute. It is a common sight to see these daring hang gliders floating above the temples and villages of the Kangra District.

Conference Signage

Here is the conference sign and a picture of the main temple at Deer Park. The double headed parrots are/is kind of cute. The original concept for this comes from Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltsen. The double headed birds, in Sakya Pandita's design there are two birds, represent the early translators of Tibet. For more information on this subject see the publication "Gateway to the Temple" by Chokye Tri Rinpoche, translated by David Jackson.

Did you know that Bir is famous for hang gliding. It is one of the hottest spots in all of India. On Thursday in Majnukatilla I met a Tibetan from Toronto who had just returned from hang gliding in Bir. I asked if he had family there or was on pilgrimage and he said no he was only there for the hang gliding.

Arrival in Deer Park, Bir

Arrived in Deer Park, Bir, at 12:00 last night. It was a 16 hour bus ride from Delhi. You definitely need a jacket at night up here in the mountains. Sunny and cool this morning. There are lots of people I know at the conference and more Tibetan friends than I can count. We have wi-fi from about 8 in the morning until 11 or 12 at night. I don't know how well it will work when there are 50 scholars all sitting cross-legged in a room connected to the internet. We will have to see. There will be a formal greeting this afternoon with Dzongsar Khyentse and Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. The conference officially starts tomorrow morning.

The group meeting with the Gyalwa Karmapa yesterday morning went as planned and was very nice. Some group photos were taken. I will post these after I get them.

The image above is of Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche at his official enthronement ceremony recognizing him as the rebirth of Khyentse Chokyi Lodro. The ceremony was conducted in the early 1960s. Khyentse Rinpoche is the host of the Translators Conference here in Bir, North India.

New Delhi, International House Seminar

On Friday afternoon and evening there was a seminar titled 'What the Panditas and Yogis Brought to Tibet.' There were four speakers (from the left) made up of Steven Goodman, John Dunne, Gene Smith, and Jake Dalton. It was very well attended with some recognizable faces of old friends such as Virendra Kumar, patriarch of the Kumar family, and others. The event was co-sponsored by the Khyentse Foundation.

We are up at 5:00 tomorrow morning and then off to see the (Situ) Gyalwa Karmapa for an audience prior to the 14 or more hour bus ride to Bir. It should prove to be a thoroughly exhausting day with or without the audience. It seems there will be a convoy of three mini buses.