Hong Kong Airport - Heading to Chengdu

I have a few hours to wait for my flight to Chengdu so I might as well just relax. My first choice was the 'Cabin' Cathay Business Class lounge but it was very full because they are renovating the 'Wing' lounge. I moved over to the Dragonair which is a lot quieter and less humid. If I get bored here then I can move to the Quantus lounge which I have never been in.

The flight from New York was as expected except they bumped me to Business. You know I have a love hate relationship with Business Class because the coffin seats are a little short. I did catch up on movies and the food was good. The fifteen or so hours just fly by.

Well, as the five of you who read this blog know - Blogger doesn't work in China. Therefore, after today I will be using the Travelblog: http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Jeff-on-the-Road/page-1.html

I arrive in Chengdu at about 11:00 tonight and have a friend picking me up at the airport. The weekend is free and I don't have to be at the Sichuan University until 10:00 Monday morning. The jetlag will not be over by then but will definitely have lessened. I don't need to do very much prep work for the first few classes. The detailed outline was all prepared in New York and translated into Chinese. All further outlines will be based on that original model along with input from the students.

Back to China

Today is a travel day. I am heading to Chengdu via Hong Kong to spend time at the Sichuan University. Unfortunately Cathay did not bump me up to Business Class for this leg of the trip. That's O.K., sometimes it is more comfortable in coach sitting in the exit row aisle seat. I've noticed in the last few months that Cathay has downgraded the food in Business Class. I don't know if that was just for that flight or whether it is a new trend to save money.

The Sichuan University has invited me to come and teach on he subject of iconography in Tibetan art. It is not an easy subject and even more difficult to try and teach. Up until now there have been no systems, course curriculum or publications that teach a systematic and intelligible method of learning Tibetan iconography. I have spent many years thinking about a system and worked through many course models. Some failed miserably and others had moderate success. Through trial and error I believe I now have a model that will work - it just has to be proven in the field - a classroom with interested students. The graduate students at Sichuan University will be the test case.

SRG Site Up and Running Smoothly

The SRG site was down for a few days in mid April but was then back up without any problems. I dislike any down time with websites because it usually indicates a bad service provider or sloppiness on the part of the web master. I will try and do some updates on the site in the next few days - god only knows - I have the material.

Sakya Resource Guide is Temporarily Down

The SRG is down because the hosting company is doing some major changes to their infrastructure. Unfortunately I do not have a mirror site, so, that means SRG is down for up to a few days. They say maybe up to five. For those avid SRG viewers all I can recommend is that you spend a little time with the HAR site. I know it is a meager substitute but it is all I can suggest. On HAR look especially to the News page because this month, April, and it's only the 15th, there have already been thirty-four (34) news items uploaded. If you can get through all of those in the next few days while SRG is down then I will be impressed. Because, it is not just that there are 34 items, it is because there are numerous new pages added for each of those News items. It really is a lot of material not to mention the hundreds of new images that have gone up to accompany the News items.

Now, the reason for the goat? Well, the mountain goat picture was taken some years ago outside of a small cave that clings precariously onto a cliff a few hundred feet above my cabin in the mountains. You can tell by the beautiful white fur that it was the fall. I am actually going to the cabin tomorrow. If I see anymore mountain goats then I will surely take a photo. Usually at this time of year I see more moose and elk. I hope a bear hasn't gotten into my supplies. Usually they are too quick to photograph especially if you come across one on a path - they usually bolt for the cover of underbrush and forest. The bears at the cabin are quite wild and not as familiar with people.

Resolving the Dalai Lama resignation crisis: Jamyang Norbu

Read Jamyang Norbu on the Dalai Lama resignation........

http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=29312&article=Resolving+the+Dalai+Lama+resignation+crisis%3a+Jamyang+Norbu

The Dalai Lama Abdicates

The Dalai Lama abdicating his government role and abdicating future
Dalai Lamas from the role of leader of Tibetans should be received as big news and a big step towards the Tibetan culture in exile entering the 21st century.

This is a must read..........

http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=29310&article=The+Untouchables+of+Dharamsala

--- Jeff

"His Holiness the Dalai Lama has done the opposite: he’s decided to
abdicate his political powers to an elected leadership, committing the
400-year old institution of the Dalai Lama to history. At a time when
street revolutions are afoot and despots are fighting to retain their
last bastions, the Dalai Lama and his people are engaged in a polite
pingpong exchange. He wants his people to choose their own leadership
while they — unable to rise above their emotions — are pleading with
him to continue."

"As a child, my first image of the Dalai Lama was on a postage stamp.
He was holding a child, so we were envious and our parents said we
were the unfortunate ones. For Tibetans, he is the reincarnation of
Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva who vowed to be with us until we all
achieve nirvana. So when he’s making fundamental changes — terminating
the Ganden Phodrang government that’s existed since 1642 — it’s a
deeply emotional moment and the change is unlikely to be easy." (www.phayul.com)

Gene Smith - Memorial Service: Feb. 12th, 2011

Public Memorial

A public memorial service for E. Gene Smith will be held at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, at 1047 Amsterdam Ave. at 112th St., New York, NY on Saturday, February 12, 2011 at 2:00 pm.

See up to date information on the TBRC website.