Opening of the Into Bhutan exhibit

Only one picture to post right now but it is an important one. I will post the rest in the next day or two. Cecily is welcoming all to the exhibit. Arjia Rinpoche will provide the opening welcome. Rinpoche is Director of the Tibetan/Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center - aka TMBCC. He is the one standing in the foreground in front of the other monks.
I 'lifted' a picture from the TMBCC website with Rinpoche and the Dalai Lama in 1999

Also lifted from the TMBCC website is the explanation of what Rinpoche means:
In the Tibetan tradition of Buddhism, "Rinpoche" is a title given to a tulku--a reincarnated being of a previous holy person. When he was two years old, Arjia Rinpoche was recognized as the incarnation of the father of Lama Tsong Khapa, the great thirteenth-century Buddhist reformer, and, as such, became the Abbot of Kumbum Monastery located in eastern Tibet.
I have read Rinpoche's book: Surviving the Dragon - more can be seen about it at this link on the TMBCC site - http://www.tmbcc.net/info/book/book.html
It is a very powerful book and speaks to events that are outside the usual experiences of someone born and raised in the US although will be recognized in a different form as events that also can occur here. Events related by someone who has lived through them and provides guidance and explanation of the Tibetan culture. It isn't an easy book to read, I had to put it down many times and then start back up weeks later. I would definitely recommend it, though, if you are interested in learning about different cultures and experiences.
More later, including a Tibetan/Mongolian fashion show!