I Tried (to be reverent)

I left the guest house around 11 on my 3rd day in town in order to catch the Dalai Lama's last show at Gandantegchinlen Khiid (don't worry, I can't pronounce that either); a temple built in the 19th century, partially destroyed in the Communist purges of the mid 20th, and then restored again a few years later.

I'm not a Buddist, so I went to this event in much the same spirit as I would go to hear a sermon of Billy Graham: I went to see an important figure, who some revere, and try to discern the character and merit of this reverence. So, I didn't expect my contact with the D L to bring me any closer to the "center of shaman eternal heavenly sophistication."

(Center of Shaman Eternal Heavenly Sophistication)

Most interesting was watching the people. Most irritating was being pushed by the people trying to catch a glimpse of his multiple reincarnateness; Bhuddists are pushier physically, while Christians are pushier ideologically!


The monk with the shades seemed to be high-up in the hirarchy.

The temple, the monks, the D L's security detail, the pilgrims, and the tourists were all worth my time. But after waiting for 45 minutes, I quickly became bored when the awaited event finally began. I stayed for about 10 minutes, and then I thought, "I wouldn't sit in church for this long, so why am I standing here being crushed by people to listen to a sermon I can't even understand?" And then I left.

I know this is irreverent, but, speaking what I think was Tibetan, the Dalai Lama, in timbre and tempo, really sounded like, yes, you guessed it, Yoda.