It was my last English Conversation class with Rinchen, the 18 year old Tibetan refugee I have been working with twice weekly. He is heading back to his boarding school this week. It has been an interesting insight to work with him, and we have shared several experiences including cooking and watching movies.
For our last lesson we went to the Tsuglag Khang temple. In one of our classes he asked me if I had seen the Mona Lisa – a painting that he had been taught about in school. He told me about the statue of Avalokiteshwara in the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, which he claims have the same enigmatic expression on his face. Avalokiteshwara is the bodhisattva of compassion (of which HH Dalai Lama is an emanation). There is a replica of this famous statue in McLeod Ganj´s main temple. Unfortunately, our statue seems to lack such qualities.
I take him to for a double espresso at Tenyangs´cafe before heading back. He has bought me a beautiful notebook as a “thank-you.” I have promised him a pizza during one of his once monthly “day´s off”. His school is close to Mandi, some 5 hours bus drive away!
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