Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Sacred Arts of Bhutan 2: The Monks



Because these are considered sacred objects rather than "art," this exhibit is also traveling with two Bhutanese monks (above).



They are situated next to an extraordinary altar...



...while kneeling on a tiger rug.



Their indifference to museum niceties was amusingly demonstrated when the dignitaries were trying to make speeches at the podium...



...and they proceeded to start banging their cymbals and chanting a prayer.



They will be holding special prayer rituals each day at 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM if you'd like to watch...



...but please don't act like these press photographers who looked like they were taking pictures of animals at a zoo.



At one point during the tour of the galleries by Ms. Bartholomew, the monks arrived to purify the room of bad karma...



...possibly left by the local ABC-TV television personality Don Sanchez and his unfortunate dye job.



Everyone tried to take pictures of the monks as they went about their ceremonies but I bowed to them instead, and received a deep bow and smiles in return.

2 comments:

Nancy Ewart said...

Unfortunately dye job - LOL! I loved the monks doing their ceremonies during the presentation; when they went around the galleries, I bowed to them as well as turning the prayers wheel with a prayer for peace.

Joe Lynn said...

I saw Mr. Sanchez at a Chinese New Year's parade before the dye job. He was riding in a convertable apparently with a friend of his granddaughter.