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The
Rabten-Choeling Center
for Higher Tibetan Studies
is perched on a hillside 820 meters above
Lake
Geneva
with gorgeous views of the
Alps
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For
David, the
thought form for making this particular trip arose last spring while we
were still in the Caribbean
and planning the next steps of our voyage aboard Gyatso |
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Tibetan
prayer flags abound on the property of the Rabten Choeling Center. |
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This
building serves as a residence for most of the monks in the monastery at
the Center as well as the dining hall for students, monks and visitors to
Rabten Choeling. |
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The
secretariat and temple are located in an adjacent building. The
monastery maintains a regular schedule of morning and evening prayers,
teachings, debates and classes most of which take place in this building. |
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The
Center's mascot is a friendly Yak as long as you feed him apples and
don't enter his pen. |
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Prayer
wheels surround the temple building. |
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Lisa
takes a spin around the circuit of prayer wheels, a practice known as khorwa. |
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Monks
begin to gather for the afternoon teaching by Venerable Gonsar Rinpoche,
the director of the Rabten Choeling Center which includes a Tibetan
Buddhist monastery. |
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David
tours the library at the Center with Lama Tenzin Lodro. He was very
impressed to discover their efforts to preserve Tibetan texts. |
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Lama
Tenzin Lodro shows us a wood block, the traditional way of printing
Tibetan texts. |
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A kata
is tied to the door of the Rabten Editions and Rabten Foundation office
with the same knot as the katas onboard Gyatso. These
white silk scarves are a traditional ceremonial offering for
Tibetans. Gyatso has two tied to the grab rails in our main
cabin. |
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David
is beaming after being reunited with Ven. Gonsar Tulku Rinpoche, his
Tibetan teacher. |
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After
raining almost every day during our visit, the sun finally came out on the
day we departed as if to invite us back as soon as possible. |
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