The Tibetan diaspora and modern technology are changing Tibetan Buddhism.
Thupten Rinpoche, a high-level lama in the Gelug lineage, spent the last ten years building the Thupsung Dhargyeling Monastery in Dirang, India at the request of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This monastery is intended to be a center of Buddhist study and practice for laypeople, to re-connect them with their culture and spiritual traditions.
As a student of Buddhism, I have spent a great deal of time at Thupten Rinpoche's temple in Los Angeles. I traveled to Dirang to participate in the consecration ceremony at Thupsung Dhargyeling and immersed myself in the daily life of the monastery.
Maintaining religious authenticity is a priority for the preservation of Tibetan culture, but the idea of impermanence is the foundation of Buddhist teachings - believing that our fears and attachments cause suffering in this always-changing world. This body of work explores the juxtaposition of tradition and modernity as the monastery prepares for a visit from their most sacred religious leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
