April 6, 2023: Pharping

Good morning and good evening from KTM!

Pharping is a beautiful area an hour up into the mountains, it is peaceful and full of monasteries, some small and traditional, and some have become huge. There are also Hindu temples and fields!

I was invited to a small monastery that has built a new library to house its significant Buddhist texts, old and new. After meeting with the daughter of the great teacher, and discussing thangka conservation, digital restoration, and other conservation topics, I toured the new library with the monastery manager. We recorded my observations on his mobile phone so I needn’t be writing reports, and it works well that way, as I send along my photos of the site to accompany the recording of our Q and A.

I donated a book to the library by Ani Pema Chodron.

Following that, we had a delicious lunch with nuns there, and then my taxi driver and I had a tour of the monasteries in Pharping.

Then, upon return to hotel, had a very good meeting with the head of the traditional Newari Buddhist art school where I lectured yesterday, and we discussed conservation and other topics. His wife is the daughter of a famous sculptor.

Then, my dinner party guests arrived, along with the Principal and Director of Thrangu Rinpoche’s children’s school, who also new the Art School founder.
At night, I am sending you this and also writing replies to conservation questions that have appeared from other monasteries.