Beijing: Sunday Morning

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Yesterday the conference started at 9:00, broke for a one hour lunch, went until 7:00 and broke for an hour and a half for a welcoming banquet, including alcohol with lots of toasts, and then continued in the conference room for three more papers ending at 11:00 at night. Don tell me that conferences are easy. Do you realize how brain dead you get in the late afternoon listening to an interesting paper followed by a drop dead boring paper. It can literally be mind numbing.

Up early today, breakfast is at 7:00 and the papers begin at 8:00. There will be papers discussing style today and I think some iconography. I will have to check the schedule and see which I need to pay special attention to.

The image of the sculpture is of the bodhisattva Manjushri with four arms. This was one of the many works of art on display at the new Tibetan Research Center.

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Photos

Manjushri with Four Arms
This is a really beautiful sculpture nearly two feet tall. Because of the lotus stalk we get the real sense of size and dimension. The proportions are good and the face is very sweet.