Eu tenho muitas mem\u00f3rias. E tamb\u00e9m com certeza <\/span>n\u00e3o<\/i><\/span> tenho mem\u00f3ria de v\u00e1rias coisas. Algumas se foram para sempre e outras est\u00e3o meio de lado, esperando ser reavivadas por algo t\u00e3o simples quanto o cheiro de coentro. O que \u00e9 um infort\u00fanio, porque, j\u00e1 que tenho mem\u00f3rias, est\u00e1 provado que n\u00e3o sou um ser sublime. Por enquanto, por\u00e9m, a mem\u00f3ria \u00e9 uma parte importante do meu caminho.<\/span><\/p>\n Kurjey Lhakang. Foto de Tara di Gesu.<\/p><\/div>\n Em agosto de 2016, pisei novamente no\u00a0<\/span>Kurjey Lhakhang<\/a>\u00a0em Bumthang, um lugar onde eu n\u00e3o estivera por quase tr\u00eas d\u00e9cadas. Sua Majestade Ashi Kesang Choeden Wangchuck, atual Rainha-Av\u00f3, construiu o Khaje Lhakhang em 1990 neste lugar sagrado do But\u00e3o central que fora h\u00e1 muito um centro da aristocracia local. Foi a sede da linhagem Wangchuck at\u00e9 os anos 50. O templo constru\u00eddo por ela \u00e9 uma joia, a mais linda na coroa que \u00e9 Bumthang.<\/span><\/p>\n O sal\u00e3o do templo principal \u00e9 grande o suficiente para grandes reuni\u00f5es p\u00fablicas, mas tem um longo corredor aberto ao longo de um dos lados, quase como uma varanda, o que \u00e9 t\u00edpico nos templos Butaneses. Em geral se penduram nessa \u00e1rea v\u00e1rios sinos que ocasionalmente algu\u00e9m toca. N\u00e3o \u00e9 exatamente o lugar mais apropriado para se colocar uma cama. No entanto, assim que entrei no templo, com sua atmosfera e odores caracter\u00edsticos, imediatamente me surgiu a mem\u00f3ria de Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche descansando em sua cama naquela varanda. Ele se instalava l\u00e1 por semanas a fio, \u00e0s vezes por meses, enquanto eu e um ou outro atendente dorm\u00edamos no sal\u00e3o principal, enrolando nossos colch\u00f5es durante o dia. Sob a perspectiva de uma pessoa mimada n\u00e3o era um lugar onde se pudesse viver, era como resolver se alojar numa sala cont\u00edgua \u00e0 um sal\u00e3o de banquetes. A varanda n\u00e3o tinha uma porta que se pudesse fechar, ou um lavabo, muito menos um banheiro completo. N\u00e3o havia arm\u00e1rios nem mesas de cabeceira, nenhuma comodidade. No entanto, ele fazia as refei\u00e7\u00f5es e passava as noites l\u00e1, com suas roupas bem dobradinhas; ele escrevia l\u00e1 e l\u00e1 recebia visitas e concedia audi\u00eancias. S\u00f3 o que havia era uma cortina fina que, de toda forma, estava quase sempre aberta.<\/span><\/p>\n Foi bom estar de volta em Kurjey. Alguns meses antes eu tinha recebido uma carta escrita de pr\u00f3prio punho por Sua Majestade, num elegante envelope selado com cera, gentilmente me concedendo a permiss\u00e3o para l\u00e1 conduzir um drubchen. Mesmo sendo t\u00e3o ocupada, Sua Majestade sempre escreve seus convites \u00e0 m\u00e3o. Um tipo de eleg\u00e2ncia que eu j\u00e1 tentei imitar em minha comunica\u00e7\u00e3o pessoal, claro que s\u00f3 at\u00e9 perceber o tempo e a paci\u00eancia necess\u00e1rios para tanto \u2013 evidentemente, logo desisti. Tendo recebido esta carta, outra mem\u00f3ria foi fisgada:<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0Pal\u00e1cio Dechencholing<\/p><\/div>\n A primeira vez em que estive na presen\u00e7a de Sua Majestade foi no Pal\u00e1cio Dechencholing em Thimphu, onde ela viveu por muitos anos, durante os terceiro e quarto reinados, de 1953 a 2009. A ocasi\u00e3o me marcou muito porque foi quando eu descobri qual \u00e9 a apar\u00eancia do bom gosto. O Dechencholing \u00e9 a mais bela e elegante resid\u00eancia do But\u00e3o. Muitos bem de vida da elite constru\u00edram resid\u00eancias que s\u00e3o mais recentes e mais caras, mas na maioria das vezes tamb\u00e9m s\u00e3o extravagantes, excessivamente ornamentadas com entalhes e murais e abarrotadas at\u00e9 o teto com bugigangas de Bangkok. Confesso meu temor mortal de que o gosto butan\u00eas nunca v\u00e1 al\u00e9m de Bangkok. \u00c9 realmente de arrepiar.<\/span><\/p>\n No entanto, no momento em que se adentra os jardins do Pal\u00e1cio Dechencholing, o que causa impacto \u00e9 a singeleza, o que realmente se nota \u00e9 o peculiar car\u00e1ter butan\u00eas. Percebe-se tamb\u00e9m um toque de jardim ingl\u00eas, que sugere que a moradora tenha talvez passado algum tempo vagando por terras distantes, talvez pelo Regent\u2019s Park de Londres. O But\u00e3o n\u00e3o tem um hist\u00f3rico de cultivo de jardins bot\u00e2nicos ou parques p\u00fablicos, de forma que Sua Majestade precisou buscar a inspira\u00e7\u00e3o para compor seu pr\u00f3prio estilo butan\u00eas em outras partes. O jardim dela tinha um elemento selvagem; lembro claramente de uma vez ter visto dois filhotes de urso correndo por l\u00e1.<\/span><\/p>\n Regent’s Park<\/p><\/div>\n Tive a boa sorte de ter sido convidado por Sua Majestade a retornar em muitas ocasi\u00f5es, sempre para minha alegria \u2013 quer fosse s\u00f3 eu ou um grande grupo para o jantar, o almo\u00e7o ou para o ch\u00e1 da tarde \u2013 tudo era sempre feito de forma quase ritual. \u00c0 entrada os convidados eram recebidos por uma pintura em tamanho real de Rigdzin Jats\u00f6n Nyingpo, um dos mais importantes reveladores de tesouro da tradi\u00e7\u00e3o Nyingma. Muito mais tarde, soube que ela havia encomendado o quadro por sugest\u00e3o de Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Antes de eu sequer avistar a Rainha, a atmosfera em si j\u00e1 era majestosa, algo transparecia na atitude de todos em antecipa\u00e7\u00e3o \u00e0 sua presen\u00e7a. Inicialmente, o assistente de campo pessoal, vestido em seu uniforme militar completo, ia ao meu encontro e de quem mais estivesse aos port\u00f5es. Apesar de eu ser apenas um jovem tulku, ele sempre tirava a boina e se curvava pedindo minha b\u00ean\u00e7\u00e3o, em vez de prestar a sauda\u00e7\u00e3o habitual. Ent\u00e3o ele nos conduzia at\u00e9 a entrada do pal\u00e1cio, onde Sua Majestade nos aguardava.<\/span><\/p>\n Seja qual fosse a ocasi\u00e3o no Dechencholing, Sua Majestade recebia os convidados pessoalmente e se dirigia a cada um de forma atenciosa. Lembro-me de ela ser bel\u00edssima. Ela nunca usava maquiagem em excesso e a echarpe e a blusa que vestia eram sempre simples e elegantes. O assistente lhe alcan\u00e7ava um <\/span>katag<\/i><\/span> (uma echarpe cerimonial) e assim troc\u00e1vamos echarpes; ela no entanto sempre dava um jeito de humildemente posicionar a sua abaixo da minha. Sua humildade a fazia ainda mais majestosa aos meus olhos.<\/span><\/p>\n Com isso entr\u00e1vamos no pal\u00e1cio, onde os atendentes todos\u00a0<\/span> De l\u00e1, sub\u00edamos pela escadaria at\u00e9 uma sala de estar magn\u00edfica. As paredes lindamente pintadas em tinta vegetal tradicional Butanesa eram t\u00e3o discretas, nunca chamativas nem espalhafatosas. N\u00e3o se via nenhum sof\u00e1 italiano nem mesa lateral chinesa. Os div\u00e3s e mesas simples agrupados pela sala eram todos em estilo butan\u00eas tradicional. As paredes alaranjadas eram adornadas com v\u00e1rias incr\u00edveis fotos em preto e branco da fam\u00edlia real, todas emolduradas com perfei\u00e7\u00e3o. E num canto havia um altar para o Buda Shakyamuni com oferendas meticulosamente dispostas, nunca amontoadas, cada objeto cuidadosamente escolhido e posicionado. Era aqui que Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche fazia seus pujas. \u00c0s vezes ele permanecia l\u00e1 mesmo durante as recep\u00e7\u00f5es.<\/span><\/p>\n Sua Majestade sempre insistia para que eu me sentasse num determinado div\u00e3 coberto com brocado, e em seguida todos os demais se assentavam. A entrada era o tradicional ch\u00e1 butan\u00eas e arroz de a\u00e7afr\u00e3o, ambos servidos em copos de marfim com colheres de prata. Jamais um copo ficava vazio. Em seguida eram servidos flocos de milho e arroz frito nos <\/span>bangchungs<\/i><\/span> de palha tran\u00e7ada, bem como outros aperitivos preparados com perfei\u00e7\u00e3o no pal\u00e1cio, nada que se pudesse comprar num mercado.<\/span><\/p>\n O almo\u00e7o era servido l\u00e1 ou na sala de jantar. Os atendentes traziam bandejas com os talheres, a lou\u00e7a, os copos e os guardanapos. As cores e a padronagem todas combinavam e, claro, os guardanapos estavam passados a ferro. Sua Majestade circulava pelo sal\u00e3o entretendo cada convidado e contando hist\u00f3rias interessantes. Ela falava em tom baixo e todos precis\u00e1vamos ouvir com aten\u00e7\u00e3o. E ela sempre insistia para que eu comesse bastante. “Se voc\u00ea comer \u00e9 bom para a minha sa\u00fade”, ela dizia, ent\u00e3o eu sempre sa\u00eda de l\u00e1 completamente empanturrado.<\/span><\/p>\n A refei\u00e7\u00e3o era seguida por caf\u00e9 ou ch\u00e1 na sala de estar. \u00c0s vezes eu ia ao pal\u00e1cio apenas para o ch\u00e1. O ch\u00e1 ingl\u00eas era organizado meticulosamente, desde a sele\u00e7\u00e3o do ch\u00e1, passando pela coberta de ch\u00e1 de porcelana, at\u00e9 o abafador para manter o bule aquecido. Ela sempre ficava de olho nos atendentes (<\/span>chhankaps<\/i><\/span>) para garantir que servissem o ch\u00e1 antes do leite. Creio que ela deve ter lido o ensaio de George Orwell sobre como se preparar uma x\u00edcara de ch\u00e1 perfeita. \u00c0s vezes ela servia ch\u00e1 de menta rec\u00e9m colhida, em copos baixos coloridos. Tudo o que ela fazia era feito com eleg\u00e2ncia \u2013 fosse pelos padr\u00f5es butaneses, ingleses, ou qualquer outro padr\u00e3o existente. Tal eleg\u00e2ncia \u2013 discreta, despretensiosa, refinada \u2013 \u00e9 muit\u00edssimo dif\u00edcil de se ver no mundo de hoje.<\/span><\/p>\n Tenho notado a emerg\u00eancia dos novos ricos chineses e tibetanos. Quando estive no Tibete h\u00e1 alguns anos, conheci um khampa que havia revestido com ouro um quarto dos dentes. Ele me disse que estava considerando revestir todo o resto tamb\u00e9m, porque quem n\u00e3o exibe a pr\u00f3pria riqueza acaba menosprezado pelos outros. E recentemente, em uma visita a Lhasa, os organizadores me fizeram uma reserva no Hotel Intercontinental. As dimens\u00f5es de tudo no hotel s\u00e3o estapaf\u00fardias. O banheiro \u00e9 praticamente do tamanho da minha casa inteira em Bir. Aparentemente, os chineses se esqueceram de que tamb\u00e9m h\u00e1 beleza no que \u00e9 singelo. O desenho das lareiras e candelabros s\u00e3o rebuscados a ponto de quase serem francamente espalhafatosos. No entanto, um morador do local me disse que era o lugar mais popular entre os tibetanos, em especial os tibetanos do leste, porque assim podiam exibir sua riqueza. Cada um lida com suas inseguran\u00e7as e demonstra autoconfian\u00e7a da sua maneira.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0Sua Majestade Ashi Kesang Choeden Wangchuck<\/p><\/div>\n O estilo de Sua Majestade \u00e9 ser elegante em tudo. Sua confian\u00e7a \u00e9 despretensiosa. Ela \u00e0s vezes mandava seu carro ir me buscar. Sendo muito bisbilhoteiro, uma vez apertei <\/span>play<\/i><\/span> no aparelho de som do carro pra saber que tipo de m\u00fasica ela estava ouvindo. Era um concerto para violoncelo de Dvorak. E ela era uma das poucas pessoas da \u00e9poca que tinha bom gosto em mat\u00e9ria de cinema. Ela tinha uma cole\u00e7\u00e3o de filmes de diretores como\u00a0<\/span>Kurosawa<\/a>.<\/p>\n Aprendi muito estando na presen\u00e7a da Rainha M\u00e3e, especialmente por seu respeito e devo\u00e7\u00e3o inquestion\u00e1veis a Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, que viveu no Pal\u00e1cio Dechencholing por muitos anos. Mesmo ap\u00f3s seu falecimento, ela fazia muitas prostra\u00e7\u00f5es para o trono dele e rezava para Guru Rinpoche. Eu \u00e0s vezes a escutava por acaso e, com muita frequ\u00eancia, notava que ela conversava com ele como se conversasse diretamente com Guru Rinpoche ou com a deidade. Acabei aprendendo a faz\u00ea-lo eu pr\u00f3prio e encorajo meus alunos a fazerem o mesmo, porque embora havendo tantas preces por escrito, falar diretamente como quem conversa \u00e9 t\u00e3o agrad\u00e1vel. \u00c9 muito mais pessoal e por vezes melhor do que ler alguma sadhana po\u00e9tica. Quando se recita algo de cabe\u00e7a, chega um ponto em que se est\u00e1 s\u00f3 balbuciando as palavras sem prestar aten\u00e7\u00e3o ao sentido.<\/span><\/p>\n Eu e muitos de meus colegas continuamos prestando todo o nosso respeito a Sua Majestade, n\u00e3o apenas por ela ter sido a rainha, mas por seu servi\u00e7o ao Darma e ao But\u00e3o, assim como por aquilo que ela representa. Quando tive a honra de reencontrar Sua Majestade ap\u00f3s o Drupchen em agosto, sua presen\u00e7a evocou mais uma vez todas as preciosas mem\u00f3rias dos dias em que \u00e9ramos t\u00e3o bem cuidados e protegidos por Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Creio que haja alguma utilidade para a mem\u00f3ria, afinal.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider _builder_version=”4.4.8″][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_post_nav _builder_version=”4.4.8″][\/et_pb_post_nav][et_pb_comments _builder_version=”4.4.8″][\/et_pb_comments][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Mem\u00f3ria n\u00e3o \u00e9 coisa de iluminado. Os seres iluminados n\u00e3o t\u00eam do que se lembrar porque, sob a perspectiva deles, n\u00e3o existe passado. O passado \u2013 e em se tratando disso, o presente e o futuro tamb\u00e9m \u2013 s\u00e3o coisas de seres como n\u00f3s, que usamos o passado como refer\u00eancia e esperamos e pressupomos que […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2026,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"Memories are not for enlightened beings. Enlightened beings don't remember because, for them, there is no past. Past\u2014and for that matter present and future\u2014are for beings like us, who use the past as a reference and then expect and assume that the future will come.\n\nI have many memories. Also, I am sure I don\u2019t<\/em> have many memories. Some are gone forever and some are lying low, only to be revived by a simple cause such as the smell of coriander. It's very unfortunate, because having memories proves that I am not a sublime being. But for now, memory serves as a big part of my path.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_157\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1351\"]![\"Kurjey](\"https:\/\/mugwortborn.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/IMG_5771.jpg\")
![\"dkr_03\"](\"https:\/\/mugwortborn.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/DKR_03-769x1024.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Dechencholing](\"https:\/\/mugwortborn.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/DSC_8334_5_6_tonemapped.jpeg\")
![\"Regents](\"https:\/\/mugwortborn.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/regents-park.jpg\")
![\"The](\"https:\/\/mugwortborn.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/a634ec78c2bec358f178022059d7b717.jpg\")
andavam descal\u00e7os. Considero os p\u00e9s descal\u00e7os o acess\u00f3rio perfeito para o tradicional <\/span>gho<\/i><\/span> Butan\u00eas que os homens usam. O gho butan\u00eas tecido artesanalmente usado com meias xadrez e t\u00eanis Nike n\u00e3o fica muito bem, na minha opini\u00e3o. Os atendentes eram muito bem treinados e se moviam c\u00e9leres pelos corredores sem fazer nenhum ru\u00eddo, enquanto eu precisava andar com todo o cuidado pra n\u00e3o escorregar no assoalho perfeitamente polido.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Her](\"https:\/\/mugwortborn.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/tumblr_o63um1CxZa1uf7lu6o1_400.jpg\")
Kurjey Lhakang. Photo by Tara Digesu.[\/caption]\n\nIn August 2016, I stepped into Kurjey Lhakhang<\/a> in Bumthang, where I hadn't been for almost three decades. Her Majesty Ashi Kesang Choeden Wangchuck, now the Queen Grandmother, built Khaje Lhakhang in 1990 at this holy site in central Bhutan, which was once a hub for Bhutanese aristocracy. It was the seat of the Wangchuck lineage until the 1950s. Her temple is an added jewel in this beautiful crown of Bumthang.\n\nThe main temple hall is large enough for big public gatherings but it has a long narrow open-air hallway along the side, almost like a verandah, which is typical of Bhutanese temples. A lot of bells are typically hung in this area, which people occasionally ring. It's not really an appropriate place for a bed. But when I walked into the temple with its very particular mood and smell, memories immediately arose of Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche resting on his bed on that verandah. He would park there for weeks, even months, while I and a few other attendants slept in the main hall, rolling up our beds during the day. From a spoiled human perspective it was not livable, it was like parking your body in a room adjoining a banquet hall. There was no verandah door to close, no bathroom, let alone an attached bath. There was no cupboard or side table, no amenities. But he would eat there and sleep there, his clothes folded neatly, he would write there, he would hold audience there. All he had was a thin curtain, which was almost always open anyway.\n\nIt was good to be back in Kurjey. A few months before I had received a personally handwritten letter from Her Majesty, in an elegant envelope sealed with wax, graciously giving me permission to conduct a drupchen there. Even though she is so busy, Her Majesty always writes her invitations by hand. This elegance I have tried to mimic in my own communications, but then I realized that it takes a lot of time and patience, so of course I gave up. Receiving this letter, another memory was fished out:\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_169\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1275\"] Dechencholing Palace[\/caption]\n\nThe first time I met Her Majesty was at Dechencholing Palace in Thimphu, where she lived many years ago, right through the reigns of the third and fourth kings, 1953-2009. It made such an impression on me because this is where I discovered what good taste could look like. Dechencholing is the most beautiful and elegant dwelling in Bhutan. Many well-to-do elites have built newer, more expensive residences but they are often gaudy, overly ornamented with carvings and murals, and stuffed to the ceilings with Bangkok bling. I have to say I am deadly worried that Bhutanese taste will never go beyond Bangkok. It really makes me cringe\n\nBut the moment you enter the garden at Dechencholing Palace, you are struck by the simplicity, you can feel the unique Bhutanese character. You may also see the suggestion of an English garden, hinting that whoever is dwelling there has spent some time wandering in distant places, perhaps London's Regent's Park. Bhutan has no history of cultivating botanical gardens and public greens, so Her Majesty had to find an influence elsewhere to create her own Bhutanese style. Her garden had a wild element to it. I clearly remember once two bear cubs running around.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_165\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1000\"] Regents Park[\/caption]\n\nI was lucky to be invited back by Her Majesty many times and it always gave me joy\u2014whether it was just me or a large group, for dinner, lunch, or afternoon tea\u2014because everything was always done as a kind of ritual. At the entrance, guests were greeted by a life-size painting of Rigdzin Jats\u00f6n Nyingpo, one of the most important treasure revealers of the Nyingma tradition. Much later I learned that she had commissioned this portrait at the suggestion of Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Before I even laid eyes on the queen, there was such a majestic air, a way people acted in anticipation of her presence. First, her personal aide-de-camp, dressed in his full military uniform, would meet me and whoever I was with at the gate. Even though I was just a young tulku, he would take off his beret and bow for a blessing instead of doing the usual salute. Then he would lead us to the palace door where Her Majesty waited.\n\nWhatever the occasion at Dechencholing, Her Majesty greeted guests personally and spoke to each one so thoughtfully. I remember her as very beautiful. She didn't wear much makeup, and her scarf and blouse were always so elegant and simple. Her aide would hand her a katag<\/em> (ceremonial scarf) and we would exchange scarves, but she would always manage to humbly put hers below mine. This humility made her even more majestic in my eyes.\n\nThen we would go inside where the attendants were all barefoot. I think bare feet are the perfect accessory for the traditional Bhutanese gho<\/em> that men wear. A handmade Bhutanese gho paired with argyle socks and Nike sneakers and just doesn't do it for me. These attendants were so well trained, they moved quickly down the hallways without making a sound, whereas I had to be careful not to slip because the floors were so highly polished.\n\nFrom there we were led upstairs to a magnificent living room. The walls were beautifully painted with traditional Bhutanese vegetable dyes and were so understated, not bright or gaudy. There were no Italian sofas or Chinese side tables. The divans and simple tables clustered around the room were all traditional Bhutanese. The orange-ish walls were adorned with many amazing black and white photos of the royal family, perfectly framed. And in one corner was a Buddha Shakyamuni shrine with offerings meticulously arranged, not all lumped together, each object carefully chosen and placed. This is where Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche did pujas. Sometimes he would even be there when she was hosting us.\n\nHer Majesty always insisted that I sit on a particular divan with a brocade cover, and then everyone would take their seats. The first course was traditional Bhutanese tea with saffron rice, both served in ivory cups with the silver spoons. Our cups were never left empty. Then came bangchung filled with Bhutanese corn flakes, fried puffed rice, and other little snacks made to perfection in the palace, not anything you can buy in the market.\n\nLunch was served either right there or in the dining room. The attendants came in with trays of cutlery, dinnerware, glasses, and napkins. The colors and patterns all matched, and of course the napkins were ironed. Her Majesty would go around the room visiting with each guest and telling interesting stories. She spoke so softly, we had to listen carefully. And she always insisted that I eat so much. \"If you eat I'll be healthy,\" she would say, so I would always get completely stuffed.\n\nThe meal was followed by coffee or tea in the parlor. Sometimes I went to the palace just for tea. English tea was arranged meticulously, from the selection of the tea to the tea set to the milk container, even the tea cozy. She always kept an eye on the attendants (chhankaps<\/em>) to make sure they poured the tea first before the milk. I think she must have read George Orwell's treatise on making a proper cup of tea<\/a>. Sometimes she served fresh mint tea in short colored glasses. Everything she did was with elegance\u2014whether it was Bhutanese elegance, British elegance, or another kind of elegance. Such unassuming, understated, refined elegance is so difficult to come by in today's world.\n\nI have noticed an emergence of Chinese and Tibetan nouveau riche. When I was in Tibet a few years ago, I met a Khampa who had gold-plated one quarter of his mouth. He told me he was thinking of getting the rest of his mouth done as well because if you don\u2019t display your wealth, people will look down on you. And recently when I went to Lhasa, the organizers booked me in the Intercontinental Hotel<\/a>. The scale of the hotel was humongous. The toilet was almost as big as my house in Bir. The Chinese seem to have forgotten that small can be beautiful. The designs on the mantels and chandeliers were so overdone that they were dangerously close to gaudy. But a local told me that it was the most popular place for Tibetans, especially eastern Tibetans, to show off their wealth. So people have different styles of dealing with their insecurities and displaying their confidence.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_162\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"282\"] Her Majesty Ashi Kesang Choeden Wangchuck[\/caption]\n\nHer Majesty's style is to be elegant in all things. Her confidence is understated. Sometimes she would send her car to pick me up. Being very nosey, I once pressed play on her car stereo to see what music she was listening to. It was a Dvorak cello concerto<\/a>. And she was one of those rare people back then who had good taste in film. She had a collection of films by directors like Kurosawa<\/a>.\n\nI learned so much from being in the presence of the Queen Mother, in particular from her respect and one-pointed devotion to Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. He lived at Dechencholing Palace for many years. Even after he passed away, she did many prostrations to his throne and prayed to Guru Rinpoche. I would sometimes eavesdrop on her, and more often than not, I found her speaking to him as if she were actually talking to Guru Rinpoche or the deity. I have now learned to do this myself and have encouraged my students to do this because, after all the composed supplications, actual talking is so nice. It\u2019s much more personal, and at times, better than reading some poetic sadhana. If you recite something from memory, eventually you just blabber, you don\u2019t think about the words.\n\nI and many of my peers continue to give Her Majesty all of our respect, not just because she was a queen but because what she did for the Dharma and for Bhutan and for what she represents. When I had the honor of meeting Her Majesty again after the drupchen in August, her presence once again evoked all the precious memories of the days when we were so cared for and protected by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. 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