Norbulinga Institute for Tibetan Arts

Through my friend Dolma at Thosamling, I met her Tibetan language partner, Rabgyal, a super friendly and talented young man who is in the sculpture department at the Norbulinga Institute for Tibetan Arts, just down the footpath, to your right past the two cows, over the stream, up the steps, past the Tibetan handicapped school, and into the little town that surrounds the institute. I spent all day Wednesday watching the entire casting process, from the shaping and stamping of a clay mold to the eventual emergence of a sculpture from the fire of red hot liquid copper! It was really quite amazing. To make an entire statue takes about 15 8-hr work days and the craftsman can make about 2 a month.
I promised Rabgyal that I would try to find him a nice western girl to marry. Feel free to email me if you are interested. :) He is the one doing all the hard work in the pictures.