Bhutan
with Kermit Cole and Lama Gyurme Rabgyes
Saturday April 26, 2025 5pm

When Kermit Cole and Lama Gyurme Rabgyes toured Bhutan's monasteries, they took a bumpy unplanned detour to a mountaintop monastery where the local community had gathered to watch the monks dance and perform the story of Atsara - the sacred clown who embodies Bhutan's esteem for humor as the highest of virtues. From there they went to the heart of an 11th-century monastery where student monks laughed as they engaged in the exuberant practice of Tibetan debate, further demonstrating the embrace of emotion in the pursuit of wisdom. We will reflect on what Bhutan's unique history as the only constitutionally Buddhist nation exemplifies the value of having a sense of humor as citizens of a nation, and of the world.