The Fifth Wondrous Place

I found a black and white photo of the Dalai Lama without his glasses. In the photograph you can see the imprint of the glasses on the bridge of his nose.  I did not attempt to copy this in my portrait, as I was afraid it would look like a strange skin disease.

In general there is something about his face that communicates a piercing sense of open engagement, whimsy and intellectual curiosity.  I’ve always thought that  under his kind-hearted expression, the Dalai Lama was nursing the secret punch-line to a joke that keeps him quietly amused.   The short peaked eyebrows?….   Well placed exclamation points.  I will leave you with some of  his famous quotes:

“I find hope in the darkest days, and focus in the brightest.  I do not judge the universe.”

“Be kind whenever possible….It is always possible.”

“We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.”