Sasha's musings

Kalachakra 2011: Day 11. Closing Blessings & Long Life Ceremonies

2011-07-16T21:00:00.005-04:00

Kalachakra 2011: Day 10. Empowerment

2011-07-15T03:14:00.000-04:00

Kalachakra thangka directed by Jhado Rinpoche, painted by Buchung Nubgya

Kalachakra 2011: Day 9. Empowerment

2011-07-14T21:00:00.005-04:00

Prior to Empowerment, HH continued Teachings.

[What follows is my incomplete and probably incorrect interpretation]

On the Vajrayana approach to meditation

Common to all Tantra teachings is visualization. In order to invoke subtle mind, the grosser mind should cease. Meditation is a means to perceive ultimate reality and understand its emptiness (voidness). There is no difference between Sutra and Tantra as far as the nature of reality is concerned. The difference comes at the level of subjective experience: one meditates on imagining oneself in a form of a deity. This is only possible by invoking the subtle mind. This is very different from meditating on the nature, let's say, a flower. Even though the ultimate nature of reality (emptiness/clear-light on the external level) is the same, the objects of meditation in the Pali tradition (Theravada) and and in the Tantric tradition (Vajrayana) are different. Both meditate on the void/empty nature of reality but the methods they use differ significantly.

How is Kalachakra Tantra is different from other higher-level Tantras

In the higher-level Tantra there are father-tantra, mother-tantra, and non-dual tantra. Depending on classification, father- and mother-tantras are either considered a subset of non-dual tantra or the latter constitutes its own separate class. [One commentator] establishes correspondence between Kalachakra initiations (empowerments) and the classes of tantra: 2nd initiation relates to father-tantra; 3rd initiation, to mother-tantra; and 4th initiation, with non-dual tantra.

Kalachakra is referred to as explicit (or clear) Tantra, as opposed to obscure (or oblique) ones. The clarity refers to the 4th initiation: in the Kalachakra Tantra, the 4th empowerment is presented explicitly, while in others it is said that it is based on the 3rd, without further elaboration. In other Tantras there are references to rainbow or other subtle bodies but in the Kalachakra Tantra the approach is different: it uses the subtle energy, the clear light. Only in the Kalachakra Tantra the practice involves clear (subtle) Bodhicitta drops (red and white), and from the merge of the two and their dissolving comes the dissolution of the temporal body.

We can distinguish two kinds of emptiness:

without aspect, and
with aspect (empty form).

Through the cultivation of the empty form one can achieve 3 kinds of bliss:

based on the sexual energy;
mutable (changeable) — via imagining interaction with wisdom, and
immutable — great seal of empty form.

Through the practice of great seal of empty form one can visualize 21,600 drops arising, which corresponds to 21,600 times we breathe in a 24-hour period.

In other higher-level Tantra practices there are similar practices but what is specific to Kalachakra is that the clear light itself is being used, as oppose to the grosser level of mind.

On the Dzogchen approach

In the Dzogchen approach, using clear mind does not require that the grosser mind ceased its activity. This is an advanced technique, based on fundamental awareness. This is not an easy approach, and practicing it is only possible with a highly qualified Dzogchen teacher/guru.

On authenticity of Vajrayana and Kalachakra

HH then returned to the topic of authenticity of Tantrayana he had partially addressed on Monday, July 11 (Day 6). There are all kinds of questions about Tantric tradition in general and Kalachakra Tantra in particular: Kalachakra is a later text, it could not possibly emanate from the Buddha, where, exactly, Shambala was located, etc. The point, however, is not to take the text literally. Other Buddhist texts mention “pure land” or “copper mountain,” but these are not being interpreted literally. Historical analysis is not a criterion of veracity of teaching. Even in the Sutras the metaphorical interpretation is often required.

Some Indian and Tibetan masters did question the authenticity and validity of Kalachakra Tantra. However, they did so after having themselves practiced the Kalachakra Tantra and having had visualizations based on it.

The Sakya approach speaks of the following sequence:
authentic scriptures --> tradition --> experience.
In practice, the sequence is often the opposite:
experience --> tradition --> authentic scriptures

There are ordinary experiences and extraordinary experiences. In the Tantric (esoteric) tradition you do have extraordinary experiences. You have to trust your teacher, and through your personal experience develop admiration for the great masters of the past. HH reminisced about his conversation, when he was still in Tibet, with a Chinese communist official about whether there is reincarnation. The official said there was not but he admitted he could no prove that. Absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence, so in some circumstances one cannot rely only on reason and needs to have a belief, a conviction. HH then relayed a story about a Kagyu lama who spent time in a Chinese prison and then came to India and participated in the Kalachakra initiation. During empowerment he had a vision of all the masters of his lineage being in one room. There was no reason for that lama to tell untruth, he had nothing to gain. Extraordinary experiences are possible.

HH then said that he has students who gained a great level of insight as a result of Kalachakra empowerment and surpassed himself (“The son is greater than the father,” as an old Tibetan saying goes.)

Ultimately though, one needs to familiarize oneself with different Tantric systems and judge for oneself how effective the Kalachakra Tantra is based on the personal experience.

Evening dharma talk: Robert Thurman

Professor Thurman gave a great talk. He is an engaging speaker with encyclopedic knowledge and volcanic temperament. However, he put forth so much politics that it turned me off, somewhat—even though I agree wholeheartedly with most of what he said. Temperamentally, I feel more comfortable with Dr. Berzin.

Kalachakra 2011: Day 8. Preliminary Empowerment of Students

2011-07-13T21:00:00.244-04:00

HH continued his commentary on Kamalashila's The Stages of Meditation.

[What follows is my incomplete and probably incorrect interpretation]

Shamata and vipassana

Explaining sections on meditating on Calm Abiding (shamata) and Special Insight (vipassana) (pp. 43–45), he said that the key to shamata is to find a proper balance: if your mind is scattered and too agitated you have to calm it down but if you feel too low or depressed you have to lift your mind up by some joyous thoughts. Normally shamata meditation precedes vipassana meditation. Initially you'll be able to concentrate only for a few minutes but if you practice you'll be sustain our concentration for several hours. Higher-level meditators are able to practice shamata and vipassana meditations at the same time.

In regard to the section on Actualizing Special Insight (p.46, last paragraph). “Self” here is used in the sense of self-existence. Some schools of thought maintain that selflessness relates only to individuals while other schools say that selflessness relates to all phenomena.

In any case, the essence of Buddhism is:

infinite altruism [method] +
recognizing the nature of ultimate reality (whether objective or subjective) which is devoid of its own self [wisdom]

Understanding this give a person a sense of inner strength.

What is specific to Vajrayana (Tantrayana) is the possibility for its follower to unite and perceive method and wisdom in a single mental state (a single cognitive event) and then arise in the form of a deity during the meditation. More precisely, it is the ability for the meditator not only to perceive a deity but to identify with it.

In general, the highest-level Tantras are characterized by indivisible unity of

form and manifestation;
body and mind;
method and wisdom

these are two aspects of the same entity.

There are grosser and subtler levels of mind (or energy). In order to quiet the activity of the grosser mind and access the subtle mind one can employ techniques, such as meditating on pranas (energy channels).

On Vajrayana

The concepts of four types of nirvana (natural, with a residue, without a residue, and non-abiding), as well as the concepts of three kayas (Buddha bodies) can be explained only in the Tantric tradition. By introducing a notion of a clear light mind (basis tantra) Vajrayana brings out the hidden meaning of Buddhist sutras and fosters understanding of the Buddha's enlightened mind.

Evening dharma talk: Bodhicitta

HE Mindrolling Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche gave a talk on Bodhicitta. She is a wonderfully engaging speaker. Below are just a few points I jotted down.

Bodhicitta is awakening mind/loving kindness. The method is to reduce obstacles and increase conditions for happiness.

Inner wakefulness (reflection) —not dependent on external circumstances.
Strength of virtuous attitude (cultivate virtues).
Strength of meditation/contemplation.
The presence of a spiritual teacher.

Unconditional love: requires practice and repetition, has to be built up to be sustained.
Strong sense of awareness (of self-centeredness, selfishness).
Undiminishing aspiration to end suffering of other people.
Strong desire to reach enlightenment.
Devotion to mindfulness.

Meditation allows one to get in touch with inherent goodness of human beings. We have an ability to do something in order to achieve happiness.

Thoughts and actions:

Maintain aspiration
Realize the magnitude of suffering, see it, open yourself up.
Be joyful: find something good in another person rather than being critical. Cultivate an ability to glimpse something positive and maintain a positive attitude. Accept the world as it is, and not how it should be (in your view)
Maintained unbiased attitude. Curb your aggression and ambition.

Kalachakra 2011: Day 7. Ritual and Offering Dance

2011-07-12T21:00:00.006-04:00

Interestingly, dancing and—especially—singing of a different kind (the group was performing in front of the main stage) were incorporated into the service. The resulting combination of the ostinato chant and weaving melody (video 4), as well as the soaring solo (video 6), were stunning.

Evening dharma talk: Deepening your Kalachakra Views: The Mandala, The Cosmology, The Deities, and the Meaning
The talk Deepening your Kalachakra Views: The Mandala, The Cosmology, The Deities, and the Meaning featured Alexander Berzin (Cosmology), Vesna Wallace (Mandala), and Sofia Stril-Rever (Meaning), and was moderated by Robert Thurman.

The Berzin Archives site contains a wealth of information, primarily on the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.

See also:
http://www.religion.ucsb.edu/Faculty/wallace.htm and
http://kalachakranet.org/book_vw-inner.html (Vesna Wallace);
http://www.buddhaline.net/spip.php?auteur63 (Sofia Stril-Rever)

Kalachakra 2011: Day 6. Preliminary Teachings

2011-07-11T21:00:00.419-04:00

Teachings on Acharya Kamalashila's Stages of Meditation (Gomrim Barpa), Gyalse Ngulchu Thogme's Thirty-seven Practices of a Bodhisattva (Lagden Sodunma), and Geshe Langri Thangpa's The Eight Verses of Mind Traininng. Day 3

The afternoon began with the recitation of sutras in Japanese and Vietnamese.

[What follows is my incomplete and probably incorrect interpretation]

As was noted on the first day of teaching, internal essence (“self”) has no beginning and no end. Similarly, external phenomena have no beginning or end either. For example, there is no reason to think that there was only one big bang, it stands to reason that there were and there will be an infinite number of big bangs.

Liberation from suffering

One has to look beyond appearances and recognize reality. Appearances are illusions; once this is understood the attachment/clinging/grasping, as well as resulting negative emotions (anger, fear, jealousy, etc.) are dispelled.

The liberation from suffering is possible because the basic nature of the mind is pure. Practically, to effect this change, one has to:

avert acts of destruction;
let go of grasping to your identity;
let go of clinging to external things.

As was noted yesterday, there are two kinds of suffering. Avoiding 10 non-virtues, which is common to all great religions, is to free yourself from the first kind of suffering. This avoiding de-merit, avoiding negative actions can be achieved by modifying your behavior.

On wisdom

The main obstacle to liberation though is distorted ignorance (“mis-knowing”). All negative emotions are caused by it, i.e., by self-clinging, self-attachment. To overcome that, one needs to dispel distorted ignorance, i.e., one needs wisdom.

There are three levels of wisdom:

sensory-based;
reason-based; and
internalized.

Wisdom is achieved through meditation. To achieve concentration, one needs quietness, noiselessness (which is difficult to find in a big city). The meditation should be single-pointed, which implies introspection, mindfulness, and concentrating on an object. Mind has to be sharp but relaxed. Meditation skill allows us to perform self-observation, to check whether our actions are right.

samadhi (meditation) = morality + meditation + wisdom

This is common to all three Buddhist traditions. The differences are contextual, they are only distinction of emphasis.

On the role of Tantric tradition in Buddhism

HH then addressed the issues that are sometimes being raised related to “legitimacy” of the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions. Some question whether Mahayana was taught by the Buddha. Others say that if the Buddha came to Tibet and observed the Tantric tradition he wouldn't recognize his own teaching.

Mahayana tradition is based on Theravada, and developed it further using the notion of infinite altruism (Bodhicitta). As far as Vajrayana is concerned, there is a source and foundation of the Tantric principle in the Sanskrit tradition. The contribution of the Tantric tradition is the notion of subtle energy. Without that notion it is difficult to explain the nature of achieving Buddhahood. The important consideration here is not to be bound by the conventional notion of time: the historic Buddha may not have taught Tantra directly but Buddha is eternal. The whole point of Buddhism is that the physical death of the historical Buddha was not the end. (Here HH relayed a story about a Theravada monk who had a visual experience of the Buddha.)

On altruism

Thus one of the main precepts of Mahayana and Vajrayana is altruism.
One has to practice selflessness, which can be of two kinds:

intuitive altruism; and
recognition of interdependent existence.

(An aside: In Buddhism there are no absolutes. Even an absolute devotion to god may become a hindrance on the path of liberation.)

Altruism is not hard to understand but difficult to experience. There are two methods of practicing altruism:

treat others like people we love;
eliminate self-centeredness, recognize that there is no “I”

The second method will banish anger, hatred, jelousy, and rid you of fear. It will fill you with self-confidence and bring you more friends. Egoism make one stiff.

As soon as selfishness is gone there is no hypocrisy, and all moral principles, like 10 Commandments are observed willingly, and not out of fear.

On strength of keeping your mind calm

Stanza (14). If your enemy has succeeded in provoking your anger, if he has made you lose your temper then the enemy has defeated you. But if your mind remains calm then the enemy has failed. (Here HH relayed a story from his childhood about an old Tibetan official who was famous for his humility: the angrier his adversary was the more serene he became. And then he struck back, at the right moment. That's a sign of strength.) Keep your mind peaceful; then it is not impossible that your worst enemy will become your best friend.

Remaining stanzas of The Thirty-seven practices

Stanzas (18–19). When one goes through the hard period on is in danger of losing optimism/hope. If one's life is very successful then he is in danger of becoming arrogant/conceited.

Stanza (22). Meditation on emptiness.

Stanzas (23–24). In the after-meditation state one has to cultivate awareness of illusion.

Stanza (25). Practice of six perfections, beginning with generosity.

Stanza (31). You have to continually examine your own confusion, check whether we follow the right path. That requires self-discipline and involves watching over verbal, physical, and mental actions.

That was the end of exegesis on The Thirty-seven practices of a Bodhisattva by Gyalse Ngulchu Thogme.

The Eight Verses of Mind Training

HH then turned to The Eight Verses of Mind Training by Geshe Langri Thangpa (p.53) that he has known by heart since childhood. (He said that he doesn't get frustrated when there are flight delays: he occupies his mind with these verses.)

Modalities of perception of the world

There are two kinds of awakening mind, conventional and ultimate. As far as ultimate awakening mind is concerned, one can distinguish three kinds.

Non-conceptual (sensory). This one is non-selective, immediate: it engages with whatever is in the field of vision.
Conceptual (reasoning). This one is selective — does not engage with the object directly.
Highly selective. This one operates on the mental level and chooses its objects. However, it tends to conflate time, e.g., “Is this the same thing I saw yesterday?”

On meditation

HH then spoke about meditation. Normally attainment of shamata (calmness) precedes vipassana (insight); however, in higher Tantras there are practices to meditate on both:

union of bliss an emptiness (Gelug);
union of samsara and nirvana (Sakya).

Coming back to Kamalashila's The Stages of Meditation (p 44, column 1, last paragraph), HH stressed the importance of the correct posture and said that breathing meditation can be helpful if your mind is distracted or agitated.

The object you concentrate on should be in your mind's eye. Visualize it. The image will become bright. Then you visualize yourself as a deity (Vajrayana) or as a chakra (Mahayana). Do not think about past or future. You should feel empty, no external stimuli or internal feelings.

Perception is not mirroring, it is taking one aspect of an object and constructing “knowing,” or understanding. There are different views on the nature of perception: is it a unitary moment or a multi-aspect/multi-stage process?

When we stop thinking of past and future this is a moment of nothingness. Prolong that and experience luminosity, the ultimate reality of the mind. Concentrate on that for as long as you can. Then take *that* and investigate; meditate on what is mind.

Your own breathing is a useful object of meditation. Concentrate on breathing. (Here HH engaged the audience in a breathing exercise.)

Chanting is a form of mediation too. One can visualize each word and continue doing so for many hours. This can train and discipline your mind, so that then you go to a subtler objects.

[This last day teaching felt special: HH talked about both rather abstract and rather personal matters.]

Evening dharma talk: Buddhism, Empowerments, and Everyday Life

The venerable Thubten Chodron gave a talk on Buddhism, Empowerments, and Everyday Life. She made several really great points. For example, when you realize that clinging to your constructed or imposed identities really makes your life unnecessarily difficult renouncing those identities can be truly liberating and can make your life much easier. Imagining yourself as a deity, e.g., Kalachakra, makes you free of fear so that you can aspire to act and think as an enlightened being would.

Kalachakra 2011: Day 5. Preliminary Teachings

2011-07-10T21:00:00.195-04:00

Teachings on Acharya Kamalashila's Stages of Meditation (Gomrim Barpa) and Gyalse Ngulchu Thogme's Thirty-seven Practices of a Bodhisattva (Lagden Sodunma). Day 2

The afternoon began with the recitation of a Sanskrit tradition sutra in Chinese.

[What follows is my incomplete and probably incorrect interpretation]

Morality is more relevant that ever

HH contrasted two groups of people: those for whom inner values/moral principles/ ethics are of paramount importance and those for whom reaching money or power are of primary concern. Whether believers or not, the first group, in the long run, is happier because they can act transparently, sincerely, and confidently. The second group can gain a temporary benefit but often their ways lead to fear and hypocrisy, and, as a consequence, they have no self-confidence, no inner strength, and feelings of insecurity.

Societal problems are not caused by the lack of religious faith; rather, they are caused by the lack of ethics: too much greed and selfishness, lack of concern for (compassion to) the others lead to such issues as the polarization between the rich and poor, global warming, etc. Thus, at this day and age, morality is more relevant than ever. When HH speaks about religions he refers to the ethical essence of such teachings, and not to the rituals involved.

On misconceptions about Tibetan Buddhism

He than addressed some misconceptions about Buddhism in general and Tibetan Buddhism in particular. All Buddhist traditions are based on the recognition of the Four Noble Truths. Characterization of Tibetan Buddhism as “lamaism” is incorrect, it is a sign of ignorance. But, partially, the lamas themselves are at fault: HH criticized the situation when the institution of Tulku has become a sign of social status and relayed a story of a high lama who left a monastery and became a helper to a poor family in a remote village. The lama, HH said, should be judged not by the height of his seat or, to quote and old Tibetan saying, by a number of horses he has. Nor (on a lighter note) by the color of his hat: yellow, black, … (Gelug, Kagyu, …) Touching his red visor (shielding his eyes from the harsh stage lights), HH said, “One day, I may introduce a green hat, to remind lamas to take better care of the environment like the monks in Burma and Thailand already do. And remember: the historical Buddha had no hat at all :)”

Distorted sense of reality (mis-knowing) as the cause of suffering

“Blind faith is outdated,” he said, and we should gain full knowledge of what Buddhism actually is. There are three goals of Buddha dharma:

short-term: to transform our mind through intelligence and training;
long-term: to purify our mind;
ultimately: to achieve Buddhahood (nirvana/moksha)

The methods to achieve these goals are based on Buddhist principles of interdependence and cause & effect (karma).

Suffering comes from clinging/grasping/attachment. Often suffering exists not because someone directly inflicts it; rather the cause of suffering is ignorance. There are two kinds of ignorance:

simply not knowing, like not knowing an alphabet;
active mis-knowing, like saying A is B, and B is C. This is a symptom of distorted state of mind.

The second kind, distorted sense of reality, is more serious than the first: it causes all destructive emotions—anger, hatred, attachment, and, consequently, their effect, the negative karma. The antidote to that kind of ignorance is awareness, learning to differentiate between appearance and reality. The way to dispel this illusion is logic, and not merely a prayer or a ritual.

The distinction between illusion and truth, the constructs of our mind and the reality goes far back: it is made in pre-Buddhist Sanskrit texts, as well as in older Buddhist scriptures, and that understanding is what all schools of Buddhism have in common.

The nature of reality; reason and its limits

HH then mentioned that the differences among the four [Mahayana] Buddhist schools of thought [Madhyamaka, Yogacara, Tathagatagarbha, and Buddhist Logic (?)] are due to different understanding of the nature of reality. Furthermore, the Middle Way school [Madhyamaka (?)] has two main strands [Prasangika and Svātantrika (?)] whose views on degree of objectivity, nominalism, etc., diverge.

The principle of dependent origination is the most precious gift of Buddhism.

This is all rather theoretical but what is a practitioner to do? HH then returned to explicating Kamalashila's The stages of meditation (p.39) There are three levels of reality:

obvious;
slightly obscure; and
extremely opaque/hidden.

This one we can perceive by sensory experience.
This one we can recognize via reasoning, inference, and critical inquiry. For example, the fact that nothing is permanent or that there is no fixed “self” are not immediately obvious but eventually we can arrive to these conclusions through logic.
To perceive these facts we have to move beyond the level of our cognitive ability, we have to transcend our conceptual framework. For example, we know what our birth date is because we trust our mother's word. Of course, this has to be someone you can rely on, who wouldn't lie to you, and who has no cognitive impairments.

In the Mahayana tradition, some scriptures are definitive and can be taken literally and others are not. With the latter, you have to use critical thinking.
One of the means of overcoming suffering is compassion. How to practice it? One has to realize what suffering is:

Physical pain;
Suffering of change;
Destructive emotions. This is the level Buddhism is most concerned about.

On unbiased compassion

There are two levels of compassion:

natural empathy;
unbiased compassion, e.g., warmheartedness without attachment. This develops through reasoning and training.

One has to cultivate true renunciation on yourself before practicing compassion to others. The approach has to be gradual. The text (p. 40) mentions equanimity: you start with yourself, you achieve a degree of liberation yourself, and then you can achieve compassion for others. That includes all sentient beings, likable and unlikable, and not just those you care about (p. 41, penultimate paragraph).

On levels of understanding

HH then turned to The Thirty-seven Practices of a Bodhisattva by Gyalse Ngulchu Thogme (p.34). There are three levels of understanding:

learning (verbal, word-based);
contemplation (based on the strength of conviction, absence of doubt in the truth);
meditation (transforming your mind, attainment of samadhi).

HH then expounded upon the four laws/principles of nature and on the basic and derivative elements.

Relying on your senses only makes your mind dull

Stressing the importance of the inner values over superficial stimuli he gave an example of rich tourists that travel from place to place not so much to satisfy their curiosity but rather to stave off their boredom. People who rely on sensory experience only are pitiful: if the external input stops (there is nothing to see, hear, taste, smell or touch) they instantly feel bored and miserable. However, deeper satisfaction comes from mental activity. Without it, your mind becomes dull. We must pay attention to the inner world. HH, for example, doesn't watch TV: he considers it a waste of mental energy. He prefers to listen to the radio (BBC) and then keep thinking and analyzing information. [Interestingly, I do the same :)]

Stanza (4) (p.34) concerns meditation on impermanence. Illusion of permanence is a waste of our energy/life.

It's your responsibility to put a guru to the test

HH then talked about importance of avoiding negative companionship and finding a mentor/spiritual teacher. In Mahayana, 10 qualities are required of the guru. In the Vajrayana, there are even more. At one time, someone came to HH and said that there were a proliferation of fake lamas seeking power, sex, etc., and that he must do something about it. HH responded that he couldn't: it is a student's responsibility to examine a teacher before accepting him as a guru. You must examine whether he meets the criteria set forth in the Buddhist texts, and that may take time.

How to purify our mind?

Mind is like water: no matter how muddy it is, the essence (clear mind) still remains. Awareness is the seed of enlightenment. There are different levels of mind: it is present in dreams, deep sleep, and death. As was explained in the yesterday's teaching, clear mind has no beginning and no end, it is the deepest level of our consciousness, and it is the basis for reaching the Buddhahood.

To prevent accumulating negative karma, one has to avoid 10 non-virtues:

Killing
Stealing
Sexual misconduct
Lying
Harsh words
Slander
Gossip
Coveting
Cruelty
Wrong view

The evening concluded with the Tsog — ceremonial offering.

Kalachakra 2011: Day 4. Preliminary Teachings

2011-07-09T21:00:00.043-04:00

I didn't go to the Capitol Lawn event this morning; when I came to the Verizon Center in the afternoon for the first Teaching and looked at the big-screen monitor I was surprised to see HH the Karmapa on the stage. Quick Internet search confirmed that he is indeed in DC for the Kalachakra initiation, and that immediately upon arrival he participated in the West Lawn event.

Whitworth, M. (2011), Karmapa lama to travel to Washington DC, The Telegraph, 7 July 2011.
Woeser, S. (2011), Karmapa to receive Kalachakra initiations in Washington, DC, Phayul, 7 July 2011.


His Holiness the Karmapa arrives at West Lawn of the US Capitol © Kagyu Office	His Holiness the Dalai Lama is received on the stage at the West Lawn of the US Capitol by Gyalwa Karmapa, Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament Mr. Penpa Tsering, and Dr. Lobsang Sangay Kalon Tripa-elect of the Central Tibetan Administration on July 9, 2011. © Tenzin Choejor/OHHDL

Teachings on Acharya Kamalashila's Stages of Meditation (Gomrim Barpa) and Gyalse Ngulchu Thogme's Thirty-seven Practices of a Bodhisattva (Lagden Sodunma). Day 1

The afternoon began with a sutra in Sanskrit, that sutra is common to all Buddhist traditions: Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana.

[What follows is my incomplete and probably incorrect interpretation]

In a wide-ranging lecture, HH The Dalai Lama touched upon many subjects:

he said that Kalachakra initiation has become so popular (in the West) that he uses it as an occasion to give Teachings;
he emphasized that Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism is inseparable from the Pali Theravada tradition as practiced in, e.g., Burma, Thailand, and Cambodia; incorporates the Sanskrit Nalanda/Mahayana tradition as transmitted to Tibet; and builds upon both with its own Tantric tradition;
he observed that growth of material wealth and power does not necessarily make people happier. It appears that in the more affluent societies the incidences of alcohol and drug abuse and even suicide are on the rise;
he said that believers must be “21st century Buddhists”, that is, to combine the scientific understanding of reality with the Buddhist understanding of human condition and the methods Buddhism offers to improve it;
he stressed the importance of learning the scriptural languages: too many people recite the prayers without understanding what they mean or ability to read the texts;
he emphasized that it is imperative to show respect to people whose view we may disagree with; as an example he offered a secularist (and a nihilist?) tradition in Indian philosophy;
he underscored the danger of hypocrisy and corruption (“if one prays to succeed in a robbery then Buddha should punish such a person more than if he didn't pray at all”);
he said that the historical Buddha taught contradictory philosophies during his lifetime not because he was confused or he wanted to confuse his disciples but because he recognized that his audiences were different, and different audiences needed different approaches;
he expressed a view that people are better off remaining in their own religious tradition but recognized that there is a big attraction to Buddhism in the West;
he observed that a maintaining order in a society only by means of law enforcement, by instilling fear, is not enough; rather, maintaining order should be supplemented or in based on the citizens' morality;
he touched upon the issues of attachment and transience/impermanence, reminding us how delicate the human body is and how easily it can be damaged, how it is changing, and what happens even with the most beautiful food :).

To elucidate how the Buddhist view differs from that of other religions he recalled an interface meeting where a Sufi scholar posed three questions: What is “self”? Does it have a beginning? Does it have an end?

What is “self”?

While many religions regard “self” as invariable and unchangeable (e.g., a soul), the Buddhist view is that “self” is indeed malleable and that it does change: old/young, sick/healthy, in other words, “self” depends on the state of body and mind. According to the Buddhist view, there is no unchangeable soul, given and taken by god.

Does “self” has a beginning?

Some religions postulate that “self” as a combination of body and mind is created by god for each individual. In the Buddhist view, while body decays, the mind does continue (through reincarnation?) One should recognize that mind does change because of various causes and conditions; nevertheless, the mind does endure. By “mind”, the Buddhists understand the subtle (basic) mind, that is the mind that endures even after death. (Here he relayed some stories about Buddhists whose bodies didn't decay for a long time and how scientists tried to measure and explain that phenomenon. Indeed, that reminded me of an interview with a Chicago physician who treated the 16th Karmapa and couldn't explain why his body remained warm long after his death.) Thus, “self,” understood as the subtle mind, has no beginning—this is the Buddhist answer.

Does “self” has an end?

While the manifestation gets dissolved, the prime substance endures, thus “self” has no end. He then commented on the Kamalashila's text Stages of Meditation (Gomrim Barpa) and explained (in Tibetan, with translation) different methods of meditation (trying to experience an actual feeling, e.g., compassion, intellectually contemplating an object, a discourse using negation, etc.)

Evening dharma talk: Under the Buddhist Umbrella: Do science, secularism, and religion all fit?

After the Teaching was over, Thupten Jinpa (Stanford University), a scholar, commentator, and the Dalai Lama's personal translator for 25 years, gave a talk Under the Buddhist Umbrella: Do science, secularism, and religion all fit?

He compared two different audiences, people who grew up in a Buddhist tradition and then came to the West and absorbed the Western science and philosophy (like himself), and Western Buddhists, who grew up with a rationalist point of view and then came to the Buddhist religion and philosophy. He commented on the inherent difficulties in studying Buddhism not in Sanskrit or Tibetan but learning it, for example, in English. A language necessarily reflects a certain perception of reality, the words and terms express certain conceptual framework. Thus lossless translation is not always possible. He then was generous with his time in answering many ensuing questions.

Kalachakra 2011: Day 3. Ritual Preparations

2011-07-08T21:00:00.017-04:00

Kalachakra 2011: Day 2. Ritual Preparations

2011-07-07T21:00:00.004-04:00

Tibetan marketplace

Kalachakra 2011: Day 1. Opening

2011-07-06T21:00:00.033-04:00

H.H. The XIV Dalai Lama's 76th birthday

Parade and celebration on the National Mall

WNO's Iphigénie en Tauride—the perfect opera

2011-05-20T21:00:00.007-04:00

What a delight—this was one of the best productions I've ever attended. I could quibble a little bit with costumes but everything else was exceptional.


Oreste (Placido Domingo, right) begs Iphigénie (Patricia Racette) to condemn him to death so Pylade may live. Washington National Opera's production of “Iphigénie en Tauride.” Scott Suchman, Handout photo / May 12, 2011

If opera had somehow become so unfashionable, so unthinkable that no one dared create another one after 1779, we'd still be well off, for that would mean we'd still have an incredible work from that year — Christoph Willibald Gluck's “Iphigénie en Tauride”.

This fusion of exquisite music and telling dramatic substance, based on ancient Greek tales involving the ill-fated family of Agamemnon, has in recent years been attracting fresh attention. Helping to fuel the attention is the fact that tenor Placido Domingo added the role of Oreste from “Iphigénie” to his unprecedentedly extensive repertoire.

In one of his parting gifts to the company he has run as general director for 15 years, Domingo is singing that role for Washington National Opera's first-ever production of “Iphigénie.” He is by no means the only draw, for the lineup also boasts soprano Patricia Racette, one of today's most incisive vocal artists, in the title role. The rest of the cast, too, proves quite effective.

Smith, T. (2011), Savoring the rare beauty of ‘Iphigénie’:WNO production of Gluck opera soars with Domingo, Racette, The Baltimore Sun, May 12, 2011.

When the cast came on stage for the final bows Domingo addressed the audience. “No,” he said, “I'm not retiring. 50 years ago, May 19, 1961, I made my debut as Alfredo in ‘La Traviata’—and I just wanted to share this very special day with you.” Amazing!

Rushdie and Sahgal at Kennedy Center

2011-03-18T21:00:00.067-04:00

It was a wide-ranging conversation on the role of politics in literature, followed by the Q&A period. I thought the discussion was being recorded and would be posted online, like many other free events at the Kennedy Center have been, and didn't take notes. Unfortunately, this one has not been posted.

What stuck in my memory was Rushdie's trashing of Slumdog millionaire, and also his statement, in response to someone from the audience saying she was from Mumbai, “I am not from Mumbai, I am from Bombay.” How true. I also often say, “I am not from St. Petersburg, I am from Leningrad.”

Ticket to Bollywood at the Kennedy Center

2011-03-17T21:00:00.010-04:00

There were so many people who wanted to see this free show that it was moved to the Eisenhower Theater. When I got to the Kennedy Center at 5pm, the line already stretched all the way through the foyer past the Opera House.

Apparently, popular culture, whether Russian, US, or Indian, is not my cup of tea. It's visually pleasing all right but it is ersatz culture; the real thing is so much better! And the relentless, repetitive annoying beat and deafening volume don't make matters better. In pop music, why is it always necessary to punctuate the beat and hammer it over my head? I can make out both the meter and the rhythm myself; I don't need help, thank you very much. It's like canned laughter in sitcoms: I can decide for myself what's funny, and what's not. Anyway, each genre has its conventions.

Random thought: if Bombay is now Mumbai, shouldn't Bollywood become Mollywood?

Watch Ticket to Bollywood performance.

Turangalîla-Symphonie with the NSO

2011-03-11T21:00:00.011-05:00

D. C. public is so funny: the Kennedy Center Concert Hall was half-empty when the NSO performed Olivier Messiaen's Turangalîla-Symphonie on Friday evening, and there was quite a few walk-outs. I can't believe that music written in 1948 still seems “avante-garde” to some. Turangalîla-Symphonie is stylistically eclectic: it somehow combines Wagnerian exaltation of mysterious love and Brucknerian seriousness of naive religiosity with the Bernsteinian energy and openness of emotion, plus an almost literal descriptiveness redolent of film music. And yet, all this, quite mysteriously, jells together and works, perhaps due to the Messian's sincere Catholic faith.

It was a joy to see two soloists working together so well: Cédric Tiberghien (piano) and Tristan Murail, who studied with Messiaen (ondes Martenot). Christoph Eschenbach definitely deserves credit for programming this piece.

The Turangalîla Symphony may not be everyone's cup of musical tea. It's long, boisterous, sometimes ravishingly beautiful, sometimes intensely and horrendously ugly. Some impatient audience members have been known to discretely head for the exits during its performance.

That attitude, however, is unfair. The 20th century abounds with examples of music that abandons its audience while favoring a kind of inbred academic experimentation that ignores the audience's need for meaning and human emotion in its music. Messiaen doesn't ignore this at all. But he also refuses to limit his musical palette. His symphony is ultimately an extraordinarily visceral journey through heaven and hell, and the composer seems to be saying, “if the horrors of hell sound like they do in my symphony, so be it.”

Yet on the other hand, after a long, 80-minute journey, the symphony erupts into a celebratory dance of pure joy, love on a human, divine, and epic scale. It's a 20th century masterpiece that’s sometimes a difficult listen, but a challenge that's also worth embracing.

It's also an early and intriguing intersection of ancient, traditional, and modern musical ideas, blending acoustical instruments with one of the electronic instruments that arguably led to the Moog synthesizer and today's ubiquitous electronic effects. It’s the novel experience of listening to a genuinely classical composer who's not afraid to insert modern inventions into his own musical experience.

Such a symphony does need an introduction. Wisely, during this weekend’s concert programs, Maestro Christoph Eschenbach and his soloists will be joined onstage by musicologist Joseph Horowitz at the beginning of the evening. They’ll host a lecture/discussion on various aspects of the symphony before breaking for intermission. The audience will then return to listen to the symphony in its entirety, fully able to discern the twists, surprises, and intellectual challenge that this most cerebral of works has always posed. It should be an interesting weekend.

Ponick, T. (2011), Where Messiaen and Radiohead converge, Washington Times, March 10, 2011.

L. Subramaniam at the Kennedy Center

2011-03-06T21:00:00.001-05:00

Watch L. Subramaniam perform at the Eisenhower Theater.

Evgeny Kissin at the Kennedy Center

2011-03-05T21:00:00.002-05:00

I think Kissin's technique is formidable, and his mastery of a small form is indisputable. What's lacking is a sense of architectonics, an ability to conceptualize and unify a large sonata form. However, the Washington Post's review was rather glowing:

[...] in the much more rarefied playing of Kissin, presented by the Washington Performing Arts Society on Saturday afternoon in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. The program was more limited in chronological scope, but Liszt's music sounded much more tenderly poetic, as in “Ricordanza” (the ninth Transcendental Etude), and far less saccharine. Even in “Venezia e Napoli,” Liszt's Italianate reworking of Italian composers' themes, Kissin steered clear of the potentially treacly sentimentality of this kind of paraphrase.

[...] Liszt's Piano Sonata, a work that unites many elements of his musical style: the almost keyless ambiguity of the opening theme; the metamorphosis of that theme through variation; extraordinary technical demands, and a seemingly programmatic narrative, in the manner of his tone poems for orchestra. No one knows for certain if Liszt intended the sonata to have a story, although both the Faust legend and the passion of Christ have been suggested, among many others. Kissin gave the work a driven urgency, taking no rhythmic freedom, even in the many astonishing passages in octaves, and achieving a glowing, glossy performance, alternating between sinister and angelic [...]

Kissin's pianism has an awe-inspiring fortitude: the Bellini-esque flourishes of tiny notes given a translucent, pearly sheen and the voicing of inner melodies singing clearly even when the right hand's accompanying pattern was outrageously decorated. Just as his version of the sonata told a more coherent story [...], Kissin evoked the death knell, booming drums and roaring cannon of a funeral tribute to Hungarian patriots in “Funerailles” and the restless peregrination of Senancour's hero in the “Vallee d'Obermann.” Three encores—Liszt's arrangement of Schumann's “Widmung,” the sixth movement of “Soirees de Vienne” and the famous Liebestraume No. 3—were a final reminder that Liszt was no mere showman but a sincere musician who deserves a second look.

Downey, C. (2011) Pianists Andre Watts and Evgeny Kissin offer Liszt recitals, Washington Post, March 7, 2011.

Zakir Hussain and the NSO

2011-03-04T21:00:00.006-05:00

From left, Zakir Hussain, Shankar Mahadevan, Kelley O'Connor and Hariharan onstage with the NSO.
© The Washington Post

Orchestras tend to approach crossover in one of two ways: pop-culture crossover (involving video game music, film music, or pop and rock stars like Sting performing with orchestra) and world-music crossover, in which the orchestra explores music of a non-Western tradition. Speaking very generally, world-music crossover tends to be more thoughtful.

[...]

The Zakir Hussain concerto the NSO is playing this weekend, however, merges both kinds of crossover: contrasting different musical traditions, and getting a big star to write a piece for orchestra. It's the latter aspect that trips it up. The problem is that it's difficult even for highly talented musicians to write interestingly for orchestra if they aren't trained to do so. Hussain's composition was orchestrated by someone else. I submit that a more successful approach is to have a composer versed in the ways of the Western orchestra sit down with a musician like Hussain and see what kinds of cross-pollination they could create together.

Midgette, A. (2011) Crossover: NSO goes to India, The Classical Beat, March 4, 2011.

Midgette, A. (2011) NSO review: Tabla meets West as ‘India’ concert strikes a crossover convergence, Washington Post, March 4, 2011.

Madhavi Mudgal & Alarmel Valli

2011-03-02T21:00:00.005-05:00

Madhavi Mudgal, right, and Alarmel Valli in
Samanvaya: A Coming Together at the Kennedy Center
© The Washington Post

As many Western forms of dance, in their struggle to retain audience interest, ratchet up displays of physical force, it is refreshing to see a pair of Indian dancers who can thrill a crowd with the way they shift their eyes. Madhavi Mudgal and Alarmel Valli, renowned classical dancers and utterly charming performers, kept the audience rapt at the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater on Wednesday with subtle drama taken at a leisurely pace in “Samanvaya: A Coming Together.”

Samanvaya is the Sanskrit word for harmony, an idea that Mudgal and Valli made incarnate by combining their dance styles. Mudgal is an expert in the curvaceous, fluid technique of odissi, while Valli is a leading practitioner of the sharper, well-defined movements of bharatanatyam. You couldn't confuse one with the other—Mudgal was the rounder of the two, with a discernibly soft physicality, while Valli possessed a more athletic, reedlike appearance. It's difficult to imagine two more disparate dancers complementing each other so beautifully onstage.

Kaufman, S. (2011), ‘Samanvaya’: Harmony in motion, sealed with a look, Washington Post, March 3, 2011.

Savion Glover: SoLo iN TiME

2011-02-16T21:00:00.003-05:00

I try not to miss Savion Glover's performances when he comes to DC: his amazing musicality and skill never cease to awe me. He is a creative, improvisational performer who transforms himself into a musical instrument; or rather, into the whole percussive orchestra, and totally loses himself in his craft, seemingly paying no attention to the audience, and allowing us to witness a process of music- and dance-making, a process that seems private and intimate despite the sometimes deafening over-amplified volume.

Glover and guitarist Gabriel Hermida don't so much react to as anticipate each other's moves. Eyes locked, they let fly a contest of ricocheting rhythms: Hermida's rapid strums blur his hands, his picks flash light. In answer, Glover chugs across the miked stage before a jittering, shivering foot slows into steamy shot-blasts. The back-and-forth accelerates like a runaway train.

Singer, T., Glover mixes soul, speed, and some flamenco, Boston Globe, January 31, 2011

Savion Glover performs at Strathmore
(Washington Post photo)

Abram Yusfin (1926—2011)

2011-02-15T21:00:00.116-05:00

Абрам Григорьевич Юсфин (23 октября 1926—15 февраля 2011)

Abram Yusfin (October 23, 1926—February 15, 2011)

We are all orphans now.

Giselle: Lopatkina 2011/Mezentseva 1979

2011-02-12T21:00:00.522-05:00

Uliana Lopatkina
(Photo N. Razina)

Giselle is my favorite ballet. I first saw it on December 4, 1979 at the Kirov (now Mariinsky) Theatre in Leningrad, with incomparable Galina Mezentseva in the title role, and I remember that performance as vividly as if it were yesterday. The story of betrayal, forgiveness, defying authority, and love transcending the vengeful nature of death, the story expressed purely by means of dance and music shook me to the core. This year, the Mariinsky Ballet performed Giselle at the Kennedy Center, and I went to see it, with Uliana Lopatkina in the title role.

I was struck this time by how laconic this ballet really is: there are no endless repetitions or lengthy, slowly building culminations—each emotional high point is made only once.

Another thing that I have always felt but couldn't quite formulate was how musically strong the score is. There many examples of that: the way innocent dancing melodies get distorted in the madness scene, mirroring the heroine's unsettled mind, and then they re-emerge as a shadow of former selves in the second act; or Adam's unerring choice of a solo instrument, like a forlorn sound of oboe when Albrecht comes to Giselle's grave, or a hauntingly serene viola solo accompanying the Second Act's Pas de Deux.

Choreographically, it was enormously gratifying to see that the foundation and pride of the Mariinsky—corps de ballet—are still the best in the world: the technique is impeccable, and the uniformity and the synchronicity is the marvel to behold.


Photo by Susan Biddle for The Washington Post		Photo by Susan Biddle for The Washington Post

Interestingly, in her 2005 interview, Lopatkina mentioned Mezentseva:

Q. I remember you said once that your favorite ballerinas are Galina Ulanova, Yekaterina Maximova and Galina Mezentseva. Of course, Mezentseva was the only one you had the chance to see on stage. Your choice isn’t surprising, but I'd like to know what you personally appreciate about these ballerinas?

A. They all had different personalities. Ulanova was sincere, she astonished balet-goers with her utter fidelity to human feelings. Maximova had exceptional physique and moved very beautifully. And Mezentseva—oh, she was serene, she was a queen, she had poise, beautiful lines and a profound dramatism. She cast a spell effortlessly. The strongest impression anyone has made on me was Mezentseva with her Dying Swan.

Dissanayake, N. Interview with Ulyana Lopatkina. Ballet Magazine, Jun/Jul, 2005

Thanks to the YouTube's magic, we can now compare two performances separated by 30 years. In the current staging, the madness scene seems to have been slightly abridged. As far as Albrecht's part is concerned, I am not sure if it has been simplified choreographically or Zaklinsky back then was simply technically stronger than Korsuntsev now. Overall, today's performance, crystalline, beautiful, and choreographically pure as it was, seemed not as emotionally charged and dramatic as the one I saw 30 years back. (The recordings below are from 1983, after Mezentseva recovered from the devastating achilles tendon rupture in the early 1980s. I saw her in 1979, before the injury.)

Conceptually remarkable in this staging—and Sarah Kaufman made this point in her review—was the reversal of the balance of power in the first and second acts: in the first act, Albrecht is strong, while Giselle is growing weaker; in the second, she is growing stronger as he is weakening.

Kaufman, S., Mariinsky's ‘Giselle’: Less is more, Washington Post, February 10, 2011

Uliana Lopatkina
(Photo N. Razina)

Mark Morris Dance Group at Mason

2011-02-04T21:00:00.224-05:00

Mark Morris Dance Group's newest work, “Petrichor,”
a name that refers to the scent of rain on dry earth,
is as physical as it is light.
(Photo Tracy A. Woodward, Washington Post)

I asked my good acquaintance at the George Mason University, the one with whom we went to the Garth Fagan Dance performance last April, for the tickets to the Mark Morris Dance Group. He got the tickets for the Friday performance. Imagine my surprise when I saw none other than Mark Morris himself with his coterie making their way to take the seats in a row right in front of ours. The program featured two new pieces (2008 and 2010) before the intermission, and two older pieces (1999 and 1990) after.

I have to agree with the critic:

Maybe it's the anniversary—a big one, 30 years—that lent the Mark Morris Dance Group a surprising and almost sentimental sweetness. For in its performances this past weekend at George Mason University, as part of a celebratory tour marking the survival milestone, one quality emerged over and over: charm.

Morris has created his share of drier, cooler and cerebral works, but on view Friday were four beautifully juicy ones. "Petrichor," his newest, formed the dazzling centerpiece. In creating it, Morris turned to the women of his company. Several of his veteran male dancers had retired, and their replacements needed time to come up to speed on the repertoire. Born of necessity, Morris's first all-female work carries the fresh tang of inspiration.

Kaufman, S., In Mark Morris Dance Group's anniversary tour, girlpower enchants with grace, Washington Post, February 7, 2011.

I was surprised to learn that Mark Morris Dance Group has a strong connection with suburban Washington:

Today, among the troupe's 18 dancers, four are local. […] That's a sizable chunk of suburban Washington in Morris's company, which tours internationally and is one of the busiest in the country. Dance positions of any sort—ballet, modern or other forms—are exceedingly hard to come by: The service organization Dance/USA reports that in 2009, there were 4,500 dancers in performing-arts companies.
(In troupes like Morris's, with budgets of $3 million and up, Dance/USA counts just 1,329 dancers. Those in the top modern-dance companies can make about $35,000 a year.)
This area may be reputed for the overblown egos of its political elite, but its creative capita—at least in dance—is of a quieter sort. Workaholics rule the studios. And more than that, if we can go by the success that these dancers have had with Morris, those who develop an ego-less air stand out, paradoxically, to choreographers looking for versatile performers that they can groom to their liking.

Kaufman, S., Local dancers are winning plum jobs with the famed Mark Morris Dance Group, Washington Post, January 28, 2011.

Joshua Bell at Strathmore

2011-02-02T21:00:00.205-05:00

On January 26th there supposed to be a performance by Joshua Bell at Strathmore. It was snowing in the afternoon but the performance was not canceled. I took the Metro and got to the Strathmore station surprisingly quickly, even though the Metro had problems the whole day and seemed to have been on its last legs, even more so than usual.

The foyer of the Hall was surprisingly dim. I checked in my coat at the dark cloak room (staff there used flashlights) and went towards the Hall. An usher tore off the stub of my ticket and let me in. As I grabbed a sandwich and a glass of wine (long line, dark counter, cash only, credit card processing line down) and sat down reading the Program, the Hall staff members hurried passed us yelling, “No power in the Hall, performance canceled 15 min ago, Joshua Bell in the lobby!” The small crowd, bewildered, streamed back to the entrance, and—lo and behold—there, in almost complete darkness, backed into the corner of the lobby near the cloakroom Joshua Bell whipped out his Stradivarius and proceeded to play his own variations on “Yankee Doodle Dandy.”

He then said apologetically that he'd love to play at the Hall but the regulations forbid him to do so when there is no electricity, so the concert will have to be rescheduled. Having finished playing, he indulged the autograph collectors—a consolation prize, I guess…

And the day before president of this country, in his “State of the Union” address was talking about the enduring optimism and the “sputnik moment.” Yeah, right—when two inches of snow shut the capital of the great superpower down and the modern performance venue doesn't have a backup electric system. A “sputnik moment” indeed. And our tea party friends keep dutifully droning on their mantras, insisting that no investment in the infrastructure is necessary… What a ship of fools! By the way, in my 27 years of living in Leningrad, I don't remember a single concert being canceled because of the weather, and we routinely had up to three yards of snow lying around for five winter months, and the −15F° temperatures. Go figure… They talk about optimism? It seems to be entirely unwarranted. Better read "Decline and Fall..."

The Reliable Source, Violinist Joshua Bell rewards snowy fans with impromptu performance, Washington Post, January 27, 2011.
Scott Simon, Violinist Joshua Bell Plays On The Street Again, NPR Weekend Edition Saturday, January 29, 2011.

The concert was indeed rescheduled, and took place exactly one week later, on February 2, 2011. The highlight of the evening, undoubtedly, was rarely performed Schubert's Fantasy in C. What struck me about Bell's playing was the tonal unity of his playing: rather than contrasting the timbres of playing in the low and high registers, he has achieved a remarkable consistency of sound. This reminded me of two kinds of dramatic sopranos: some, like Callas, seem to have several juxtaposing voices in one; others, like Sutherland, maintain consistency of tone throughout their wide diapason. Bell's violin playing definitely belongs to the latter school.

Robert Battey, Music review: Another memorable visit by violinist Joshua Bell, Washington Post, February 3, 2011.

Hide/Seek at the National Portrait Gallery

2011-01-30T21:00:00.256-05:00

Today I went to the National Portrait Gallery to see the controversial exhibition Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture. It has received quite a few rave reviews, e. g.,
Gopnik, B., National Portrait Gallery's 'Hide/Seek' finds a frame for sexual identity, Washington Post, November 5, 2010.

With the possible exceptions of George Bellows, Marsden Hartley, and Andy Warhol, I didn't find paintings particularly interesting. The photography section though was exceptionally strong; among the artists presented were Thomas Eakins, Berenice Abbot, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Carl Van Vechten, Robert Mapplethorpe, and many others; perhaps, not as famous but no less impressive.


Thomas Eakins (1844–1916) Walt Whitman, 1891	Robert Mapplethorpe (1946–1989) Self-Portrait, 1988


Berenice Abbott (1998–1991) Janet Flanner, 1923	Peter Hujar (1934–1987) Susan Sontag, 1975


Carl Van Vechten (1880–1964) Hugh Laing and Antony Tudor, 1940	George Platt Lynes (1907–1955) Marsden Hartley, 1942

Apparently, the show generated a lot of interest: it was rather crowded when I was there, and NPG docents lead tour after guided tour.

'Hide/Seek' visitor comments
Trescott, J., 'Hide/Seek' visitors register their opinions, Arts Post, February, 10, 2011.