unseen dharamsala: Woser

I am a 32 year old monk from eastern Tibet. As a child I witnessed many changes imposed on my region by the Chinese government. As part of these changes I was not allowed to learn about Tibetan history or culture. In 1992 I fled. I had to come to India to really learn about Tibet. Fortunately under the good grace of my root lama, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, I have been able to study Buddhism, specializing in Buddhist Tantra, Mantra and Dzogchen, as well as Tibetan linguistics and grammar. Last year I graduated from the Tibetan Academy of Philosophy where I earned my PhD in Buddhist philosophy. While attending the university I wrote many articles about ancient Tibetan culture and the current Tibetan situation. In 2005, I published a book about love and modern society. Since then I have prepared 3 more books for publication and I am currently researching Tibetan women who spent their lives practicing Buddhism.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW MY PHOTOS

Dharamsala

Dharamsala is a small town in north India, nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas. In 1960, Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India, offered upper Dharamsala to the Tibetan refugees. His Holiness the Dalai Lama, fleeing persecution in Tibet, made it his home in exile as well as the home of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile.
Today streams of Tibetan refugees flock to Dharamsala to receive blessings and teachings from His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Tibetans in Dharamsala have the rare opportunity to maintain their unique culture. New arrivals are offered free education. Schools teach Tibetan history and Buddhist philosophy as well as the Tibetan language. Dozens of cultural centers have sprung up for the preservation and study of traditional medicine, thangka painting, wood carving, folk opera, music, astrology, handicrafts and much more. For further information on Dharamsala visit http://www.tibet.com/

UNSEENWORLD

UNSEENWORLD is an innovative international arts project for workers and refugees to describe their lives through photography. Participants learn to become seen while they document their communities.

The core of the program is a series of free photography workshops. Workers and refugees receive cameras and photography instruction while engaging in discussions about self-representation. Participants tell their stories through the photographs they take.

UNSEENWORLD is an expansion of unseenamerica, a project created in order to add the vision of workers to the vision of society. unseenamerica was conceived 6 years ago by Esther Cohen the Executive Director of the Bread & Roses Cultural Project of 1199SEIU, a 30-year old non-profit.

For more information about unseenworld contact Zoeann Murphy Zoeann.Murphy[at] gmail.com

Lha Community Center

Lha is a Tibetan word that refers to the innate goodness in human beings. Lha India is a Tibetan run non-profit language school & community center in Dharamsala. Lha hosted the UNSEENWORLD photography project.

The primary goal of Lha is to facilitate an easy transition for the Tibetan community in exile and sustain a long-term resource center that provides educational, cultural and social services to the refugees in north India. Lha programs currently include free language and computer training, medical assistance, cultural exchanges, clothing and clean water projects and more. To donate or volunteer please visit lhaindia.org.

unseen dharamsala

Woser

Photographers

Teachers

Dharamsala

UNSEENWORLD

Lha Community Center