BEFORE SITTING

Excellent banded composition with good depth, interesting colour contrasts, etc.

Wonderful shot.

My understanding is that the Lamaist form of Buddhism, specifically Tibetan Buddhism is, and has been in effect a theocracy. It was a functioning theocracy up to the annexation by the People's Republic of China in 1950. The vestiges of this mix of religion and politics is still in a state of flux. By virtue of the diaspora, there is now an enforced separation between state and religion. The conflict between the forces of the "Free Tibet" movement and China are political. The evolution of this conflict is ongoing, as are the implications regarding the nature of theocracy.