Novice at Punakha Dzong

I hope it was his own choice but I doubt about it.

In Bhutan it's still traditional to give one son to the monasteries, They are fed and schooled and theoretically they can choose to leave when they are older and before they are ordained.

Thanks for the complete information Gudrun.

Superbement prise et rendue ....!

Merci beaucoup, Malik!

Super Porträt in tollen Farben!
Die Leitungen gehen vermutlich aufs Dach zum solarbetriebenen Wasserboiler. Die gibts inzwischen auch in Nepal überall. :)

Danke, poly! Haha, kann schon sein mit den Leitungen! Diese Länder haben ja meist direkt vom Mittelalter den Sprung in die Neuzeit gemacht;-)

Sehr eindrucksvoll präsentiert, Gudrun !

Schönen Dank, Norbert!

Matching colours... the young boy does not seem very happy, maybe is future is not what he would have chosen...

Thanks a lot, Isabel! He was sent there by his family, I guess, it's the tradition. He still has the chance to leave before he is fully ordained. I noticed that the novices in the Eastern monasteries which adhere to the older Nyingmapa Buddhism looked relaxed and much happier. This one was in the West which follows the stricter Drukpa Kagyü school...

So jung und schon.... Ich stimme Xata zu...
Aber ein eindrückliches Foto.

Herzloichen Dank, Udo! Es gibt in Bhutan 2 verschiedene Schulen des Buddhismus, die im Westen des Landes schauten alle etwas ernst und bedröppelt, die im Osten waren fröhlich und durften Kinder sein.

This is a charming portrait Gudrun............the young man is nicely framed in the doorway and the colours in his robes and the door work well together.

As to Leopold's point above.......it's always been my understanding that a novice may leave at any time he or she likes.......of course, whether he or she will have anywhere else to go is a different matter.

Thank you so much, Keith! Yes, they are theoretically free to leave before they are ordained. There's still a widespread tradition to give one son to the monastery, especially in poor families. It means one less mouth to feed and it's supposed to bring good karma. Good monasteries give good schooling, the not so good ones let them just learn prayers by heart...

A lovely portrait of this young novice, Gudrun.

Thanks very much, George!

The limited colour palette is striking here Gudrun. The boy looks wistful.

Thanks a lot, Amelia! Yes, he'd probably like to be outside and play...This is a famous and probably rather strict monastery.

Schöne Aufnahme und er ist schön. Ich denke wie die andere und hoffe dass er weg kann, wenn er will.

Dank dir, Dany! Er kann sich gegen das Kloster entscheiden, wenn er älter ist. Allerdings bleiben immer noch die meisten.

Such a sweet and innocent young boy. I feel the same as Keith and Leopold.
A beautiful shot Gudrun.

Thanks a lot, Rosa! In Bhutanese monasteries there are many children, in the good ones they get solid schooling.

FAB!!!!!!

Mille grazie, Annemaire!

Awesome picture Gudrun.

Thank you, Jaap!

Ein tolles Bild ! Nicht mehr, nicht weniger !

Schönen Dank, Uli!

Ob er weiß, was ihn erwartet, der Blick ist irgendwie traurig und leer. Oder täusche ich mich?

Besten Dank, Uwe! Ja, er sah nicht ganz glücklich aus. Im Prinzip kann er das Kloster verlassen, solange er noch Novize ist, nur würde seine Familie das vermutlich als Schande empfinden. Aber der hatte noch ein paar Jahre Zeit...

Super

Merci beaucoup, Roland!

schön!

Danke vielmals, bk!

Nice capture, beautiful portrait!!

Best wishes
Füsun

Thank you so much, Füsun!

I was amazed at how young some of the boys were at the monasteries.

Thanks very much, Esther! Indeed, they send them there at Kindergarten age!

schöne eingefangen den Bub

Herzlichen Dank, Karin!

joli petit bonze*******************j'adore************

Merci beaucoup, Valeriane!

Da ist dir ein wunderbares Foto gelungen Gudrun, Glückwunsch