At the end of a long ceremony at the Tibetan monastery of Shechen in Nepal, the lamas perform an offering of butter-lamps. Each person holds a lighted lamp, and is linked to his neighbors with white scarves which, knotted together, run through the whole assembly. The participants recite slow and melodious verses in which they pray to practice together throughout their future lives until they all attain enlightenment. Kathmandu, Nepal, 2004.