Though we saw quite a lot of monks around Lhasa and the other areas we visited, it was a constant source of sadness to realize how many more there had been before the occupation. At the Jokhang, the most sacred of Tibetan temples, the whole group of monks at evening prayers barely filled a few rows. Children are not officially allowed to become monks, though we see kids in robes who are living under the radar. We spoke to one monk living at Drepung unofficially in the hope that a spot would open up in the quotas for him to enter. He had lived like that already for years and planned to wait a few more years before giving up hope.