Behind the reconstructed halls of Drepung, the hillside is covered in grassy ruins of the numerous halls and chapels that were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution and its aftermath. Visiting monasteries in Tibet was emotionally confusing -- pleasure in the invincible life-force of the pilgrims' devotions bringing the empty rooms alive, and the constant reminder of how much was lost, how few monks and teachers remain, how empty the center of the religious life in Tibet feels without His Holiness.