狗的鼻子先到了。黑黑的一大块，占着近处；往上才是眼睛，再往旁边，仁波切的脸也挤了进来。他们一人一边，狗分到的地方还要多些。

Ni Ni and me。他给这张合影写的名字，把狗排在前面，自己跟在后头。

狗朝这边看，他也朝这边看。两张脸靠得很近，各有各的神情，谁也没有替谁摆出同一副样子。

说到新来的一位，称呼就郑重起来。二〇一五年十一月，一头小牛被欢迎为钦哲拉章的新成员。大牛站在旁边，一个穿黄衣的人蹲下，手伸到小牛头边。

Welcoming new member of Khyentse Labrang。新成员还小，名字里却已有了一个可以归属的地方。

德瓦塘寺也有新成员。树枝底下，一大一小两只鹿挨着，地上是土、石头和落下来的枝叶。小的一只，身上的斑点还看得见。

仁波切用来迎接它的，仍是member。这一个称呼里，给它留出了自己的位置。

大鹿抬头看着，小鹿贴在近处。枝叶把四周遮住一些，里面这一小块地方，看起来很安静。

惦记一只动物，也未必要有许多话。仁波切蹲在一头驴旁边，笑着朝这边看。驴的头低一些，背上还有成捆的东西；后面是亮着灯的街边铺子。

到二〇一九年五月，他问：I wonder what happened to this donkey。那头驴后来怎么样了。

他想知道的，是它后来过得怎么样。合影里那头低着头的驴，仍叫他挂心。

到了热闹的节日，他还怕人把狗忘了。二〇二二年十月，提起排灯节，仁波切特意提醒：今天同样重要，也是Dog day。

黑狗胸前挂着橙黄的花，额头上一点红，嘴闭着，端端正正地坐在那儿。人替它准备了这么多颜色，它只管保留一张狗的脸。

有人俯下身，手伸向它面前的东西。平日要人顾到的那只狗，这时候正坐在中央。

猫又有猫的办法。人站着，长衣服垂到腿边，一只灰纹猫从院子里走过。它走在衣摆和脚之间，低低的，自有一条通路。

Not flustered at all。仁波切说它一点也不慌。猫走猫的路，院子里其余的排场，仍归人照管。

The dog’s nose arrives first: a large dark shape close to the lens. Above it are the eyes; beside it Rinpoche’s face has squeezed into view. They have a side each, though the dog has rather more room.

Ni Ni and me. In the name he gives their portrait, the dog comes first and he follows.

The dog looks this way, and so does he. Their faces are very close, each with its own expression. Neither has arranged to look quite like the other.

For a new arrival, the wording becomes more formal. In November 2015 a little calf is welcomed as a new member of Khyentse Labrang. The larger buffalo stands nearby while a person in yellow crouches with a hand beside the calf’s head.

Welcoming new member of Khyentse Labrang. The new member is small, but the welcome already gives it a place to belong.

Dewathang monastery has a new member too. Beneath the branches, a small deer is close to a larger one. There is earth, stone and fallen greenery under them; spots are visible on the little one’s coat.

The word Rinpoche uses to welcome it is again member. Within that word, a place has been made for it.

The larger deer looks up, the smaller one close beside it. Branches screen part of the surroundings. This little patch within them looks quiet.

Remembering an animal need not take many words. Rinpoche crouches beside a donkey, smiling towards the camera. The donkey holds its head lower, with bundles still on its back. Shop lights glow behind them.

In May 2019 he wonders: I wonder what happened to this donkey.

He wants to know how it has fared since. The donkey with its lowered head in the photograph is still on his mind.

When a busy festival comes round, he does not want the dog forgotten. In October 2022, mentioning Diwali, Rinpoche makes a point of reminding people that this equally important day is Dog day.

The black dog wears orange-yellow flowers across its chest and a red mark on its forehead. It sits upright with its mouth closed. People have prepared all these colours for it; it simply keeps its own dog’s face.

A person bends down, reaching towards the things set before it. The dog, with its ordinary need for care, sits at the centre of the attention.

A cat has its own way of proceeding. People stand with long garments falling towards their feet, while a grey-striped cat walks through the courtyard. Low among their hems and feet, it has a passage of its own.

Not flustered at all, Rinpoche says. The cat goes its own way. The rest of the courtyard’s arrangements remain for the people to attend to.