What sparked a radical transformation, from international school teacher and gallerist to Tibetan Buddhist nun? In "Sister Max: A Surprising Life Story," our latest article in #Spiral, Director of Siddartha Art Gallery Sangeeta Thapa, tells the story of how a black school teacher from the United States came to Nepal in the early 1960s, established a private art gallery, and helped found the Kopan Monastery, now a renowned center for Tibetan Buddhism. Max Matthews (b. 1933) was a Black American educator and cultural pioneer with a Master’s from Columbia University. Seeking freedom beyond the confines of 1950s America, her career with the U.S. Department of Defense took her to international schools in Athens, Berlin, Moscow, and Kathmandu. In Nepal, she opened an influential art gallery and immersed herself in the local creative scene. Later, she embraced Buddhism, moved to India, and helped found the now-renowned Kopan Monastery in Nepal. "Max visited the lamas in a Gelukpa monaster...