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Published: September 6th 2006
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got you !!
Stomping his foot and slapping is hand, this monk seems sure to have won the theological argument at the Sera Monastery. One of the lesser known sights for tourists, and lesser encouraged holy places in Lhasa, Tibet, is the Sera Monastery, located on the outskirts of the city, on the base of steep mountain ridges. As with all peaks on the Tibetan High Plateau, already at 13,000 feet altitude, these imposing stone ridges cannot support the growth of trees, and therefore one has a clear view to the top.
Looking up the foreboding incline, one can see some small man-made structures anchored precariously near the top. As if on clothing-lines, thousands of prayer-flags flap their words to the wind, and a visitor wonders, how it was possible for someone to climb safely to that altitude, and leave those man-made marks. No trail or path is visible, but the amount of flags and freshly painted building, (the photo shows a gold painted building on the top left), leave the impression, that these peaks are visited frequently and recently.
I have heard of the Tibetan Buddhist ritual, "the sky-funeral", and began to understand, that I was looking up at one of the locations where, according to Western thinking, these gruesome rituals were and are still performed:
1. Because of the lack
sky-funeral-mountain
Below the photo, a small portion of the Sera Monastery roof is visible. Behind is the mountain ridge, on which the corpse is dismembered. Note the golden chapel on the top left of the photo, from which the ritual is initiated. of wood, cremation for Tibetan Buddhists has never been an option.
2. The thickness and hardness of what little perma-frosted soil exists is used for farming and not for burial sites. Hacking and plowing on top of your ancestor's remains has never been considered a prudent gesture, especially if you are praying for a good crop. :-)
3 Since most of Tibet is still newly-forming-stone, pushing up-ward at millimeters each year, it is also nearly impossible to bury the dead in such solid stone-foundations, which comprise most of this "autonomous region" of China.
Unless a sledge hammer and some mighty drilling tools are used, a different form of burial had to be encouraged.
Tibetan Buddhism expounds the virtues of living harmoniously with nature, offering the suggestion, that all living things are inter-connected and inter-related. Therefore, presenting the sliced and separated parts of a wrapped-corpse to eager and waiting vultures became the common custom for disposing of the dead.
The body of the deceased was carried to the top of the mountain by monks, to be ritually dismembered. The still wrapped pieces were thrown to- and torn apart by- the competing and fighting vultures. In no
sky funeral mountain in the back
The front of the largest of the Sera Monastery's shrine. The golden symbols on the roof are similar in all Buddhist monasteries. Sky-funeral-mountain is in the back-ground. time the problem of a corpse had been solved. This kind of ceremony was also performed at the death of the exiled, 14th Dalai Lama's father.
A pilgrimage to the top of the mountain is not permitted, and during "this" day, few vultures were visible. But when a parade of monks claw their way to the top, carrying someone sealed in cloth, these flesh-eating and bone-crushing birds begin to congregate quite intuitively.
Once the vultures have completed their meal, according to Buddhist belief, nature has come full circle. Other than the blood on the surrounding "tables" of stone, little of the carnage remains visible.
I am somewhat reminded of the words in the Christian dogma, and they are very emphatic when they tell us: "Thou cometh from dust, and to dust thou shall return"! The only dust here is in the bird's droppings, and that is one of the reasons Tibetans do not eat birds or fish.
Visitors to the monastery today are less pre-occupied by the "sky-funeral". They focus more on an "open-air debate" by a multitude of monks, who assemble every day at 3 p.m. For the next two hours, in full view of
prayer wheels
By the entrance of the Sera Monastery, a pilgrim or visitor is greeted by large prayer-wheels. their attentive teachers and enraptured tourists, they debate Buddhist thougth and Buddhist scripture.
With animated gestures, they challenge each other's knowledge. They will emphatically stomp their feet to make a point. With a ritualized slap of hands, the weakness in an argument is quickly noted. Their faces are filled with smiles as they continuously change roles and challenge each other, and they have little patience for a slow answer.
This group-debate has been an important part of the Sera Monastery since the 13th Century. The five hundred "warrior- monks" study in one of the 3 Buddhist Colleges on its grounds. It represents only one tenth of the group, who once lived here.
But the monastery once again seems a vibrant part of the city, and Tibetan men and women are helping in the re-construction and its renovation quite enthusiastically. It is amazing to see the common folks sing in a rythm as they continue their laborious work.
Arthur and I walked among the temples, and a few of the monks greeted us and became quite exited, when I told them that I was from America. The monestary has been their only home for all of their
lifes, and our contact, however minimal, was important to them and brought them joy.
I will carry very fond memories from my visit to this quite unique and controversial monastery, and will never look at the birds above me quite in the same manner. :-)
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anonymous
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schneider...I wanted you to know that I have picked German back up at Florida State University. I also wanted to thank you for being such an inspirational teacher. Not many teachers at the High School level know there subject, or have the ability as you do to connect with thier student and bring out the best results from each individuals potential. I walk with the lessons and experiences you have provided for me every day of my life. Your courage and ability to make the best of every situation is admirable. Thank you for sparking an interest in a subject that has contributed to my growth at an academic level and as a person. Your Friend, John Moore