R&R in Lhasa

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We are supposed to have 3 days R&R in Lhasa but the place is full of monasteries, temples, local markets etc. etc. so there's no chance of me sitting still and relaxing. This in turn means there's no chance of Edwin sitting and relaxing; he says he wants to but as soon as I pick up the guide book and head out he's there, right behind me, afraid that he might miss out on something exciting!!

Riding into Lhasa is strange. Waiting on the edge of town, for the group to re-form, we are surrounded by a modern city full of Han Chinese faces with all the shop signs in Chinese - it just didn't feel like we were in Tibet, in 15 mins of waiting we only saw 2 Tibetan faces. Our hotel is on the other side of town so we have to do battle with the traffic again and try not to be too distracted as we ride straight in front of the Potala Palace.

We are based in the Old Town which does have a distinctly Tibetan feel to it. Its full of life, there's a real buzz to the place with winding cobbled alleyways doubling up as street markets, Tibetans rotating pray wheels whilst making the Barkhor Kora (Pilgrim's Circuit) round the main temple and colourful stalling selling prayer flags and beads. On every corner there's another little temple and they each have their own personality and atmosphere. Once upon a time I'm sure I was taught that “The Buddha” meditated, found enlightenment and passed his teachings on, full stop. But, like a lot of things in life, once you get out into the real world its not that simple. In Tibetan Buddhism (a mix of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism) things are far more complicated; there are several different Buddhas (e.g. the Buddha of Infinite Light, the Buddha of Longevity, the Past, Present and Future Buddhas), a whole host of Bodhisattvas (enlightened beings who choose to help others become enlightened) and endless protector deities and personal meditation deities. And all of these can appear in several different forms e.g. wrathful, benign. Hence the different styles and ambience in each little temple. Its all very friendly. Sometime you juts poke you nose in the door and suddenly you are pulled in by a monk or pilgrim and encouraged to make a kora round the chapels and statues.

The whole place has a festive feel to it - people enjoying themselves on a day out. However, watching over all of this activity are the armed guards and soldiers. They are also on every street corner and even up on the rooftops. Having dinner on one of the roof top restaurants your eyes keep drifting back from the wonderful, vibrant street scene below to the three Chinese soldiers pacing the opposite rooftop with their rifles.

Right in the middle of all this activity is the Jokhang, the most sacred temple in Tibet and the spiritual heart of the city. The outer courtyard is full of people prostrating themselves before heading off for another kora. Inside its crowded with worshippers queuing to enter the 30 or so tiny outer chapels dedicated to the different Buddhas/Bodhisattvas/deities. When they get in they have a few seconds to bow to the statues and add their 1/10th Yuan note to the pile before shuffling along to the queue for the next chapel. There is an incredible feeling of devotion mixed with excitement. In the central prayer hall, are the larger than life statues of the Future Buddha and the Bodhisattva of Compassion, they are remaking the floor. This involves 50 or so youngsters stamping backwards and forwards singing and hitting the ground with their tamping poles in what resembled a complicated line dance. It provides rather a nice background sound for statue viewing. The locals obvious have as much difficulty as I do identifying the various statues as they all sport labels announcing who they are - very handy.
Surprisingly in amongst the maze of alleyways there's a Muslim Quarter where the prayer wheels are replaced by minarets. There are also several small workshop where they are still practising traditional crafts. Its nice to see the students and master taking such care and pride in their statues, paintings, weaving, embroidery etc. We visit one workshop where they are making making the large festival tents we have passed en-route. Edwin seems to think it is essential that we have one of these for the garden and as he's still talking about it days later so we have to try and re-find the right backstreet and go and purchase one. After laying it out in the tiny workshop and getting precise instruction on how to put it up (they don't speak English, we don't speak Tibetan!!) we have to tackle China Post to try and send it home. Luckily the girl on the overseas parcels desk speaks English, she assures us that just writing our address on the thin linen bag the tent is stuffed in will be sufficient, no big cardboard box required - will we ever see it again?

The other main attraction in Lhasa is the Potala Palace. It is certainly a big impressive building and there are a lot of steps to climb to get to the Dalai Lama's living quarters on the 13th floor. Inside its just as impressive with endless Buddha statues and tombs of various Dalai Lamas e.g. the 25m stupa of the 5th Dalai Lama made from sandalwood and coated in 3,727kg of solid gold and studded with 18,680 pearls and semi-precious jewels. It all seems very extravagant and there are suggestions from the group that the gold could have been put to a better use but our Tibetan guide totally disagrees. He is adamant that when his father dies he will donate a quarter of his fathers valued possessions to the temple in his father's memory and to ensure good fortune for his father's soul. He says this is the source of the gold and jewels and that people are proud to have donated one tiny piece and its obvious that he genuinely believes this. Anyway its all incredibly impressive but it lacks something, unlike the temple there is no soul or life here, it feels like a big, empty museum.

Surrounding Lhasa are a whole host of monasteries which, like the little temples in town, all have their own personalities. Dreprung monastery is enormous, it once housed 10,000 monks and is now down to 600. It is a building site with construction going on everywhere. But the Tibetans are still completing their kora clambering over mounds of earth or edging along narrow ledges besides deep drainage ditches. It all adds to the sense of comradery as everyone helps each other and people point you in the right direction - you cant go round the buildings the wrong way, that is serious bad kama!!

Nechung, once the home of the state oracle, is dark and broody, a tantric temple with spirit traps and fierce, demon like gods. Some are so wrathful and fearsome that their faces have to be covered. The doors are blood red and painted with flayed human skins and the walls show scenes of human torture.

Sera monastery is more tranquil and cheerful. Colourful mandalas and auspicious symbols are painted on the walls and beautiful silk fabrics trail down from the ceilings in an unbelievable mix of colours and patterns - they could give the tile work in Samarkand a run for their money. Out in the courtyard the monks are debating, clapping their hands and stamping their feet to emphasise the point they have just made. It is a nice place to sit and absorb the atmosphere.

So our R&R is over and we re-group ready to head east tomorrow. Over the last few days the group members have had the opportunity to talk to everyday Tibetans and there does seems to be a change in people's opinions. The talk now is of the lack of freedom, the down-grading of their religion, the plundering of the land and the disappearance of the traditional way of life. I think a few people have been shocked at the strength of the anti-Chinese feeling. The “fridge or freedom” debate has definitely taken a swing away from a new house being the best thing you can have in life.

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Photos

Riding into Lhasa
trying to concentrate on the traffic and not be distracted by the Potala Palace

Barkhor Square and the Jokhang Temple, the most sacred temple in Tibet
they never have flower beds in China, its always rows of plant pots.

devotions
the pilgrims follow the kora (pilgrim's path) round the temple before prostrating themselves before it. There's awlays a continuous flow of people in a clockwise direction.

heads
traditional workshops making bronze and clay statues

the master and pupil
a workshop producing traditional thangkas and temple paintings

the Potala Palace
with 13 floors and over 1000 rooms. The Red Palace is devoted to religious studies, the White Place (top right) is where the Dalai Lama's lived.

Snow Lions guarding the doorway to the White Palace
the buildings may look plain red or white from a distance but up close the porches, doors and windows are a riot of colour and patterns. And inside every surface is patterned and every space crowded with stautes.

Drepung Monastery
once home to 10,000 monks and the orginal seat ofthe Dalai Lama's until the 5th DL had the Potala Palce built.

Drepung Monastery - Ganden Palace
the whole place is a building site - at least here there was a path bewteen the piles of sand and rubble, usually we had to climb over them with the other pilgrims.

Drepung Monastery - the Dalai Lama's living quarters and his throne
the buildings may look big and grand but inside there aren't many belongings its all religious statues and wall paintings.

The Main Assembly Hall, Drepung Monastery
these are just a few of the many statues that are alsway crammed into the temple halls - its visual overlaod, its impossible to take it all in (clockwise: Maitreya the future Buddha, Vajrapani a protector diety, Tsongkhapa the founder of the Gelugpa sect, 4 Bodhisattvas).

Nechung Monastery - once home to the state oracle
its a dark and broody tantric tample - note the flayed human skins painted on the doors plus the surrounding serpents and skulls.

a sand mandala
each deity has their own Mandala representing their divine place of residence and the activities and teachings of that deity. Every color, dot, and line represents an essential part of the deity and Buddhist philosophy. They rpesent a 3D palace and the mind of the Buddha. The personmeditating on the mandala enters into it, as they would a building or an enclosure.

Sera Monastery up close
more incredible carved detail and use of colour. The painting shows Yama, the god of death, holding up the Wheel of Life: a complex pictorial representation of how desire chains us to the endless cycle of birt, death and rebirth.

Comments

[carol & James]

Yet again some wonderful photos that give a really great feel to what its like there. Ed hates to miss out on anything - as I'm sure you've know for some time! Looks like the new guest wing has been sorted - did you get a 'rain cover' too? Carol & James

[David & Dioana]

Tibetian confusion!
Bewildering array of " religious " items/buildings etc............. all beautifully photographed and apparently guarded by chinese soldiers!