Because all of China is on one time zone, Lhasa is on the same time as Beijing, though it's really 2 hours "later". Everything is adjusted accordingly.
Our tour departed at 9:30. First stop: the Outpatient Hospital of Traditional Tibetan Medicine. As Elaine's Master's degree was in alternative medicine, this was a special and highly anticipated opportunity for her.
Doctor Chiwang gave a presentation introducing the precepts and practice of traditional Tibetan Medicine. They treat primarily chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Acute conditions (broken bone, surgery, etc) are treated at more westernized hospitals.
The room in which we met was hung with 15 beautiful Thangka scrolls illustrating the many areas of study covered in their 5-year education. The originals were hidden during the Cultural Revolution and are now in a newer local facility. Each scroll focuses on a specific teaching area of health, such as various states of health and disease, diagnosis, urinalysis, reproduction and pregnancy, etc.
The lecture room also contained hundreds of ancient medical books in decorative cabinets.
An adjoining room was a shrine honoring earlier doctors who had made exceptional contributions to their field. There were images behind glass, with butter lamps and offerings of flowers and money.
We walked a short distance to the oldest and most revered temple in Tibet. Buddhism is practiced by 99% of Tibetans. Most practice Mahayana Buddhism. The ambition of Mahayana (from a Sanskrit word meaning the greater part of Buddhism) is not to attain enlightenment (which can be motivated by fear of what happens after death), but to follow Buddhist teachings and to help other people.
Many monasteries and temples were destroyed in the Cultural Revolution, but China has allowed freedom of religion since 1970.
Jokhang Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was like nothing I've seen before. Two enormous incense urns stood smoking in the courtyard, overflowing with fistfuls of incense tossed in by pilgrims.
A continual throng of pilgrims of all ages, dressed in everything from traditional to contemporary clothing circumambulated the large structure clockwise. Some spun prayer wheels, some wore respiratory masks.
Dozens of other pilgrims cycled through endless prostrations, sometimes 1000 or more a day, praying and earning karma.
No photography was allowed inside the temple itself, which included many treasures, altars and an orderly line of pilgrims waiting two hours or more to see the temple's main relic, a Buddha from China. The pilgrims come great distances to visit this most important Temple, some on foot.
More photos from the temple grounds:
And street scenes in the center of Lhasa:
Next stop was the workshop of a Thangka master near the edge of town. Thangka painting has been associated with Buddhism since the 7th century. Its original purpose was similar to the wall paintings in Buddhist monasteries, or stained glass windows in medieval Christian cathedrals: to educate illiterate worshippers in the traditions, precepts and stories of their religion.
It takes 6-7 years to become an accomplished Thangka painter. The master who met with us had 3 apprentices learning the art in his workshop. A painting like the one here takes about 8 months of 8-hour days to complete.
Our final stop of the day was the Sera Monastery, one of Tibet's 3 great monasteries. It was founded in 1619 by one of the students of a great master, to honor that master after his death. Another student of this master became the first Dalai Lama in the 1600s.
Families used to bring their sons to join a monastery as young as 5 or 6, but there is now a law that mandates a candidate be at least 18 years old to join.
This monastery is unusual in that three different types of Buddhism are studied here, including the most difficult, tantric Buddhism. The young monks can also study languages, religions and other subjects if so inclined.
Sera Monastery is also known for the strident and vigorous debating style of its monks. Six days a week, they pair up in a courtyard from 3 to 5 and go at it. One of the pair sits on a cushion and answers and clarifies his point while his challenger stands in front of him, loudly slapping one hand into the palm of the other with a cracking sound or lifting up one leg and swinging his arm while loudly chastising his opponent to present a better argument. As there are perhaps 50 pairs of monks doing this simultaneously, it appears quite chaotic (and entertaining) to the observers.
A circuit of prayer wheels
After a long, overwhelming day, it was good to return to the hotel and let the impressions process.
Fun fact: Sadly, there is a KFC in Tibet. Happily, I found it.
The debates are fascinating. What sorts of topics are debated?
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