With our new guide, Sunny, we headed to the Somtsenling Monastery, which is like a smaller version of the Potala Monastery in Lhasa, Tibet. Built in 1679 during the Qing Dynasty, this monastery is the largest in Yunnan Province and originally had 700 monks. It is home to the Yellow Hat sect of Buddhism, the Tibetan religion. As we drove to the monastery, many white buildings dotted the landscape surrounding the Temple. These are the houses for the monks and were built by their relatives.
We learned that there is significance to the various colors of the ubiquitous prayer flags strung between buildings and flapping in the breeze. The white flags denote water; the blue flags represent the sky; the yellow flags, the earth; the green flags, grassland and the red flags signify the sun.
The Lama selects a boy from each family to come, train and serve as a monk. The process begins at seven years of age when the boy is taken to the Monastery where he will spend his entire life as a monk. If he isn’t happy, he may leave the monastery, but it will be considered as bringing bad luck to the family. During their adult lives, different sects within the Buddhist religion permit different living arrangements. Monks of the Yellow Hat sect may not marry at all, but monks of the Red Hat sect may marry. After having a baby with his wife, he must move back into the monastery leaving his wife and baby with her family. Another sect, the White Hat sect, can marry but he is allowed to stay with his wife and any children.
As we removed our shoes in the vestibule area, we again saw large murals of the four heavenly kings which frame the entry way to all Tibetan monasteries. Inside, we were assaulted by the rancid smell of yak butter used in the colorful decorations that surround the statue of Buddha. Hedging our bet with the deities, we made a small offering then picked a white silk scarf called a gada and tossed it at the foot Buddha as a holy gift. Near the front stood a colorful and intricately detailed mandala made from colored sand, which the monks use for meditation. We were told that after one week of use, the mandala is destroyed and the sand thrown into a stream. Pictures of the Dali Lama are forbidden by the Chinese government, but each monastery has chair reserved for him, and this one was strewn with money.
It is interesting to note that the walls of the Somtsenling Monastery and of Tibetan homes as well, are slanted in at the top giving it a slight trapezoidal shape. We were told that this design represents horns to ward off evil, and also, if an earthquake occurs the walls will fall out rather than to the inside. One hundred and eight pillars bear the weight of this three story Buddhist temple (108 is considered a holy number). The Monastery was rebuilt in 1982 after the upper portion was burned and destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. From the top of the monastery one can see eight holy mountains and it is built equidistant from all eight mountains.
A sign that reads “LADIES STOP” warns any woman who may attempt to enter the kitchen at the Monastery. Here only men may enter and serve the food because, we were told, the Ying energy (water) of the women would extinguish the Yang energy (fire) of the men and the food would not cook. Tamara thought this was a great idea until she learned that the women in the village still cook the food, haul it up to the Monastery and transfer it to the monks on the kitchen steps. Ah well, life isn’t always fair.
After lunch we headed to Patatso National Park, China’s first national park established in 2006. It is an environmentally green park with green toilets, green buses, and even green-colored guardrails. We walked about three kilometers through a wooded area along one of two lakes. At the second lake we boarded a pagoda shaped boat for a relaxing trip through the rest of the park.
On our return to town, we stopped while Sunny knocked on the door of a Tibetan family compound to ask if we could see their house. These people are very friendly and gracious, and were happy to show us around. Surrounded by a high fence, the small yard and the first floor of the house are dedicated to the animals. We dodged three pigs feeding at their trough as we approached their house, while off to the side we saw several chickens and a dog. As we climbed wooden steps to the porch, we were greeted by the head of a yak with the horns attached, which is there to ward off any evil spirits. The interior was richly decorated with carved wood panels and entire wall sections painted with intricate Buddhism artwork. Near one wall we saw slabs of pork ribs and other meat hanging from the rafters to cure. Before leaving, we took Polaroid photos of the brother and sister. Before posing, the sister went inside and returned wearing a bright yellow jacket to dress up for the photo. We expect that having Western tourists in their home taking photos will be a hot topic in the community tonight.
Between 7:00 and 9:00 pm every night in the square of Old Town Shangri-La, the residents, both men and women, gather to dance their traditional Tibetan dances in concentric circles as music plays over a sound system. Some of the women were dressed in their native costumes as were some of the young children. We felt a real sense of their community spirit.
Religious festivals occur seven times a year, lasting for three days each, and we were fortunate enough to experience one. On this occasion, the main temple situated atop a small hill was beautifully lit and effect lighting accented the landscaping. To its side is the largest prayer wheel in the world, probably forty feet high and fifteen feet in diameter, and it was also illuminated to display its wondrous gold tones and decorations. This prayer wheel is powered by humans, not by mechanical means, so we headed up several flights of stairs to check it out. There were a number of people holding handles as they walked to turn the prayer wheel, but at one point it came to a dead stop. Rich decided to get it going again, which took a great deal of effort due to its mass.
The evening ended with a search for yak yarn that Rich wanted to buy at the request of his sister-in-law. The shop we were directed to was already closed for the night, but our guide knocked on the door and an old woman let us in. A manual weaving machine dominated the shop and the surrounding shelves displayed items for sale that she made. After some explanation, she sold us some of her supply. Yak yarn in the States is expensive, but fairly cheap close to the source here in Shangri-La.
Garry, Rich and Tamara
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