Photos: 1) A mountain shrine; 2) butter, carried in bags to Buddhist temples to fuel the hundreds of butter candles; 3) men spinning prayer wheels; 4) We stopped the car to accomodate a nomad and his sheep; 5) Tibetan woman; 6) Tibetan woman and child; 7) farmers; 8 ) A woman prostrates herself in fron to front of Johkhang Templem; 9 ) large prayer wheels at the Patola Palace.
While the drive to Lhasa from the airport provided us with a scenic tour of the area’s dramatic countryside, full of deep valleys ringed by rugged peaks against a deep blue sky, Tibet offers so much more to tourists. We left Lhasa awed by its majestic scenery, overwhelmed by the friendliness and openness of its people, impressed by its religion, which was integral to local life, and saddened by its politics.
On our visit to this beautiful region, we were amazed at the warmth with which we were greeted by locals. This was all the more impressive given the backdrop of Chinese military, which surprised us with its heavy presence in the area. Everywhere we went, heavily-armed solidiers patrolled the streets. There were sharp shooters on rooftops and SWAT teams in blue bullet proof vests at every turn.
We were warned by one local not to photograph any Chinese military – or face reprisals. Whether one supports the Chinese presence in Tibet, as some of our Chinese friends do – even those with the most liberal of outlooks – or not, you cannot leave Lhasa untouched by what is taking place in this remote area of the world.
Despite the military presence, we spoke with many locals about a number of topics. One young man, speaking of 2008, when a series of Tibetan demonstrations ended violently, shared, “The Chinese will tell you they were not armed [in 2008]. Let me tell you – they were. They will tell you that few died. I saw the people in the streets. At least 500 died.” Another told us that since 2008, Tibetans are no longer granted passports to travel overseas. Also in the last two years, several of the Dalai Lammas’ former homes have been closed to the public. At Tibet’s largest monetary, where over 7,000 monks used to practice, today there are no more than 500, again, “due to politics.” Sad stories haunted us all through our visit, and yet, there were also plenty of smiles for tourists.
The Tibetans we met, many of whom carried prayer wheels, which they spun in their right hands, while fingering prayer beads in their left, told us that their cheerful demeanor and warmth was rooted in their religion. They spoke of Karma, a Buddhist belief that current actions will determine one’s position in the next life. Whatever the reason, a smile at a Tibetan was always returned with the same, and often a brief conversation.
Our guide enlightened us on some of the history of Buddhism in Tibet. He told us that the prayer flags one sees flying throughout the region – as well as incense – are actually from the Bon religion, which preceded Buddhism in the area. He confirmed that people’s faith was at the core of their being, which was evident by the many pilgrims we saw at the religious sites of Lhasa.
I had recently read a fascinating novel by Xinran, entitled Sky Burial, and I asked our guide if the funeral practice of cutting up people into small pieces after to death and leaving them to be consumed by vultures still existed. He confirmed that 70% of adults will still experience what’s called a Sky Burial upon death, reflecting Tibetans’ belief in in circle of life where all things return to nature. The bodies of children, on the other hand, are mostly cast into the river, which is why many Tibetans do not eat fish.
It was hard not to like the people we met – from our guide who avoided politics to a young man we met when out on our own named Tenzing, who light-heartedly said, “Well, they tell us we cannot have pictures of the 14th Dalai Lama so instead we name our children Tenzing (the Dalai Lama’s name). They try to change the names in schools, but it doesn’t work. We still believe.”