This blog is a little late because I have been without internet access for the past few days. The reason? I have finally managed to achieve an aim I have had for many years – to visit and photograph Tibet, “the Roof of the World”. An Easter weekend is, of course, far from sufficient time to explore Lhasa, but it was an opportunity at least to scratch the surface of this mystical place, and with over 1100 photographs from the trip, I think I can say I made the most of every minute available!
At LPCUWC, we usually get only four days break at Easter, but this year with the Qingming Festival falling last Thursday, a five day opportunity presented itself. One of the great benefits of being a resident in Hong Kong, which like Tibet is part of China, is that the special permission forms normally needed by foreigners to visit Tibet are not required.
I could not get away from the College as soon as the holidays began because several important reports needed to be finished, most notably my 15-page report of the recent UWC International Board meeting. And so it was that I arrived with Di and Andrew in Lhasa on Friday morning, greeted at 3600 metres altitude by bright blue skies but not much oxygen.
We used Friday as an orientation day, walking about 10 kilometres around Lhasa, and focussing especially on the Potala Palace. Perhaps Tibet’s most famous landmark, the Potala looks even more impressive in reality than in photographs, and the sight of this wonder of architecture bathing in the afternoon sunlight was awe-inspiring. I certainly knew I was in Tibet as I sat on a hill opposite the Potala and drank in the wonder of the spectacle.
After this great introduction to Lhasa, we followed the pilgrims’ circuit clockwise around the base of the Potala Palace. The pathway was teeming with pilgrims from all parts of Tibet as they followed an almost continuous circuit of prayer wheels, walking past tea houses, butchers selling yak meat, stone carvers and beggars, and spinning the prayer wheels rapidly as they walked. In front of the Potala Palace, quite a number of pilgrims prostrated themselves face down on the footpath, some knocking their foreheads of the footpath as they did so.
Unfortunately, altitude sickness affected Di at the end of the day, and she chose (without much “choice” actually) to stay in Lhasa on Saturday as Andrew and I drove north-east to the Ganden Monastery, a wondrous collection of buildings perched on a hillside at an altitude of 4500 metres above sea level – incidentally the highest I have ever been.
Founded in 1409, the Ganden Monastery is a seat of the Gelugpa Order of Buddhism, and is an active monastery populated by hundreds of monks. Its steep and winding rocky paths, spartan facilities, multitudes of hidden chapels and meeting rooms, and essential self-sufficiency reminded me of the way medieval monasteries in Europe would have operated. The thousands of fluttering colourful prayer flags and distinctive imagery were specifically Tibetan, of course.
Dawn on Easter Sunday is always an emotional experience for me. To experience dawn on Easter Sunday as the sun rose over the Himalaya Mountains behind Lhasa was almost a mystical experience. After her day resting, Di had recovered sufficiently to join Andrew and me once again to walk through the old Tibetan section of Lhasa, known as Barkhor. Our first stop was the Jokhang, probably the most revered religious structure in Tibet. Started in the year 639 (or maybe 647, it’s hard to be sure!), the Jokhang is a centre of Tibetan religious life, and we were greeted with the amazing sight of hundreds of pilgrims prostrating themselves on the stone square in front of the building. This has obviously been happening for centuries as the stones have been worn smooth by the worship. The views from the roof across the old Tibetan sector of Lhasa were stunning, although they also revealed an approaching snow storm, looming above the Potala Palace in the distance like a dark swirling mass of fury.
Like the Potala Palace, the Jokhang has a pilgrims’ circuit surrounding it, and as the snow started falling, we joined the pilgrims on the circuit. Many of the pilgrims were carrying hand-held prayer wheels, some of which have cylinders that can carry over a kilometre of prayers, which are thought to be recited with each revolution of the prayer wheel. A few pilgrims were prostrating themselves on the ground as they completed the circuit, falling face-down on the stone pavement and knocking their heads on the ground before standing up, walking a few more steps, and repeating the action.
Although we were not planning to have lunch on Sunday , the onset of a snow storm changed our plans, and we probably coped with the afternoon’s exercise better as a result. Our goal for the afternoon was to explore the Potala Palace. To enter the Potala, one must climb to the roof using the vast external stairs and then descend through the dark maze of alleyways, rooms and chapels that comprise the main structure of the building. Di found the climb excruciatingly difficult, as she was obviously still affected by the high altitude, but with patience and encouragement she eventually made it. We were disappointed that the roof is no longer open for the views over Lhasa, but the interiors were like an intense mixture of a dark medieval monastery and the definitive gallery of Tibetan Buddhist art - impossible to photograph because of their grandeur as well as the official prohibition on photography. And the views over Lhasa upon leaving were like the icing on a very rich cake.
All too soon, our time on the Roof of the World was over, and we returned to sea level in Hong Kong on a flight via Chengdu. But of course our photos and our memories remain, as well as our reflections on the paradox of being in this beautiful Buddhist land during what is probably the most important Christian festival of the year.
Lhasa is a very spiritual place, with thousands of Buddhists putting their faith into practice in very public ways. That in itself is a challenge for any thinking person, who is bound to ask “How am I putting MY beliefs into practice?”. And yet, this very public display of faith highlights one of the important differences between Christianity and Buddhism. Buddhism is a “doing” religion, in which great efforts are made to earn merit. On the other hand, Christianity is a “done” religion – Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection on that first Easter are seen by Christians as being sufficient for anyone who believes to receive eternal life. Christianity does not demand any of the works required by most other religions, such as we witnessed by countless Buddhists in Lhasa.
In his book ‘Simply Christian’, the Anglican Archbishop of Durham (UK) argues that all humanity shares the longing for justice, the quest for spirituality, the hunger for relationships, and the delight in beauty. Each of these, he claims, points to a realm beyond the material. People everywhere yearn for something that has meaning and significance that transcends self – something that is grounded in truth and reality.
We see this in the values and insights that are shared by most of the world’s religions. To stay with the example of Tibet, Buddhism’s “Ten Meritorious Deeds” – do not kill, do not steal, and refrain from inappropriate sexual activity, gossiping, lying, cursing, sowing discord, envy, malice and opinionatedness – represent an extremely sound philosophy of living that very few people of any religious persuasion would deny. What vary are the reasons that different people believe these and other practices are important.
Challenged as I was in Lhasa, surrounded by such intense expressions of Tibetan Buddhist devotion, I nonetheless remained convinced by the evidence of that first Easter Sunday that Christ’s resurrection actually happened. It is not appropriate to argue the historical fact of Jesus’ resurrection here; it is the subject of countless books, which are more appropriate places to analyse the evidence than a web blog! Nonetheless, Jesus’ return to life from death is something that colours all subsequent human history, and gives truth and legitimacy to his other promises and claims, including significantly the command to ‘Love One Another’. It is why Easter is so much more important to me than Christmas.
As the American film actor Lee J Cobb said, “For those who believe in God, no explanation is needed. For those who do not believe in God, no explanation is possible.”
FOOTNOTE:
To see a gallery of images of Lhasa, click HERE.
To see a gallery of images of the Ganden Monastery, click HERE.
To see a gallery of family images in Tibet (password needed), click HERE.