What is the relationship between highland barley wine culture and Tibetan culture?

Highland barley wine and Tibetan wine culture

The wine culture with wine as the carrier has a long history and is colorful, which is an outstanding creation of human beings in the process of conquering and transforming nature. A nation's wine culture not only reflects its social and economic development, but also fully reflects its psychological quality, value orientation and aesthetic taste. Therefore, most different nationalities have their own unique wine culture. China is the first country in the world to invent wine with Qu, and it has a long and splendid wine culture. Living in this cultural atmosphere, various ethnic groups in China have gradually formed a rich and colorful national wine culture through cultural exchange and integration in the long historical development. The wine culture with highland barley wine as the main carrier is a wonderful flower in the hundred gardens of Chinese wine culture.

First, the history of wine storage

A nation's wine culture includes both material and spiritual aspects. Cultural representations such as wine customs, wine vessels and wine songs are all based on wine. Therefore, a nation's wine culture is actually based on winemaking.

The history and folklore of Tibetan winemaking began when Princess Wencheng brought China winemaking to Tubo in the Tang Dynasty. But according to historical facts, the history of brewing in Tibet should be much earlier than this. As we all know, Tibetans are a kind of national identity formed by several ethnic groups and tribes living on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in ancient times in historical development. The ancestors of Tibetans have a deep relationship with the ethnic system called "Qiang" in China classics. Qiang, which means "the shepherd of the West", was originally a general term for nomadic tribes in the western regions by China people in the Central Plains during the Yin and Zhou Dynasties. Archaeology and literature prove that the ancient Qiang people first lived on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and then gradually migrated and dispersed, forming many species, some of which were transformed into agricultural production. The ancient Qiang people created a splendid plateau culture a long time ago. According to some experts' research, long before China people in the Central Plains had wheat seeds, the ancient Qiang people had successfully cultivated a kind of rye on the plateau, which is the main grain of Tibetans today-highland barley. Shennong, a branch of Qiang nationality, later entered the Central Plains and merged with Huangdi nationality to form Huaxia nationality. Dayu, founded in Xia Dynasty, was also "longer than Xiqiang" (2) The center of Xiqiang was originally in Hehuang area of Qinghai. In the 4th century BC, he was forced by Qiang Qin to emigrate to the southwest, and entered northwest Sichuan and south Gansu, west and southeast Qinghai and Tibet, forming many tribes. By the Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Sui Dynasty, there had been such big tribes as Supi, Tangut, Prynne, Tuguhun, Guo Fu, Jialiang and Dongfang on the plateau. When the Yalong River tribe, which rose in the Yarlung Zangbo River valley in southern Tibet in the 7th century, successively conquered the Qiang tribes, unified the plateau and established a powerful Tubo dynasty, many Qiang people in these Qiang tribes were merged into Tibetans. Therefore, the history of Tibetan brewing dates back to the ancient Qiang period before the establishment of the Tubo Dynasty. Gu Qiang is addicted to alcohol. "The diet is mainly wine, milk, beef and mutton." (3) Wang Jia, a native, once recorded that Weng was still addicted to alcohol at the age of 98. Qiang people are not only addicted to alcohol, but also can make wine very early. Zhang Hua, a minister who was good at brewing good wine in the early Jin Dynasty, used it to make wine, "plowing out Xiqiang and bending out of the Northern Dynasty." (4) Xiqiang people have tillers and can already make wine. The New Tang Book Tangut Biography records that Tangut people do not farm, but "take wheat from other countries to make wine." In the process of Tubo's unification of the plateau, except for some Tangut people who migrated inward, all of them stayed in the same place and entered Tubo. Obviously, the brewing of Xixia will also enter Tubo. Biography of Tubo in Old Tang Dynasty records that the old customs of Tubo have the same meaning as "receiving wine" (the new biography is "drinking with wine pulp"). ) The Tibetan history book "Wang Tong Shi Ming Jian" also contains the stipulation that "drinking should be moderate" in the Twenty Tibetan Laws formulated by Songzan Gambu. It can be seen that before Princess Wencheng entered Tibet, Tubo had wine and could make wine. But at this time, Tubo brewing has not yet mastered the advanced compound fermentation method in the Central Plains. According to the historical documents in Dunhuang ancient Tibetan, Wei Shi, a Tubo nobleman, was afraid that his descendants would not enjoy the title when he was old, so he gave a banquet and invited Songzan Gambu to take the oath with him. This important banquet is nothing more than "cooking wine with half a gram of highland barley and giving a banquet". Half a gram is only seven kilograms, which is very small. This kind of "boiled wine" is brewed by germination of highland barley, which is quite similar to the production method of beer and very different from the traditional Tibetan highland barley wine method.

In 64 1 a.d., Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty married Tubo Zampsong Zagambo, which opened a precedent for large-scale economic and cultural exchanges between Tang and Fan. In particular, Princess Wencheng spared no effort to promote Sino-Tibetan cultural exchanges. She not only brought all kinds of books, food and handicrafts to the Central Plains with her marriage, but also tried her best to help Songzan Gambu learn advanced Tang Wenhua, technology, laws and regulations and promote the development of Tibetan society. According to Tibetan history books, the books the princess brought with her included "60 kinds of books on craft skills" and "various food preparation methods", including wine-making techniques. The princess is also very concerned about the development of Tubo agriculture and production, and specially brought turnip seeds that Tubo does not have. From this, we can draw a conclusion that agricultural technology books like Qi Yaomin's Book will inevitably be brought into Tubo books by the princess.

However, brewing is a complicated process, which is extremely difficult to master skillfully. The success or failure of brewing depends largely on the experience of the operator. Nine years after the princess entered Tibet, Songzan Gambu invited the Tang Dynasty to send "craftsmen to make wine, grinding, stone, paper and ink." It can be seen that although Tubo had been introduced to the mainland at that time, it could not be fully mastered. Since then, with the continuous development of cultural exchanges between Tang and Fan, especially Princess Jincheng entered Tibet in 7 10, bringing a large number of mainland craftsmen. After 755 AD, Tubo captured a large number of Han craftsmen during the occupation of Longyou Prefecture and Beiting, and once captured Chang 'an, Tang Dou. The advanced brewing technology in the mainland was gradually mastered by Tubo.

It must be pointed out that in ancient Tibetan society, highland barley wine was not widely consumed as it is now. In fact, during the Tubo dynasty, Tibetans drank many kinds of wine. In the Funeral Rites of Stupid Religion, which was unearthed in Dunhuang and written in the 9th 9- 10/0th century, people used five kinds of alcohol, such as wheat wine, rice wine and highland barley wine. Among them, it is mentioned that the "brewed grain" given by Xiao Wang in Gambu area to the three treasures of Tubo is "highland barley or rice". In some Tibetan history books, it is also recorded that Tubo Foprzegin "slept soundly with rice wine" and was strangled by his officials. ⑤ It can be seen that rice wine was popular among Tubo royalty at that time. This practice is probably influenced by the Tang Dynasty. As we all know, drinking rice wine was very popular in the Tang Dynasty, especially in the court. Nowadays, a milky white rice wine is essential for Xi people's banquets. This kind of wine is called Tanggong wine. Princess Wencheng and Princess Jincheng entered Tibet, and the study of Tubo's "children of wealthy businessmen entered (Tang) Chinese studies" is bound to bring this trend to the upper level of Tubo.

As early as 670 AD, Tubo occupied the four towns of Qiuci, Yutian, Yanqi and Shule in the western regions, and had contacts with Persia, Dashi, India and Nepal. Wine was immediately introduced from the western regions, and the Tubo people were still red, so wine was once popular at sacrifices and banquets. It is recorded in the land of Sanjiang Valley (Lancang River, Nujiang River and Jinshajiang River) in Kangqu that in the seventh year of Hongwu (1374), the local Guri chief in Kangqu offered his own brewed wine, and there were "350 old winemakers" in his place. It can be seen that there used to be professional winemakers in this Tibetan area, and these wines were mainly produced for the needs of the upper class.

The forest areas in southeastern Tibet are rich in honey, and mead is a kind of wine that local people will produce very early. Tibetan historical materials say: "In Kampot area, King Zhalishan presented honey wine and ale to Tang Dongjiebu in the15th century." ⑦ Honey wine is a precious wine in Tibetan society, and it is generally used to worship noble people. Not much.

Wheat is one of the main grains in Tibet. Although the quantity is not as large as that of highland barley, it is easy to be produced by the method of brewing ale introduced from the mainland, so the early Tubo people brewed more ale.

Second, the customs of highland barley wine and Tibetan wine

The integration of any culture has gone through a process of choice and adaptation. A certain culture must adapt to the social and economic foundation of mentoring culture. The diversification of drinking in Tubo society reflects the extensive absorption of foreign cultures by Tubo. Tubo dynasty was very open in absorbing foreign advanced culture. According to the Persian ancient book World Realm, there were merchants from the Western Regions, Persia, India and Myanmar in Lhasa in the eighth century. As for craftsmen, businessmen, literati and monks in the Tang Dynasty, there were more. Buddhist culture, Confucian culture and local Tibetan culture compete fiercely with each other, and the Indian middle school of Buddhism and Zen Buddhism also compete with each other. In such an atmosphere, it is completely understandable that wine from the western regions and rice wine from the mainland are welcomed as "fashionable" feeds. However, the average altitude in Tibetan areas is more than 3,000 meters, which is dry and cold with a short frost-free period. Except for a few areas that can produce rice, most areas do not produce rice. When Tubo was strong, it occupied some places in Longchi, Sichuan and Yunnan, and there were many Mi Yuan. But when Tubo collapsed in the 9th century, it was impossible to obtain rice from these places. The brewing of rice wine is unsustainable. Similarly, there are not many places producing grapes in Tibet. Since the Tubo lost its occupation of Tibet, the source of wine has been decreasing. As the output is very limited, only the upper class can enjoy it. Although wheat is planted in Tibetan areas, its yield is far less than that of highland barley. In this way, using highland barley to make wine will naturally become a common way for Tibetan people to make wine. Highland barley wine has also become the main carrier of Tibetan wine culture.

As mentioned earlier, the early highland barley wine was made by sprouting highland barley (a kind of barley), saccharifying it and adding yeast (tillering). Since the introduction of multiple fermentation brewing method in mainland China, the brewing method of highland barley wine is similar to that of mainland yellow rice wine. The brewing method of highland barley wine is vividly and concretely described in the famous Tibetan epic Biography of King Gesar:

To say how wine is made, you must have food before you can make wine.

Highland barley is used to make wine. First, a Chinese stove with flowers and plants is set up.

Wipe the copper pot with woolen cloth and put the highland barley in the copper pot.

Pour clean green water, and the flame rises in the fire chamber of the stove.

After the highland barley is cooked, it is spread on a white felt, and then mixed with the essence of good koji.

In the future, it will become good wine and drop by drop into the jar.

Brewing for one year is called Nianjiu, and it is called Mannan Yellow.

What makes January is moon wine, called Ganluliang.

It is a Japanese wine brewed for only one day. The Japanese wine is called Ganlu Xuan.

Academics believe that The Biography of King Gesar was produced not earlier than the eleventh or thirteenth century, but was later supplemented in the process of circulation. Therefore, it reflects the social life of ancient Tibetan society after the collapse of the Tubo Dynasty. From this, we can know that at least at that time, the raw material for brewing was highland barley, and its brewing method was completely compound fermentation.

Since modern times, due to the development of Tibetans and the strengthening of Sino-Tibetan trade and cultural exchanges. The brewing technology and quality of Tibetan highland barley wine have been improved. First of all, homemade local songs are rarely used, and more high-quality songs imported from the mainland are used. Secondly, a set of effective experience of controlling brewing temperature was explored. In modern Tibetan wine-making in Kangqu, after the highland barley is cooked, it is "dried and cooled, put into the kettle with koji powder, covered with highland barley, wheat and orange stalks for several days, and then infiltrated into the kettle to get a lot of wine." Pet-name ruby compound fermentation method is saccharification and alcoholization at the same time, but their requirements for temperature are contradictory. High temperature is beneficial to saccharification, but not to alcoholization, which easily leads to wine rancidity. An important requirement for the quality of highland barley wine is to minimize its sour taste. In the long-term practice, the Tibetan people have mastered the low-temperature pouring method of brewing wine with koji after drying and cooling the cooked wine grains, which can make the temperature rise slowly and easily, avoid the invasion of miscellaneous bacteria and achieve favorable brewing conditions for saccharification and alcoholization. The acidity and yield of wine are better than before. The highland barley wine brewed by modern Tibetan families can generally reach 15 ~ 20 degrees. Slightly sour and sweet, mild in nature, not dry and not strong, and can be drunk by men, women and children.

The brewing method mentioned above is mostly used in occasions with high alcohol consumption such as banquets. As for the wine that Tibetans usually drink at home, they usually cook highland barley, dry it, put it in the end of the song, then put it in a special wooden bucket or clay pot, seal it with mud, and cover it with some felt pads, fur coats or straw. After two or three days, the wine is sealed, a certain amount of water is infiltrated, and then sealed. After a day or two, the wine was made. As long as the cork under the barrel is pulled out, clear highland barley wine will flow out.

In some places in eastern Tibet that like to drink "mixed wine", there is also a "dry brewing" method, that is, when brewing highland barley wine, there is no water seepage or a small amount of water seepage. When drinking, warm water is poured from the top, and the drinker can drink by inserting the bamboo tube (or wheat tube) into the bottom of the wine can. This wine can be adjusted according to the speed and quantity of water flow.

As can be seen from the above, the brewing method of highland barley wine is basically a yellow wine brewing method learned from China, but the Tibetan people have integrated ethnic and regional characteristics in the long-term brewing practice, making it more suitable for local natural conditions and national habits. In this sense, highland barley wine is not only the crystallization of Sino-Tibetan cultural exchanges, but also the creation of Tibetans.

Highland barley wine is called "Chang" in Tibetan and "Chong" in Tibetan and Kang dialects. China used to call wine "brewing" in ancient times. The sound of "Youcang" is very close to that of brewing, which may be the sound change of the foreign word "brewing". Since the Qing Dynasty, some China books have often referred to highland barley wine as the transliteration of "Man Chong wine" and "Man Chong" and the actual "dome". During the brewing process of highland barley wine, it should be washed with water. Highland barley wine is sucked with straws and bamboo tubes, so it is also called "drinking".

Highland barley wine is a Tibetan holiday drink and a symbol of joy, happiness and friendship. It is by no means a "worry-relieving" product. Tibetans are generous and enthusiastic, and men, women and children like to drink highland barley wine. However, under the influence of long-term Buddhist thought, Tibetans have developed the tradition of "moderate drinking". They don't drink casually at ordinary times, but when they are happy, they always have a good time before they rest. Because highland barley wine is peaceful, few people get drunk. Although there are alcoholics, there are few alcoholics in Tibet.

Tibetan weddings are inseparable from highland barley wine. Bring "wedding wine" when proposing marriage, and drink "engagement wine" when the woman allows it; When welcoming a new mother, there should be a "wedding banquet" halfway, and the bride should drink a "farewell wine" when she leaves home; Drink "wedding wine" at the wedding banquet.

Tibetans are excellent guests. Offering a bowl of highland barley wine to the guests shows that the host's hospitality is like wine, and the friendship is as thick as wine.

Tibetans always drink highland barley wine to celebrate China New Year and festivals. Just as Han people eat glutinous rice balls on the morning of New Year's Eve to wish the whole family happiness in the garden this year, Tibetans mostly drink Babao highland barley wine "closing the shop" on the morning of New Year's Eve (porridge food made of brown sugar, milk residue, Ciba and walnut kernel mixed with highland barley wine). I wish the whole family a bumper harvest, happiness and good luck in the new year.

There are jars, pots, bowls and cups for highland barley wine. Cups and bowls are also common. Jade hip flask, wine bowl and wine glass in Renxian, Tibet are precious Tibetan wine vessels, which sell well in all Tibetan areas. The painted Xiaolong porcelain bowl in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province is also a common wine set for Tibetans. The rest are mostly wooden wine sets. Drinking on the altar is the time to drink mixed wine. The drinking method is as follows: first, boil a large pot of water, put it on the edge of the fire pond and heat it. Then, insert an altar of brewed highland barley wine into two or more Zhu Zhi tubes (or wheat tubes) and put them on the guest table by the fire pond. When all the guests are here, the host first invites the oldest guest to sit on the edge of the jar, chanting, sprinkling some wine with his fingers, and then starting to drink. When drinking, please ask another or several elderly guests to sit opposite the previous elder and each of them will smoke a bamboo tube. The host will pick up a ladle of water and pour it slowly from the top of the jar. Water will flow through the wine grains brewed in the jar and soak at the bottom of the jar to become wine. The bamboo tube is deeply inserted in the bottom of the altar, so it won't suck bad when drinking. After the first round of drinking, there was another round of guests, and the order was first long and then young. The host always leaks, and one jar of wine has no taste, so he changes to another jar.

Tibetans are good at singing and dancing. When drinking highland barley wine, you must sing wine songs and dance in Guocun. Singing helps to make people happy, and dancing helps to make people drunk, so that they can drink as much as they like.

Although highland barley is widely loved by Tibetan people, it still stays at the level of hand-brewing at home, and it is also brewed by itself, so it has not been circulated as a commodity. Therefore, it is difficult to improve its brewing technology and its consumption range is limited. Because Tibetan pastoral areas do not produce grain, highland barley wine used to be exchanged for animal products from people in nearby agricultural areas. Because of inconvenient transportation, underdeveloped commodity economy in Tibetan society, highland barley wine can't be preserved for a long time, and Tibetan herders can't easily get highland barley wine, so the amount of highland barley wine consumed by herders is much less than that of farmers and urban people. Since modern times, Sino-Tibetan trade has developed greatly. Many herders are used to buying liquor and beer imported from Han nationality to replace the traditional highland barley wine.

On the other hand, because the technology of highland barley wine follows the oral teaching method of family ancestors, the quality of each brewing is quite different, and the brewing of a family for several generations is often very different. Coupled with poor equipment, the lack of modern detection means, can only rely on personal experience to master, so the quality of brewing is difficult to stabilize, and sometimes it will fail. Therefore, the younger generation of some families are unwilling to waste time and energy making their own wine, and instead use commercial drinks such as beer, which are very similar in nature and taste to highland barley wine and can be easily purchased at any time. The traditional home-brewed highland barley wine technology is in danger of being lost. Especially since the reform and opening up, the living standards of Tibetan people have improved rapidly. Facing the growing material and cultural needs of Tibetan people, highland barley wine can only keep pace with the times if it goes out of the mode of family brewing and turns into modern industrial production. At present, there is a modern highland barley wine factory in Lhasa, and it can be predicted that in the near future, modern highland barley wine will also rise in the plateau.

Tibetan Buddhism and Tibetan wine culture

As we all know, Tibetans believe in Lamaism (Tibetan Buddhism) in almost all parts of the country, and religion goes deep into all aspects of society and people's hearts. Therefore, some people call Tibetan culture "Buddhist culture" or "Lamaism culture". But from the perspective of wine culture, Tibetan culture actually does not belong to the category of Buddhist culture. Buddhism advocates "birth" and requires people to get rid of the "three poisons" (greed, anger and delusion), abandon all desires and pursuits, and convert to the "three treasures" (Buddhism, Dharma and Monk). As a material desire, drinking should undoubtedly be abandoned. Alcohol is also easy to "promiscuous", which affects the piety of practice. The first five precepts of Buddhism (no killing, no stealing, no fornication, no lying, no drinking) require abstinence. So wine and Buddhism should be incompatible. But strangely, Tibetans who believe in Buddhism like to drink. Deeply influenced by Buddhism, Tibetan society has created a rich and colorful wine culture.

Why can Buddhist culture and wine culture develop in parallel in Tibetan society? As we know, Buddhism is a highly adaptable religion. Just as Buddhism was introduced into Han areas, in order to adapt to the environment deeply influenced by Confucian culture and absorb Confucian culture, it developed into Zen and other Buddhist sects, just as Buddhism was introduced into Tibet in the seventh century, and after about 300 years of adaptation, it formed the primitive indigenous religion in Tibet and the Buddhist Lamaism with Tibetan characteristics in Buddhism. Its teachings and classics are still Buddhism, but they all come from stupid religions in some manners and gods, and tend to Tantric 3 in practice. Since the Yuan Dynasty, Lamaism has gained a dominant position not only in religion but also in politics in Tibetan areas. There has been a system of the integration of politics and religion. The "born" monks manage complicated affairs in the world and are involved in political intrigue, which in itself contradicts the purpose of Buddhism. But the leader of Lamaism can handle it calmly and justify himself. So it is not surprising that it can tolerate wine culture and let it develop.

Wine, "the beauty of heaven." "If you drink less, your blood will flow, which will strengthen your spirit against the cold and relieve your worries." ⑽ The natural conditions in most Tibetan areas are harsh, cold and windy. Due to the long-term stagnation of Tibetan society in the feudal serfdom stage, the productivity is low and the people's material enjoyment is at a very low level. Due to material poverty, people have few hobbies. As a daily necessities handed down from ancient times, wine can not only increase the ability of Tibetan people to resist bad weather, but also add elegance and fun to life. Although tea is the first drink of Tibetans, it has actually become the main food, and it is an essential product accompanied by Bazin and ghee. As a drink to set off the atmosphere in festive occasions, wine is irreplaceable by tea. Tibetans believe in Buddhism, but this does not prevent them from loving life and pursuing happiness. Moderate drinking does not affect their worship of Buddhism. Therefore, in the process of Buddhism spreading to Tibetan society, we have to express some recognition to the traditional drinking habits of Tibetan people. On the other hand, the secular upper class also has a hobby of drinking. If Buddhism wants to gain their support, it has to accommodate them. In Tea Brewmaster, an ancient Tibetan literary work, tea and wine are regarded as the ideal drinks for monks, great virtues, kings and ministers respectively. It is said that when kings and ministers drink alcohol, "wisdom surges like spring tide and glory rises like the rising sun"; The general and the samurai drank wine, "courage will fly like a flame, and go down the mountain like a tiger when entering the array." Chaze is suitable for monks and great virtues to drink, "to make them sober, diligent in practice and enhance their wisdom." ⑾ This attitude of distinguishing secular people from religious people and affirming the role of wine reflects the realistic attitude of Lamaism towards wine and wine culture.

Of course, because Buddhism abstains from alcohol, Tibetans should not use alcohol when offering sacrifices to Buddhism, but use clean water instead. This is different from the Han nationality and some ethnic minorities' habit of offering wine as a sacrifice.

In particular, not all Lamaism monks give up drinking. On the contrary, in some religious books, they talk about drinking and admit that drinking is good for the spleen of practitioners. For example, in the famous Biography of Mira Riba, it was written that Marba, the master of Mira Riba and the founder of Lamaism Kagyu School, not only loved drinking himself, but also invited Milla to drink together. Later, Milla practiced penance in the mountains and controlled his diet, but he could not "recover his pulse". One day, after eating wine from my sister and delicious food from my fiancee, my kung fu suddenly improved greatly. When I opened the secret book given by Master, I realized that after practicing to a certain extent, only by "eating well" and "drinking a little wine" can I get through the whole body, give birth to a happy, clear and indifferent state, and achieve "nirvana". From this, Milla realized that to practice the best tantric Buddhism, it is necessary to "take wonderful desires as the Tao" and eventually achieve positive results.

As can be seen from the above, the best tantric religion of Lamaism allows moderate drinking. Wine is a "convenience" (that is, a means) for monks who practice tantric Buddhism. In fact, many tantric masters drink. Lotus Peanut, the founder of the famous Lamaism Ma Ning (Red Sect), is a monk who loves drinking very much. It is said that he once drank in a hotel for seven days and seven nights.

Not only Ma Ning and Gaju, who are dominated by tantric sects, but also the Gelug Sect of Lamaism (Yellow Sect), which is famous for its strict discipline, some monks drink. For example, the sixth Dalai Lama Cangyang Gyatso was "addicted to debauchery". But devout religious people did not reduce their respect for him. Even Zong Kaba, who founded the Gelug Sect, "realized that it is best to emphasize the symbolic significance of drinking and eating meat. Because denying their value will only make you achieve limited goals within the scope of your pursuit. " Because the staple food of Tibetans is meat, grain and milk. In the vast pastoral areas, meat and milk are food, so Lamaism living in this environment, although opposed to killing, has to eat meat, otherwise it will be difficult to survive. This situation perfectly illustrates the social adaptability of Buddhism. In some cases, it must adapt to its environment, even if society makes it violate some commandments. A famous Gelugpa monk, once the abbot of Ta 'er Temple, was the elder brother of the 14th Tathagata. There was a wonderful explanation: "Eating meat is not a bad thing in itself. If you can't say it well, it lies in your mind: if you think eating meat is a happy thing, then you are seeking other pleasures in life, which becomes a bad thing; If you eat meat just because there is no other food, or it is difficult to sustain life without meat, this is not a bad thing. " [14] Similarly, in an environment where drinking is necessary, drinking is not a bad thing as long as it does not affect the firmness of faith. Of course, for Tibetan areas, wine can't be compared with meat in terms of "necessities for survival". Therefore, the Gelug Sect banned eating meat, but gave up drinking, and monks rarely drank alcohol.

It should also be pointed out that abstinence from alcohol is not included in the four "fundamental commandments" of Buddhism (the four fundamental commandments are all under temptation except alcohol in the Five Commandments). It can be seen that wine is not abhorrent in Buddhism. Just give up drinking and alcohol to prevent monks from getting drunk and making trouble, and you can't make up your mind to practice. For the broad masses of religious believers, they only need to believe in teachings and do not need to be strict with precepts. Naturally, abstinence beyond the four commandments will not apply to the public. Therefore, although temples give up drinking, folk wine-making and drinking are still popular. In fact, it is this cultural compatibility and acculturation that makes Tibetan wine culture more distinctive. L.A. White, a famous American cultural anthropologist, famously said, "The purpose of culture is to meet people's needs." ⒂ Tibetan wine culture was born and formed in meeting the needs of people in snowy plateau. It is bound to develop with the improvement of people in Xizang's material life and cultural needs.