Holy Tibet, the pasture of the soul

Tibet, a place full of magic, a desirable place.

The Buddha's light passes through the boundless desolation, and there is a sound of happiness and tranquility. In the morning, I waved the wings of white clouds, and at night, I crawled in your paradise. Along the Yarlung Zangbo River, creatures spend more and more time in Potala Palace, and the boundless grassland is opened. I am a gentle sheep. I'm going to Tibet, looking up at the snowy areas, beautiful scenery and green grass, and the pastures in my heart are everywhere. ...

-The song "I'm going to Tibet"

When I didn't go into Tibet, I was full of imagination about the holy land: near the sky, there were towering snow-capped mountains, sacred lakes, white clouds under the blue sky, and cattle and sheep running on the vast grassland. Tibetans shaking their prayer wheels are piously walking on the pilgrimage road ... There are also mysterious names such as Himalaya, Gangdise, Nyainqentanglha, Yarlung Zangbo River, Namtso, Selinchuo, Gemayengzong, Potala, Tashilhunpo and Norbulingka ... These names make people yearn for, because they don't know what that means, so they are even more mysterious. It seems to be the place where God lives, but it is full of secularity.

My impression of Tibet has been deposited in my mind for a long time. I consulted a lot of information, repeatedly planned several routes, and repeatedly revised them. As time goes by, my desire to go to Tibet becomes stronger and stronger. I want to taste highland barley wine and butter tea, listen to the arguments of lamas, read the scriptures devoutly, stand on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and touch the clouds on the horizon. ...

Autumn wind brings news, and the snowy plateau is calling. Let's go, let the sun on the plateau scorch the fog in my heart! A camera, a backpack, a cross-country, a firm heart, assemble, set out, set out. ...

When I dream of Tibet, my heart flies. After Chengdu, the land of Bashu, Kangding, the paradise of photography, xinduqiao, Litang, the highest city in the world, colorful Ranwu Lake and vast Bangda grassland, we arrived in Lhasa.

Colorful Tibet

I didn't know until I went to Tibet that color is an unforgettable memory.

The colors in Tibet are simple and strong. Transparent blue, holy white, dazzling red, sacred yellow, vigorous green … Each color represents the uniqueness of Tibet!

The sky in Tibet is blue, and so are the lakes. That kind of blue is pure and clear, deeper, more uniform, quieter and clearer than usual. Only this kind of blue is suitable for "blue", which can't be compared with anywhere. Standing by the lake, looking up at the sky and overlooking the lake, it seems that the whole world is blue. This kind of feeling can only be felt when you go to Tibet.

Under the blue sky, the sky is higher, the clouds are whiter and the heart is more open. The sky is high and the clouds are light, and the wind is crisp. When you are there, you often forget yourself. The scenery in your eyes takes away all your thoughts. The scenery rendered in blue is full of pure and bright beauty, which can't be given anywhere else!

In Tibet, snow-capped mountains are gods worshipped by people, and many snow-capped mountains have beautiful and moving stories. White is the color of snow-capped mountains, the most sacred color, and the color that Tibetans especially worship and love. They have a tradition of advocating white culture since ancient times, thinking that white can best express people's sincere and pure wishes, so Hada is generally white.

White Hada can be seen in the mountains, Buddhist temples, thousand-year-old trees and in front of and behind Tibetan houses. Or around the earth, or dancing in the air, sometimes white as flowers, sometimes like a veil around the mountains. In its environment, you will be surrounded by this sacred white, and you will be moved by this purity and sincerity involuntarily.

Red symbolizes the dazzling and sacred vitality of Tibet. Whether it's the crimson robes of monks, the red walls of Potala Palace, or the red-dominated Tibetan robes of Tibetan girls, people always feel a kind of solidified beauty, a unique enthusiasm of snowy plateau, which makes people linger.

In the majestic, quiet and peaceful Potala Palace, I stepped on the red wooden floor and held the red escalator, and my eyes were full of monks in scarlet robes and butter lamps flashing with fire. In this warm red, Sanskrit is as rich and sweet as red, lingering in my ears. Standing on the platform at the top of the palace, I can see the red and white courtyard walls and the blue sky in front of me. The red here is like a flame, as if to burn the passion of life in the snowy plateau.

The golden prayer wheel, the golden light of Buddha, is a kind of respect for faith and a spiritual sustenance. This kind of light can shine on the earth and all beings. She is the color of God and human beings, and the sacred color of Tibet.

In summer, pastures and grasslands all over Tibet wake up from hibernation. Every grass has stretched its posture, put on new green clothes and is full of vitality, providing rich food for Tibetan cattle and sheep and bringing new hope to Tibetan children. In Tibet, green is the vibrant color of the New Year.

Feel the power of faith

In Tibet, pilgrimage has become an indispensable part of people's daily life. No matter beside the temple, on the street or on the mountain road, people who worship or turn the prayer wheel can be seen.

At six o'clock in the morning, the road has passed through the crowd; At twelve o'clock in the evening, you can still hear the sound of worship. There are many people kowtowing beside the temple at any time. Only by witnessing this way of worship can we really understand what worship means. That kind of piety deeply touched me, and I also made a prostrate worship. At that moment, I felt everything in my heart was put down.

Along the way, you often meet people pushing carts to climb mountains or crawl forward. When they see a tour bus driver stop, they will give them 10 yuan and 20 yuan money. We stopped by the side of the road and were curious. We asked why we should give money. The driver said that these people were worshippers of Jokhang Temple. They have been accumulating blessings along the way. Giving them money will also absorb their own blessings. In front of Jokhang Temple, I also saw passers-by donating money to worshippers several times. The giver is willing and the receiver is calm. In Tibet, charity is mutual giving, an equal exchange, which is hard to see in other places.

The local people's worship of nature makes Tibet the last piece of pure land. The local tour guide told us that there are 15 sacred mountains in Tibet, and Tibetans in each sacred mountain will worship them as gods. I have always heard that these sacred mountains are rich in mineral resources, and some foreigners want to exploit them, but they are repeatedly frustrated by the opposition of local people. Or some people say that this is ignorance, but in fact this is the wisdom of respecting nature. The tour guide said that Tibetans would throw stones into the river at some time. They think that after obtaining from nature, they must give back to keep balance. Isn't this the wisdom we lack?

A young man from Aba, when we met him on the road, he and his companions had been kowtowing for more than 300 days. He said it would take about two months to get to Lhasa, and it was hard to imagine how they had survived the hardships all the way. According to local people, Tibetans who worship in places with better conditions will use walking tractors to transport food, clothing and other materials. Generally, tractors drive about 20 kilometers, waiting in front. And some Tibetans with poor living conditions often beg and kowtow all the way if they are not fully replenished. Some pilgrims left because of illness even before they arrived at the pilgrimage site. If anyone sees the remains of pilgrims on the road, they must help them pry open their teeth and take them to the shrine of worship in their hearts. In local customs, as long as the teeth arrive, it means that the pilgrims themselves have arrived.

We also met a one-legged pilgrim on the road. I don't know where he came from or how many times he kowtowed, but I know where he wants to go. His strong perseverance and firm eyes shocked our hearts and we can't help but admire the power of faith.

Tibet has always been a sacred place in my heart, and I don't know why it feels sacred, or I heard it from others, or the snow-capped mountains there are awesome, or the culture there is mysterious. In any case, only by going there for pilgrimage in person can you feel at ease and have no regrets.

Cars are galloping on the vast grassland, horses are galloping, sheep are fluttering, and Zhuo Sangma is singing aloud: green years, white yurts, my mood, and the sky is clear. The ranch of the soul is full of good luck. Pick a flower and I'll put it on for you. ...

Tibet is always so mysterious and wonderful.

(Written by Lei Jinxi/photographed by Mo Yongqing)