Tibet Trip Part 2 - Lhasa

 

 Jokhang square, with Jokhang temple at the background

Lhasa is the capital of Tibet. It is quite a huge city and it is deemed as the city of the gods. A lot of Tibetans carry out pilgrimages to this holy city, some even walked from the village to Lhasa, doing prostrations! I feel like it is one city that a Buddhist should try to go to at least once in their lifetime. You can literally see, hear, smell and feel Tibetan Buddhism everywhere in this holy city.

 A Tibetan pilgrim doing walking prostrations around the temple.

You can see it in the myriad Tibetans spinning their prayer wheels and doing prostrations in front of Jokhang temple. You can hear it in the Buddhist mantras chanted by them as they do their Kora around the temple. You can smell the burning of the butter lamps in the temples. And just by being in the city, walking around it, you can feel the holiness of the city. For hundreds of years, Lhasa has been the religious city of Tibet, and you can't help but to feel its spirituality everywhere.

 Two Tibetan ladies spinning prayer wheels at Barkhor

I went to a few of the holy sites of Lhasa. Jokhang temple, which is the holiest temple in the whole of Tibet (or the Himalayas), Sera monastery and the grandeur Potala Palace. We also managed to visit the Tsam Khung nunnery near the Barkhor square. Experiencing Lhasa is truly an experience of a lifetime. It's really a feast for the senses and for your soul.

 Jokhang Temple

Lets begin with Jokhang temple. We explored it in the morning of 19th of April. No photography is allowed inside the Jokhang and I am perfectly okay with that. I wish I could share with you the beautiful statues of the different Buddhas, Bodhisatvas and Deities but well I hope you can see it for yourself one day! The temple was built in the 7th century. Most of its structure remains the same throughout all these years, although some parts of it were rebuilt and renovated. So to walk inside the temple, and realise that it's been here for around 2000 years, you can't help but to feel amazed by the temple.

There are different chapels inside the temple, dedicated to different Buddhas, Bodhisatvas and Deities. Tibetans line up around these chapels to go in and pray inside. Most of them carry thermal flasks containing melted butter, which will be poured into the butter lamps which light the candle. You can smell them inside the temple and it smells quite nice accompanied by the burning incense. 

One of the highlights of the temple is the statue of a 12 year old Shakyamuni Buddha, which was built when he was still alive (from India)! I was very lucky to be allowed inside this chapel. I joined in the line with other Tibetans and prayed inside. Actually err I wasn't sure what the "procedure" was inside the chapel so I was following other Tibetans inside haha. But it was a pretty spiritual experience for me. The statue is probably the "closest" I've been to the prince Gautama. 

My guide was telling me how every person will actually see the expression of the statue differently. It all depends on our karma of the present and past lives. So the Buddha can be seen as smiling, angry or sad.... I was a bit worried when she told me this cause what if I see an angry Buddha haha. But well for me the Buddha was smiling. Not widely, just a very serene kind of smile. So I hope that's a good sign? Well I'm still making sure that will accumulate good karma and liberate this soul of mine one day.

The inside of the temple is filled with so many beautiful Buddhist statues and Tibetan Buddhist arts. Which is my favourite form of Buddhist art. I've always been impressed by the intricate designs and details in the paintings. The amount of hard work the artists have put in is very very heartening.

 Rainy Lhasa. Taken from the 2nd floor of Jokhang temple.

That's Potala Palace in the distance.

You can also climb up to the second floor of the temple where it is open-air, and you can see the square in front of the temple. It was raining when we went up and seeing Tibetans doing their Kora in the rain, some without an umbrella, is really impressive. It was only my 2nd day in Lhasa and I'm so humbled by their devotions. As a Buddhist, I think I need to step up my game haha.

 Tibetans doing prostrations in front of Jokhang temple.

Outside of the temple, throughout the day, you will see many Tibetans doing prostrations. They would do hundreds of prostrations in different times of the day. On my last afternoon in Lhasa (on the 27th) I decided to meditate in front of the temple, together with other Tibetans doing prostrations or meditating as well. It was a pretty great contemplative experience. A great way to really reflect about the whole trip, and also to contemplate about being human. I wanted to try doing prostrations but I was afraid of ending up being an embarrassment to the Tibetans haha. I did a few standing-up though.

 Tibetan ladies taking a break from their prostrations, enjoying tea

It was a great morning, and a great blessing to me, as a Buddhist, to be able to visit Jokhang Temple. To pay homage to the different Buddhas and Bodhisatvas, and to go through this spiritual experience with other Tibetans. I will never forget this wonderful morning! :)

Nuns chanting at Tsam Khung Nunnery

After spending the morning exploring the Jokhang temple, we went to visit the Tsam Khung nunnery. It is a quiet nunnery tucked in the middle of Barkhor (the old quarter of Lhasa). Managed to get a few photos of the nuns chanting, and I wish I could interact with them! They are so so kind. I went inside one of their prayer halls and they kindly offered us with some snacks like fried dough fritters and dried apricots. And I'm amazed by their chanting. Most of them can chant so quickly!

 Nuns making barley sugar.

Some of the nuns were making barley sugar. Which I think is similar to the palm sugar we have back at home. They made the sugar, and then distribute it to the less fortunate. Before we leave, one of the nuns approached our guide and asked if we have some pens available for the nuns. Some of us took the pens we have in our bags and gave it to her. Man, I wish I brought in boxes of pens for all of them.

 Main prayer hall at Sera Monastery

In the afternoon we went to the Sera monastery. It is located somewhere in the outskirt of Lhasa. Similar to Jokhang, we couldn't take photos of the interior of the monasteries. However we were able to take photos of one of the most fascinating experiences I have in this trip - The monks' debate!

 Monks' debate at the courtyard.

The monks' debate took place in this courtyard. A monk sits on the ground as ask questions in the topic of Buddhism, and his partner would stand up and answer his question. They would then exchange their views. The one giving answers will clap their hands. When both hands clasped each other, it means that he agrees with the answer, when the palm of one hand faces the sky, it means he disagrees. This debate is one of those moments that I wish I could understand Tibetan! Because I always enjoy sharing opinions with fellow Buddhists (and non Buddhists) about Buddhism.

 Potala in the morning light

The next day, we went to the Potala Palace. This is rather an emotional experience for me because I feel so happy to finally be here. You can say that I waited 17 years to see this grand palace, and to roam inside this majestic building. It was once the residence of the different Dalai Lamas. So I feel deeply honoured to walk in the hallways that the great Dalai Lamas used to walk and roam about.

 The climb to the top. Challenging, but totally worth it.

The first impression I have of the Potala is how huge it is. I've seen it in magazines and TV, but I was really unprepared to see how humongous it is in real life. The climb to the top was rather challenging because of the high altitude. I'm so thankful that we went here on the third day, when we're all kind of acclamatised already. The weather was on our side too. We were under the bluest sky I've ever seen.

 A quarter inside the Potala.

That symbol is a symbol of longevity in Tibet

Most of the rooms and halls are preserved and it's amazing to see the myriads of Buddhist statues from different parts of the Himalaya like Nepal and India. The Tibetan Buddhist arts is also amazing as usual. There was a beautiful beautiful painting of the thousand-arms Avalokitesvara. I wish I could take a photo of it! There were also the tombs of the previous Dalai Lama and they are beautifully designed with gold and other jewels. I bought a book that showcases the different statues and arts of the palace. That should compensate on my inability to take photos inside I guess :P

All in all, it's a dream come true for me to be able to visit the Potala palace. Although to be honest, I left the palace with a tinge of sadness, knowing that the palace is now just simply a museum.

 A busy shopping street in Barkhor.

These Tibetan men are trading their beads. Some cost 4000 yuan :O

I did my shopping on the afternoon after we went to the Potala with Ruth (another tour participant) and Jampa. We explored the Barkhor, which is the old quarter of Lhasa. There are lots and lots of shops selling a lot of things, from Buddhist ornaments to dried yak meat and even a candy shop. We also stopped by a shop called Dropenling which sells handmade Tibetan crafts, made by Tibetans! I bought myself a carved rock with om mani padme hum. And I'm currently staring at it in front of my laptop now.

 Tibetan Thangka artist at work.

Look at the intricate details and designs!

And well Jampa knows all the awesome spots for great deals in Lhasa I guess haha. We went inside a tsampa (barley flour) shop! And we left with tsampa all of our faces and jacket. I got myself a prayer wheel, 2 pieces of Tibetan Thangka (Tibetan Buddhist art) which are my proudest purchase mwahaha and a long prayer flag which I hung a Gyatso La pass in the later part of the trip.

 Had my first taste of yak milk tea at Tibetan Family Kitchen!

I like it. It's not as heavy as cow's milk in my opinion.

We had delicious meals in Lhasa for lunch and dinner. But I think I have to make a special mention to a restaurant called Tibetan Family Kitchen! I think it's the best meal I had in the trip. The food was so so good and the owner of the kitchen is so friendly too. I had my first taste of yak milk tea and tsampa here! Highly recommended to everyone going to Lhasa. You have to stop here for a meal. But if I'm not wrong you have to make reservation first cause well, they're really popular :P

 Bustling Barkhor in the morning

I truly fell in love with Lhasa after the end of the first evening. Richard and I were talking about how we love the vibe and ambience this city is giving us. The pace of life seems to slow down a bit, although the road can be quite bustling with cars. People are lovely here, and you can feel Tibetan Buddhism everywhere. The many different sights of the city truly feel like an epiphany for the eyes. Whereas the devotion of the Tibetans and the spirituality of the city feel like a comforting prayer for the soul. I would definitely come back here and explore other parts of the city that I haven't gotten the chance to go to.

Thank you for the memories Lhasa. You've been such an amazing city.

One day my feet will walk on your streets again. Tujeche!