As dusk falls, the Potala Palace in the night is still so majestic and awe-inspiring. Although it is night, there are still many devout believers who have not left. This is their holy land, a place they revere in their hearts. Tibetan people will make a pilgrimage once in their lifetime. They set off from home, prostrate themselves three times and kowtow once, and their hearts must be sincere. No matter how far they travel, they will continue in this way until they reach their destination, the Potala Palace. When they return, they will do the same three prostrations and one kowtow.
Potala Palace
Recently, I chatted with a friend about Lhasa, a pure land in the farthest west, a place that devout believers must visit in their lifetime.
A corner of the Potala Palace
The white clouds are within reach; the blue sky is visible above; the Milky Way floats above your head; friends come and go in a hurry; are you lost in thought or are you looking up? What are you watching for?
Eaves
This is a friend I met in a fan group years ago. We met briefly. Recently, she traveled from Xi’an – Lanzhou – Xining all the way to Lhasa. This is the kind of feeling she has.
A corner of the palace wall
In 2014, I met a friend in Shenzhen. In 2013, she had traveled across five provinces with a backpack, crossing Sichuan, Yunnan, and Tibet. She said that the deepest impression she had during this three-month trip was when she suddenly caught a cold just before entering Tibet. The onset of high fever and other symptoms made entering Tibet a very dangerous act. But coming here and not going would be equal to wasting the entire journey, leaving regrets and unable to draw a perfect ending to this journey. Along the way, her fellow travelers all tried to dissuade her from entering Tibet. She said that she felt her mental and physical state was good, and she didn’t listen to her fellow travelers’ advice but followed them into Tibet. After entering Tibet, her cold and other conditions disappeared. She didn’t experience the expected altitude sickness, and her condition didn’t worsen because of the cold. Instead, she recovered naturally. This is a sacred place.
Snow Mountain
In 2015, I came to Shanghai. My best friend and other friends went there from Chengdu – Lanzhou – Lhasa. In the evening, they went to a bar and had a drink, listening to friends who had traveled here from all over the world telling their stories about their feelings along the way.
Butter Tea
Drink a cup of hot butter tea, which tastes salty and fragrant, sweet and savory. It is a precious courtesy for Tibetans to entertain guests.
Prayer
Sitting quietly in front of the Jokhang Temple, watching the never-ending butter lamps, feeling the power of faith in the scene of believers prostrating themselves and kowtowing…
Devotees at dusk
The morning sun has just shone, and the front of the Jokhang Temple is already full of believers who are prostrating themselves and kowtowing. They clasp their hands together above their heads, bow three times from their head to their forehead, chest, and waist, then kneel and prostrate themselves, stretching out their hands, and prostrate themselves with their five limbs on the ground, repeating the same actions over and over again.
Devotees in front of the Jokhang Temple
These believers, most of them have come from afar, traveling thousands of miles. They endure hardships and sleep under the open sky, prostrating themselves every step of the way, all to reach the Jokhang Temple and kowtow countless times to the statue of Sakyamuni Buddha, praying for the fulfillment of their wishes.
Devotees in the setting sun
A traveler shared; I cannot describe in words the shock I felt when I first saw numerous believers holding prayer wheels, chanting the six-syllable mantra, and prostrating themselves before the Jokhang Temple. Such a scene is enough to make every visitor feel the Buddhist atmosphere that has been passed down for thousands of years in the Tibetan people.
On their faces, there is piety, hardship, and open-mindedness – such faces can only be found on the roof of the world.
Yamdrok Lake
I want to go west alone while I am still young. Cross the clouds and reach another country, a country with history and stories, a place to wash the soul, take the soul and go west all the way.
Many friends, after returning from the Potala Palace, have been impacted in different ways by those devout believers. I remember that when I returned from Tibet, looking back on this trip, the Potala Palace was the most impressive. In my memories, there are those devout believers. When you think about it, having faith is not necessarily a bad thing. At least when something happens and you are deeply impacted, it can bring you some comfort and soothe your heart. When your heart has a place to rest, life won’t be so tiring, and even full of hope.
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