Speaking of Tibet, besides the blue sky and white clouds, one will also think of the simplicity of the Tibetan people, and the must-visit places on a trip to Tibet – the Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple, which are considered sacred places by the Tibetan people.
The Potala Palace is located on a red hill 3700 meters above sea level in the center of Lhasa. “Potala” is actually a transliteration of the Sanskrit word “Potala”, which refers to the island where Avalokiteshvara resides.
Under the guidance of the tour guide, we took a closer look at the Bianma wall and found that the ochre-red wall edge that we thought was only decorative was not just painted ochre-red. The wall material is a special local shrub – Bianma grass, which is as thick as chopsticks, after special processing, it is bundled and built, and it can also play a role in reducing the weight of the top of the wall.
The Potala Palace looks like it has 13 layers from the outside. In Buddhism, 13 is considered a lucky number. Buddhism was introduced into China and divided into 13 sects, including Esoteric Buddhism and Zen Buddhism. The pagodas are also 13 layers. 13 represents the perfection of merit in Buddhism. This is exactly the opposite of Western Christian cultural concepts. Isn’t it interesting?
The bottom 4 layers are made of rock, which is built upwards to support the supporting wall. There are actually only 9 layers. The overall building is a wooden and stone structure, and the outer walls are presented in four colors: red, white, yellow and black. Red symbolizes authority, white symbolizes peace, black symbolizes solemnity, and yellow symbolizes prosperity.
The white main building is called the White Palace, and the red one is called the Red Palace. The White Palace is where the Dalai Lamas have lived and conducted political activities throughout the ages, while the Red Palace is located in the highest and most central position of the Potala Palace, and it is the tomb of the Dalai Lamas and various Buddhist halls.
Every year after the rainy season, before the Tibetan calendar’s September 22nd, “Festival of Descent”, monks and the people will repaint the outer walls of the Potala Palace. Therefore, the Potala Palace looks brand new, neat and tidy, elegant and solemn from the outside, without any feeling of the vicissitudes of history for over four hundred years.
When you walk in, the heavy sense of vicissitudes of time comes over you. The thick wooden door that is more than two people tall leaves behind the marks left by passers-by over the years: this part of the door is obviously much brighter and cleaner, and the corner of the door frame has been worn away and become round. Besides the touch of the hand, I can’t think of any other factors. Water drops can wear away a stone, water has a powerful impact, but just a gentle touch when passing by, how can it have such “power”?
Looking at the palace roof beams that have not been maintained or repaired for many years, I wonder why they don’t maintain this place while they repaint the outer walls every year?
Guess where this is? What do you feel?
This is the small black-framed window we see on the white wall of the Potala Palace from a distance. The wall of the Potala Palace is 2 to 5 meters thick. Some of the wall interlayers are also filled with molten iron. There are window frames and railings on the inner side of the wall. I took the photo next to the railings. The wall is so thick. This is the first time I’ve seen it. As a result, the sun is dazzling outside, people sweat when walking, while inside the palace is cool and dark.
The Potala Palace implements a reservation system with limited number and time. Tourists who have obtained tickets can visit for 1 hour according to the time slot specified on the ticket. This is the Sunlight Palace. Lhasa is known as the City of Sunlight, and the Sunlight Palace is located at the top of the White Palace, where the sun is most abundant.
After entering the Sunlight Palace, you will find the sacred and solemn palace, Buddhist hall, and tomb, where you are not allowed to take photos, wear hats or sunglasses.
After entering the hall, the light suddenly dimmed. Our tour guide was a very responsible, experienced, meticulous and capable female tour guide. In order for us to see and understand the history and collections of the Potala Palace to the greatest extent, she gave us a briefing on the bus, and when we entered the hall, she spared no effort to take us to every open place and gave us a detailed explanation. Several times, she was urged by the monks guarding the palace, and once she was urged, the tour guide also took heed and immediately agreed to lead us away, explaining: “They will take away your tour guide certificate if you delay for a long time and don’t listen to the guidance.”
Except for Songtsan Gampo and Princess Wencheng, and the Sixth Dalai Lama, Cangyang Gyatso, we know very little about other historical figures. Even in these few open places, we have seen many relics and astonishing treasures.
There are 8 tombs in the Red Palace Tomb Hall. A tomb is the burial place of a highly realized monk or a person of great virtue after his death. The Fifth Dalai Lama, Lobsang Gyatso, made the greatest contribution to Tibet, so his tomb is also the largest and most elaborate.
The tomb of the Fifth Dalai Lama is 14.85 meters high and is completely built according to the Bodhi Pagoda. The tower body is wrapped in gold foil. The gold foil used on the tower surface consumed 3721 kg of gold (we all remembered this number under the guidance of the tour guide). The tower is inlaid with tens of thousands of jewels and jade such as India, agate, turquoise, and red coral. Although there are only corridor lights in the hall, the bright golden light can be seen, making it magnificent and luxurious.
The tour guide said that these gold and silver jewelry were donated by devout believers. They exchanged their family wealth for gold and silver jewelry and came from all over Tibet, even from Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan and other places. They travelled thousands of miles, spared no effort, prostrated themselves on the ground, climbed mountains and crossed rivers, braved wind and rain, and spent months or even years just to come to Lhasa to pay their respects to the Buddha, to pray for their tribes, families and themselves for good fortune in the next life.
The lighting in the hall is not very good, lacking in light and ventilation, and it feels quite cold after staying there for a while. As we walked out of the hall, we saw the clear blue sky, snow-white clouds like dancing dragons, and wild flowers blooming brightly on the palace walls, and my mood became happy. I still prefer the free and lively nature.
The Tibetan people have a saying, “The Jokhang Temple came first, then the city of Lhasa”. The Jokhang Temple is no less important to the Tibetan people than the Potala Palace. The Jokhang Temple is very close to the Potala Palace, about 1.4 kilometers away, a 20-minute walk. Standing on the Potala Palace and looking southeast, you will see a golden area, which is the Jokhang Temple.
Relatively speaking, there are more tourists at the Potala Palace, while there are more pilgrims circumambulating at the Jokhang Temple.
There are four circumambulation paths in Lhasa. The inner circle is inside the Jokhang Temple, called “Langko”; the middle circle goes around the Barkhor Street (Eight Corner Street) around the Jokhang Temple, called “Barkhor”; the outer circle goes around the entire city of Lhasa, called “Lingko”. There is also one going around the Potala Palace, called “Ziko”.
Circumambulating the Jokhang Temple and prostrating themselves
Many pilgrims prostrate themselves at the Jokhang Temple in the evening
As we were leaving the Potala Palace, I was suddenly startled by a child who ran past my feet. Before I could react, the child had already stood up. Following the direction he was walking, I saw a pilgrim who was prostrating himself around the Potala Palace in the blazing sun. He shifted three steps to the left, chanted silently, put his hands together, raised them above his head, moved them to his chest, then moved them away from his chest and extended them parallel to the ground, prostrated himself on the ground, touched his forehead to the ground, put his hands together and raised them up… The child looked four or five years old and should be his grandson. The child was playing, standing beside the elder, bowed, and then slipped away to the wall. I felt uncomfortable in my heart…
For me, the Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple are places where I appreciate their grandeur, magnificence, sanctity, and solemnity, and there is also a bit of mystery. For believers, they are divine beings, their hope, the place where they, no matter how difficult and dangerous the world is, will bravely come to offer their devout hearts.
Returning to Lhasa from Linzhi, we had lunch at a small restaurant and caught sight of a beggar begging for money at the next table. When he came to our table, we realized that he was different from a beggar – his clothes were tattered, but still clean, he had a crew cut, his tight, dark skin was also healthy, he was wearing a pair of half-new sneakers, carrying a flat backpack. When we saw a piece of gray and worn-out “apron” hanging on his chest, with a tear at the bottom, a pair of “clogs” on his hands, his hands together, he chanted something to us. I suddenly realized: this was a “prostrating” pilgrim!
Was it real or fake? When I looked closer at his face, although it was tanned by the ultraviolet rays of Tibet, the closest place to the sun, there was still a darker, irregular mark the size of a one yuan coin in the center of his forehead, like a birthmark!
He took the money we gave him with a little shyness and chanted a blessing for us again. His teeth, as white as porcelain, and his eyes, which were particularly prominent, black and white, especially pure, on his black face, made me no longer doubt that he was indeed a true pilgrim!
The elder sister at the next table remembered the eggs and steamed buns she hadn’t eaten for breakfast, went back to the car to get them and gave them to him. He lowered his head and put his hands together, silently chanting scriptures, before accepting them. He turned around and disappeared from my sight.
After lunch, we continued our journey back to Lhasa. It was time for a nap, but I couldn’t close my eyes. I thought of the pilgrim, his thin, dark face, and his particularly bright and spirited eyes. I thought of him measuring the earth with his forehead every three steps. I thought of where he came from, how many miles he had already prostrated. I thought of the hundreds of kilometers to Lhasa, how many more days he would have to prostrate. I thought of the hardship along the way, and then I thought of their firmness and peace, and tears welled up in my eyes.
When we laugh at their ignorance, our beliefs are far less firm than theirs. When we think they are stupid, our souls are far less rich than theirs. When we pity them, our hearts are far less pure than theirs. When we are moved by their piety and firmness, we find that perhaps we ourselves are foolish and pitiful. They live happier and more fulfilling and peaceful lives than us. They have already achieved eternal life in spirit.
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