(Svensk version)

Tibetan Voyage

30 August - 24 September  2012

Nothing is without effect. Absence, non-participation has effect, being as motionless as you can has effect. I ́m looking out into the empty void, I ́m within me always, in my body, completely still. Let it come to me what is needed.

The voyage to Tibet begins within me, a longing for the dream landscape, fantasies about mysterious monasteries high up in the mountains. A secret sacred place with monks or nuns. The mountains surrounding the solitude, the life of hermitage and meditation. No one knows you are there, no one can reach you, and no one can help you. You are your own master, in the center of the world, on top of a pillar surveying the earth, its past, present and future.

While here the landscape sparkles beautifully before your eyes. Exhausted by lack of oxygen you hope the goal for the trek, the hermit cave, is beyond the crest. The reward is an enchanting landscape changing in the shadows of wandering white clouds. The shadows are so dark they twist the topology.

The Tibetan people ́s suffering under the Chinese occupation is beyond words. All monasteries were destroyed and desecrated. Millions of Chinese have since then invaded the country in such an extent that their population is now three times larger than the Tibetan. Tibetans are not taught reading and writing Tibetan in the public schools.The Chinese characters is prevalent in the urban landscape shown on large scale and the Tibetan in lesser. China has made huge investments in roads, electricity, telecommunications, radio and television. They have rebuilt and restored some monasteries and important architecture. Everything to appease the world's view of themselves and attract as many tourists as possible to the country. Revenues from the tourist industry are used for their own purposes and the same applies to the country's huge assets in minerals and hydropower. Large areas outside the cities have greenhouses prolonging the season for vegetables and fruits.

The Tibetans would rather prefer their freedom than this prosperity. The nomads of the north would prefer to move freely with their yaks, sheep and goats rather than being forced to live in freely obtained solid dwellings. Nomads are wandering people who cross borders and are difficult to control by the Chinese Government. The nomads are obstacles when the Chinese exploit the land for mineral extraction, railway construction, hydroelectric dams and areas for underground nuclear explosions.

Lhasa Potala

Lhasa is now a city with one million inhabitants compared to 30,000 in the 50s. Broad streets, large open spaces and a huge square in front of the Potala Palace, which rises majestically into the sky. It is now a museum, an empty shell without the Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959. The interior and the facade are well preserved and attract lots of tourists especially from the rest of China.

Jokhang 

The religious center and life has moved to the Jokhang, the holiest and most revered monastery and shrine in Tibet. What made the greatest impression on me were the Tibetan pilgrims walking around the entire complex. Barkhor square in front of the monastery is heavily guarded by the Chinese police and military since the unrest and protest movements in 1989 and even as late as in 2008. There are inscriptions on a stone outside the monastery from year 822 with the Sino-Tibetan agreement stating they will respect each other's boundaries, Tibetans was to remain within their borders, and the Chinese within theirs. There has always been close relations, economic, religious and cultural ties and connections between the two countries from then on with mutual respect until China's occupation of Tibet in the 50s.

It was fascinating to see and try to interpret their expressions while walking around the Jokhang. Was it reconciliation, compassion, sorrow or bitterness in their faces? I was close to tears when I saw this constant stream of people, day and night.  

Drak Yerpa

We made our first trip to the hermit caves of Drak Yerpa just east of Lhasa in a minibus. It was me, Ann, Monika, Michael, Leif and Wangyal (Swedish nun) together with Dolkar a Tibetan guide who is versed in Buddhism and Pemba a Tibetan driver, formerly a monk who had been in prison for seditious activities.   Most of us were acclimated but we could experience some nausea during hikes on the high altitude. Our first stop was a pass which was as usual covered with prayer flags, a gift of gratitude and prayer for our continued journey.  

Drak Drak Yerpa hills and peaks were dotted with prayer flags as if a giant spider had been let loose foraging. Drak Yerpa hills and peaks were dotted with prayer flags as if a giant spider had been let loose foraging. Drak Yerpa belongs to the holiest caves in central Tibet. Guru Rinpoche meditated here and also Songtsen Gampo, the Tibetan king who introduced Buddhism in the country. The monastery Yerpa Drubde was totally destroyed by the Chinese People's Liberation Army in 1959 and was never rebuilt.

What remains are the caves and chapels built around the openings. A number of monks have returned to this scenic and exciting area under strict control from the Chinese. The altitude of 4500m made the walks slow. We stayed in a pilgrim´s guest house. The view across the valley was wonderful and the sunset carved the mountain in amazing relief.

Tsurphu

We travelled northwest of Lhasa to Tsurphu, the residence of the Karmapa order,  whose incarnation is the third most significant in Tibetan Buddhism. The entire Chinese infrastructure passed by the way, nice broad roads, power lines, cellular antennas and the famous railway line all the way to Beijing. Suddenly we turn left to a minor road up the valley leading to Tsurphu. The yellow fields spread out in the valley up to the stark mountains drawn on a clear blue sky. We stopped to photograph a group of Tibetans harvesting with simple sickles and gathering the straw into sheaves placed on piles. Both men and women worked together and the children sat under umbrellas for protection from the burning sun. Out in the meadows were grazing yaks and a family had gathered on the ground eating lunch.

Beyond a large gate with snow covered peaks in the background is the monastery of Tsurphu which was founded in 1187 and became the headquarters of the established order at that time, Karmapa, a branch of the Kagyupa order of Tibetan Buddhism. They are known as the "black hats" and the 16th incarnation of the Karmapa can be seen in a photo wearing the original cap which was donated by the Chinese emperor in 1407. He holds the hat in a firm grip so that it will not fly away, it was considered that powerful. The 16th Karmapa escaped to Sikkim in 1959 under the Chinese occupation and died in 1981. The 17th Karmapa was found 1994 in Tibet and was crowned in Tsurphu. But in the face of the Chinese he fled 1999 to Sikkim in India. Unfortunately another 17th Karmapa was appointed by the Dalai Lama and he lives in Dharamsala in India. This conflict is not yet resolved.

The monastery now has about 300 monks as compared to the 1,000 that existed before 1959. High above the monastery in the rocks are hermit caves and chapels. This place lacks Karmapa as Potala Palace lacks Dalai Lama, but the religious life continues, and for me it was a powerful experience of nature, architecture and the evocative devotions with the monks' rhythmic prayers and recitations.

Yakland  

Tibet is yakland, there are more yaks than tibetans not to mention all the sheep and goats. The herds are spread out on the plateaus with blue mountains in the background. One or two nomad tents glimpsed beyond the river we follow into central Tibet. The nomads make use of all parts of the animal, wool, leather, meat and milk which become butter and cheese. I never learned to appreciate Yak butter in the popular tea drink though. We travelled on a bumpy road with a wide and beautiful panorama of the countryside on our way to visit the three monasteries, Yangpachen, Dorje Ling and Galo Ani Gompa. All of them were rebuilt relatively recently. Roads have been built to the monasteries and guesthouses have been erected. Ironically with lot of Chinese aid.   

Yangpachen

Yangpachen was completely destroyed by the Chinese during the Cultural Revolution but have since been rebuilt. It was founded in 1504 and was the main seat of Sharmapa line within the Karma Kagyu Order the “red hats”. The 13th Sharmapa now lives in Nepal. Architecturally it is very stylish and beautiful. It embodies how the monasteries once upon a time looked in all its splendor.  

Dorje Ling & Galo Ani Gompa

An offspring to the Yangpachen monastery, the small nunnery Dorje Ling a short distance to the south where we stayed overnight in a guest house. The sound could be heard far and wide when nuns played on large horns and small bassoon-like instruments from the monastery rooftop. The sun went down in the west and the evening was magical.  

A short distance to the north of Yangpachen, the nunnery Galo Ani Gompa was located on the foothills of the great mountain range Nyenchen Tanglha. We slept in a guest room with a splendid view over the flat valley, the Tibetan high plateau. Sonam, one of the nuns, opened up her little home for cooking and socializing.

Galo Ani Gompa

 The next day before our departure to Namtso, we stopped by her sister's family on the slope below the monastery. It gave us a real insight into a Tibetan home with the kitchen as the main living room. Centrally positioned was the wood burning stove surrounded with raised wide benches covered with rugs and cushions where we sat cross-legged.

 Traditionally yak butter tea is served with all sorts of dried fruits, sweets and cakes. The children watched curiously, a little boy was playing theatre with a hat and glasses. The family gathered in front of a film clip with the Dalai Lama that one of our travelling companions had downloaded on her mobile phone. It evoked great emotion and the elderly were moved to tears. We began to understand China's fear of everything depicting the Dalai Lama and the strict ban that existed regarding all the writing, speeches and images of the current supreme spiritual leader of the Tibetans. The fear stems from the political consequences despite the fact that the Dalai Lama himself renounce all worldly political power. The recent self-immolation of young Tibetan monks who protested against the repression of religion and culture are considered to be guided by "the Dalai gang" from abroad. There is of course no such connection. There is a contradiction in allowing a religious practice that Chinese government proudly highlights but prohibit its spiritual leaders to be present.

Namtso  

The holy lake Namtso is the largest saltwater lake in Tibet at an altitude of 4750 meter, 70 km long and 30 km at its widest. To the south is the mountain range Nyenchen Tanglha with peaks over 7000 m. From the small peninsula on the southeastern shore of Namtso where the monastery Tashi Dor is located in mountain caves, we can see far and wide over the Grand Lake with all shades of blue. This time of year you see rain clouds dominating the sky. Far away you see how they pull ahead above the hills and plains. It was a great scenery and a great experience.

On the plains around Namtso nomads wander with their herds. Tourists and especially those from China have created a sheer gold rush atmosphere at Tashi Dor with hastily erected shacks of hotels and restaurants without any sanitation facilities and water supply. The few toilets near the hotels were undermanned and locked overnight leaving you to your own devices since the monastery were located at a remote place. I did what I needed to do out in the countryside surrounding the place. The dogs barked all night and the temperature dropped in the fragile unisolated shacks which gave no shelter from neither noise nor cold air. Tourists arrived in large numbers each morning with caravans of buses from Lhasa and then returned late in the afternoon. Those who came in large SUV ́s stayed overnight for a continued trip to the next scenic area on the Tibetan plateau attraction map.  

The monastery of Tashi Dor started out as hermit caves and expanded gradually with buildings and enclosed yards in front of the cave openings. A variety of chapels and caves lie around the peninsula. High standalone rocks breaking away from the mountain are sacred pillars, crusted with prayer flags anchored in the stone. Circulating one of them a number of times same as your own age is a prayer for your health and recovery. You could also pay a monk or a nun to do this on your or someone else's behalf. The passing between two closely standing rocks became a prayer for purification. In one chapel the God Nyenchen Tanglha rides on a horse and lives in the mountain range with the same name to the south of the lake. Goddess Namtso who has a blue face is seen riding on a water snake. Here is strong remnants of Bon culture, the shamanistic cult that existed before Buddhism and is still practiced in some places.

South

Our minibus went back to Lhasa over the pass at Namtso and through a valley flanked by high mountains, intersected by high-voltage electric power lines, rivers and the long railway line between Lhasa and Beijing. Once again we saw Tibetans harvesting the fields with sickles and binding sheaves. Near Lhasa a thickened prevalence of greenhouses and more motorized agriculture.

The following day we were on our way south through the grand river valley where the origin of Brahmaputra, Yarlung Tsangpo is flowing wide and powerful. China is greedily trying to exploit the potential for hydroelectric power. The cutting down of forest has accelerated the spread of desert by the river where big dunes rises. They fight it with tree plantations and cultivation of the pads with varying results. Now and then gigantic billboards appear with sheer propaganda for the Chinese development of Tibet. Smiling Tibetan children who receive schooling and nursing. The truth is that they do not even receive education in their own language. Multiracial groups of Tibetans and Chinese people on a billboard celebrates the cultural freedom of the people. That fits grimly with the reality and with what the Chinese government is actually doing. Tibetans can not travel abroad and their relatives are not allowed entry. Where is the religious and political freedom to be found? Does”cultural freedom” only mean maintaining rural traditional dance, arts and crafts without any other options and opinions?

Tsetang  

We stayed two nights in the town of Tsetang located at the bottom of the valley Yarlung which is said to be the cradle of Tibetan civilization. It's here Tibet was united and one of the oldest structures is Yumbulagang which was mentioned in the legends 2000 years ago, but was probably built by Tibetan King Song Stone Gampo in the 7th century.

The original fort with a high  guard tower was completely destroyed by the Chinese during the Cultural Revolution but rebuilt in 1982 and is now a chapel run by a small number of monks. The valley below Yumbulagang, the first cultivated area in Tibet, is said to be exceedingly fertile. Farmers who make pilgrimages here bring back a handful of soil to sprinkle on their own fields to ensure a good harvest.

Klostret   The monastery of Trandruk near Tsetang was originally one of Tibet's first temple buildings and some claim it was built before Jorkang in the mid 7th century. Tibet is likened to a demon goddess from the early shamanistic Bon culture who is nailed to the ground and tamed by Buddhism. Tandruk is one of these attachment points as well as Jorkang in Lhasa. Drak Verpa which we visited early on the journey is said to be one of her elbows sticking out.

Sheldrak Caves were Lama Guru Rinpoche's first meditation caves which we reached at an altitude of 4000m after hours of strenuous hiking. We pass billowy green hills with grazing sheep on the slopes and fearless grouses which we fed. Superb rocks rich in minerals shifted in different colors. In a small monastery with only one monk and his cats, we were invited to tea and cookies. A bit further up and a steep climb to the holy caves, you had a nice view of the valley with large parts of the Himalayas in the center giving the place an elevated spiritual dimension. Guru Rinpoche contributed to the victory of Buddhism in Tibet, which resulted in the construction of Samye, the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet.

Samye  

Samye monastery was built in a circle as a mandala for meditation, the images so important in Tibetan Buddhism, mirror the cosmic order. In the center of Samye is the square palace, a mental image of the sacred mountain Meru as an axis of the world surrounded by continents, oceans, and mountains in all four corners of the world. The outer circular wall with 1008 small stupas on the crest represents the mountains surrounding the universe. Guru Rinpoche vanquished the demons at Hepori east of the Samye which symbolizes the final Buddistic victory over the old Bon culture and paved the way for the first monastery which was built in the late 8th century by the Tibetan king Trisong Detsen. The first seven monks were initiated here in the presence of scholars from India and China, who also contributed a great deal to the translation of the sacred texts into Tibetan. Architecturally the main reception halls and chapels on the ground floor is Tibetan in style. The second floor was built in Chinese tradition and the top floor in Indian style.

We lived abstemious in a Tibetan hotel but had culinary debauchery in an excellent restaurant on the main street. Here we also found a public bath with a hot shower. Samye was destroyed entirely as all other monasteries by the Red Army but is now rebuilt. Unfortunately some modern buildings were erected within the monastery walls. It was a popular walk around the wall, the “kora”, a circumambulation a number of times and stops at the four major gates pointing toward the four wind directions. Tibetans also have a fifth direction towards the center.  Inside the central palace is a circumambulation with portico, prayer wheels and vivid paintings on the walls depicting various events from Buddha's life.

The inner kora

Chimpuk & Yamalung

Guru Rinpoche meditated in the caves of Chim-puk far into the valley to the northeast of Samye where a nunnery now is located. The experience of recitations and rhythmic prayers in the nunnery accompanied by cymbals, bells and drums gave a lasting impression. Tourists crowded the path up to the caves, unfortunately contaminating the steps with waste, plastic articles, bottles and even prayer flags in such quantities that they lay in drifts around the bushes.

Yamalung

We also visited the hermit caves north of Samye where the small nunnery of Yamalung single point on the other side of the gap. Here was a rich flora and fauna and I photographed birds, hares, goats, sheep and yaks among shrubs, trees, herbs, flowers, succulents and mosses.

Drak Yangdzong

The way up to the hermit caves was not the end of the pilgrimage. Slightly northwest of Samye the famous Drak Yangdzong caves waited above the Chusi nunnery where we stayed overnight in the guest rooms. A steep 10-meter ladder led to the cave opening and from there you had to crawl through a narrow slippery tunnel up to the wide chambers, the most sacred parts where Rinpoche meditated. I got nauseous and full blown claustrophobia after ascending the ladder. No matter how beautiful the chambers were with their amazing limestone formations. I returned feeling relieved to the safe ledge below. There, a group of Tibetan pilgrims gathered for a cup of yak butter tea and they treated us with sweets. Fully equipped with headlamps and flashlights, they went briskly, happily singing, up the steps and into the caves. This was not their first journey here.  

An overnight stay at the Chusi nunnery offered a spectacular night, a storm, flaming lightning and powerful gushing rain that penetrated into the guest room. This was a minor discomfort considering the great spectacle outside. The morning view of the mountains was dramatic and beautiful like a Chinese ink painting.

Yamdrok-tso

On the way to lake Yamdrok-tso, we encountered a van stuck in the rapids formed by the night's rain. We made an attempt to pull it out with our minibus but failed. Suddenly a strong four-wheeled police car appeared and soon it had freed the van with a little help from us. Grateful and happy the travelling party were able to continue their trip to the caves of Drak Yangzhong, Samye and Chim-puk. Our karma was now improved. Powerfully floated the river Yarlung Tsangpu alongside our continuing journey.

On winding switchbacks we arrived at the pass Kamba-la at 4700 meters altitude and had a great view of the turquoise ring-shaped lake Yamdrok-tso which curved off at the far distant snowy mountains. From this photogenic place a lot of pictures were shot. You had to be careful so that the Tibetans dressed black furry dogs and yaks were not in the spotlight because if they were their owners wanted money!

Yamdrok-tso

Yamdrok-tso is one of Tibet's four holiest lakes and is haunted by demonic creatures. The trip down to the monastery Samding was a dream of beauty and we had to stop the driver for photo breaks. The high altitude of the lake has tempted the Chinese administration to exploit hydro-electric power of the vertical drop down to the river Yarlung Tsangpu (Brahmaputtra). The lake, however, has no natural outflow, it maintains balance through evaporation, thus causing the water level to sink by the years. This will create major environmental problems due to overfishing in the lake which only serve the Chinese population in Lhasa where Tibetans consider it profane to eat fish. Tibet's need for electric power would be satisfied by small-scale energy plants from the sun, water, wind and geothermal energy, which we saw several examples of but China of course wants to support its growing population. The Tibetans look with disfavour on exploitation of the sacred lake as the legends goes: Tibet would perish if the lake dries out.

Samding  

Samding monastery, located on a hill in the middle of the ring-shaped Yamdrok-tso, is looking out over a vast plain to the south towards snowy mountains in the distant bordering Bhutan. Meandering rivers glisten in the backlighting to the partially marshy plains where thousands of yaks and sheep graze. Samding was originally a nunnery, which was led by the female incarnation of Lama Dorje Pangmo. During the Mongol invasion in 1716 she transformed all the nuns to pigs and helped them escape. Her current incarnation is working for the government in Lhasa and contribute to improve the situation for the Tibetans in the country. Samding is now a monastery with 30 monks. We stayed in the large dormitory which belonged to the guest house with a great view. The sunset and the sunrise was a rare spectacle.

Samding monastery

The Road to Gyantse  

Our drive to Gyantse began dramatically with a complete halt in the immediate vicinity of the monastery where a truck with an incredibly long trailer was stuck in an attempt to pass a road construction. All hands helped out for a while and lifted away the stones from the roadside to make a passage. It all worked out in the end after various maneuvers of the truck and our minibus.

Perhaps the most beautiful road stretch in Tibet is between Yamdrok-tso and Gyantse which runs over two high passes with views over the valleys, snow-capped mountains and glaciers.

At Kharo La pass at 5560 m we had a close encounter with the glacier which runs down from Norin Kang´s heights of 7206 m. A tourist trap with lots of dressed yaks and Tibetans who wanted payment to be photographed. We were caught up for a while by the souvenir stalls.

At the second pass, Simi La at 4330 m, we discovered another hydroelectric plant, where the meandering river reflected a strong greenish light, what was there in the water?

Gyantse  

Gyantse is a significant historical market town on the road to Sikkim and Bhutan. Its most impressive building, the large stupa, the kumbum was built in the 15th century, together with the fortifications, the Dzong and monastery Pelkor Chode. The town has not grown boundlessly like Lhasa, but has preserved the rural idyll with tractors pulling hay wagons. Cows and yaks outside the houses in the middle of the old Tibetan quarter and the traditional famous spinning and weaving of wool goes on at all corners.

Gyantse Kumbum is Tibet's largest and best preserved. Its pyramidal structure with steps is filled with chapels, paintings and statues on the various floors. Up the shaft with steep steps you reach a circular tower on the top fifth floor with a splendid view over the landscape and the Dzong on the high cliff in the middle of the city.

Gyantze kumbum

Fortunately the stupa was not destroyed during the cultural revolution but the monastery and Dzong have been rebuilt and refurbished to a large extent. A chapel in the monastery Pelkor Chode held some of the best sculptures I saw during the entire trip. They emanate a strong sense of presence, timelessness and strength. When I decided to pay the fee to photograph them the chapel had closed for the day.

Menacing black rain clouds had formed in the sky when we walked down the main street. It rained heavily and we sought shelter under some stores. Women were sitting there spinning wool and knitting clothes. Horse carriages and cycle rickshaws passed by.

It was a steep hike up to the Dzong upper parts but we could never enter because it was under renovation. The entire tourist park below the Dzong with driveways and walkways had strongly deteriorated due to lack of maintenance. The view of the fertile plain towards the mountains that lined the river valley excelled the strategic location of the Dzong. The city wall surrounding the monastery served as shelter during war time.

However it did not seem to stop the British invasion which took place with the use of modern artillery in the early 20th century when the English wanted to secure Tibet as a buffer state to Russia. Over 700 Tibetan soldiers died within four minutes. The English buried the Tibetans one day and set up field hospitals for the wounded the next. The Tibetans did not understand why they were shot one day and taken care of the next. At night they dug up their fellow citizens and took the dead bodies with them for sky burials, the old ceremony where the dead were brought to high altitudes where the bodies were exposed to the vultures.

In the twilight at night we went to a Tibetan dance on the central square below the Dzong. The dance drew people of all ages, young and old, modernly and traditionally dressed. As is customary when Tibetans gather for various activities the Chinese police were present with cars and crews. Tibetans always had little to put up against the English, Russian, Mongolian and Chinese invaders throughout history.

Shigatse

The journey towards Shigatse went through a flat river landscape, Tibet's fertile granary, ripe and yellow for harvesting. Here with both harvesters and tractors. During the Cultural Revolution farmers were forced to grow rice instead of barley which led to crop failures and mass starvation. Rice does not grow at such high altitudes, which the Tibetans knew very well. Traffic thickened near Shigatse, Tibet's second city which has expanded tremendously since the Chinese occupation. We checked into a nice hotel and went off to the monastery Tashilhunpo, the largest in Tibet which remained relatively untouched during the Cultural Revolution. The monastery is a whole city inside the ring-wall not far from the Dzong on a cliff separated by the old Tibetan quarters almost like in Gyantse. The monastery was built in the 15th century and became headquarters for the first Dalai Lama but is primarily known as the residence of the Panchen Lama and all its incarnations. The 11th Panchen Lama, disappeared without a trace and the Chinese regime has replaced him with someone that the current Dalai Lama does not recognize. The monastery has several mausoleums of the previous Panchen Lama. Its very lavish stupas and chortens gilded and ornate with gemstones. In a chapel sits the future Buddha as a 26 meter high gold-plated statue. Over 900 artists worked for four years with the chapel and 300 kg of gold went into the gilding.

The most exciting thing was to walk up and down the alleys among the home stays of all the monastery's monks. Many places were now in disrepair and were abandoned long ago.

Our tour of the monastery ended up at a Tibetan opera performance which mainly depicts stories of Buddha or the history of Tibet. We did not see much of the opera where we stood behind a wall of standing crowds of people. Tibetans and their families had gathered in large numbers for a picnic on the green lawns. It was like a big party and perhaps the sight of all those happy Tibetans was the best ending of the journey. The next morning we would travel to Lhasa and then by train to Beijing

Afterword

I brought with me a Dorje thunderbolt in brass from Tibet which would complement the bell I had at home, a mandala, a ceremonial bowl which sounded beautifully, seven small brass bowls, an oil lamp and incense.

During the train journey to Beijing I read a small book I had bought in Lhasa. Very professional and initiated it treated the road to Buddhism victory in Tibet and its development. It did not mention the Dalai Lama with one word which was a feat. If it had the book would never have been published in Lhasa.

Davey Hammarsten
 

© Drawings, text och photos

 A bell with a dorje lying down and one damaru, a double sided ceremonial drum.

The KalaChakra Mantra with the 10 sacred syllables, seven consonants based on Sanskrit, interwoven: Ham Ksha Ma La Va Ra Ya. Three vowels symbolized by the crescent moon, the sun and the flame.

Drawings

Inkdrawings 

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