Rome of the East

Lhasa is kind of like Rome, but for Tibetan Buddhists - the city eats, sleeps and breathes its religion. Although not the sight of any great religious events, Lhasa is beyond question the home to the holy sights and centralized institutions that fuel religion in the region. In Tibetan Buddhism (refereed to simply as 'Buddhism' from here on, I can't be bothered to keep writing it out) there are three main types of holy structures - monasteries, temples and palaces. Although Lhasa houses 2 of perhaps the 3 most important monasteries in the country, it's the other buildings that set it apart: the Potala Palace, imperial home of the Dali Lama, and the Joakin Temple, the most holy site in all of Tibet.

The monasteries, founded in the 14th century under the 2nd Dali Lama, house the monks and are the center of religious teaching for the region. Monks come to learn from greater monks, study the holy scriptures and then return to their outlying villages to guild others and practice Buddhism. Most of the red-robed men seen running through the streets and buildings of the monasteries are not yet monks - a monk must meditate in singular silence for 3 years, 3 months and 3 days (or about 3 years, 3 months, 2 days and 23 1/2 hours longer than I'd make it), before they are ordained as full monks.

As far as I learned, Buddhist teachings can cover broad ideas of life, yet are quite simple in many ways. When praying, a person is not to pray for individuals, such as an ailing relative, but rather for the survival of all living things because all souls are equal and shouldn't be rank ordered. I find this idea extremely noble and amazingly worldly, yet extremely difficult to fulfill when I attempted to practice it - inevitably I found my mind relapsing to thoughts of friends and loved ones. Other beliefs come off as easier to understand. When praying, a Buddhist will often, with hands steeped, touch their forehead, lips and chest before kneeling (or prostrating) to bow. This is to purify the mind, words and body; ideas that are echoed in the holy items found in all temples: praying to statues for the body, scriptures for the words and mandalas (circular sand artwork is an example of these) for the mind. I find, coming from a Christian background, that the desire to purify mind, body and speech can easily be translatable to most religions.

Fortunately for me, my guide Jimmy, was born and raised a Tibetan Buddhist. He carries a locket with his masters picture around his neck. He doesn't eat meat (it involves killing souls) and he didn't want to lie to us (he told us not to buy anything at the store the tour went to because it was a bad value). He was the perfect guide to teach me all about the fascinating religion. After learning at his feet for a few days, I can understand why it's allure entices many minds, both western and eastern, to study and practice it.