Monday June 1, 2009 - Lhasa - Ganden Monastery and Sera Monastery and the Monks' Debate

We were up early and on our little mini bus by 8:30 am. There were a few no-shows after last night and we understand that Ian and Tamar kicked the last person out around 6 am. Ray and I left around midnight and things were already going strong. Its good to have some fun though, and there is not much night life in these T. towns. We drove through the quiet early morning streets of Lhasa past the Dalai Lama's summer palace, Norbulingka, and out along the Lhasa River and the Kyi-Chu Valley up into the snowy mountains, where once again we found ourselves ascending up a switch back narrow road into the heavens. The mountains are very red in this area, partly due to the red rock, the red soil, and the rust brown mossy ground cover. It had snowed overnight and as we ascended we climbed up to the snow level. The mountains were dotted with yaks of all colours: red, brown, black, and brown and white. The trip was about 40 kms and we climbed to 4500 meters. There are two koras leading up to the Ganden Monastery which was our destination, and we could see the pilgrims making their way slowly up the mountain side. It was all spectacular. The monastery was originally built in 1417 by Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelugpa, or Yellow Head, sect of Buddhism. The monastery was destroyed during the cultural revolution and suffered heavy bombing. At that time it held about 10,000 monks. Today it houses about 400 monks. However, it is now slowly being reconstructed. We saw several chapels including one or two "protected" chapels in which women are not allowed. In these the monks consistently chant and play the cymbals and drums. It was noisy, participative and exciting to be a part of. In one chapel I put my head down to a monk and he blessed me by bashing my head with a yellow hat. Once again the buildings were joined together by narrow pathways leading up and down and across the monastery grounds. The statues of the Gods are always so colourful and intricately constructed. Here we also saw a completed mandella covered with a colourful tent to protect it. We are in the middle of a month long festival, and once it is over the monks will sweep up the sand and give it to the farmers to spread on their land to bring them healthy harvests. The 40 km drive back was equally enchanting. We saw a couple of pilgrims making their way to the Jokhang Temple. Our guide said it could take them 3 years to reach the Temple. They walk a few steps, lift their arms to a 45 degree angle from their heads and put their hands which are holding what looks like wooden gloves, together, then throw their bodies prostrate on the ground, murmur some mantras, pick themselves up, and start again. They camp along the way or stay with the villagers, who are eager to see they are provided with sufficient food for the journey. We didn't have time for lunch when we got back to Lhasa before we took off again in the same bus to the Sera Monastery, about 10 minutes across Lhasa. This monastery was founded in 1419 by one of the disciples of Tsongkhapa and is one of Lhasa's two great Gelugpa monasteries, the other being Drepung. Again, during the cultural revolution the number of monks reduced from about 5000 to 600. The charming uniqueness of this monastery was to watch the monks debating in the open air gardens beside the assembly hall. The monks break into small groups of all sizes. The master dramatically fires a question at one of the monks on philosophy from lessons that the monk learned in the morning and at the same time leans towards the monk and claps his hands loudly and sharply. In fact when you look at their hands they are bright red from all the clapping. If the monk answers incorrectly, the master reverses his one hand and claps it the other way denoting an incorrect answer. The masters can get quite irritated with their pupils when they give the wrong answer. In some cases the other monks in the group try to help out the one being questioned and then they themselves earn their master's ire as he tries to stop the assistance. However, as passionate as it all is, it also seems in good humour and there was much laughter among the monks as well as the loud clapping, and constant chattering. Watching all of this you get pulled right into their energy. The monks are passionate, animated, and very committed. Their facial and body expressions are so expressive. We watched for half an hour and then our guide had to drag us away. It was a fascinating experience. Elsewhere in one of the temples in the monastery I was blessed again by the God with a horse head as one of the monks directed me to kneel down, look at the horse head, and then stick my head into a nook and touch the ground with my forehead. Then he completed the blessing by wrapping a white prayer scarf around me. With the smell of incense and petal water, and the warmth from the candles burning the yak butter, and all the beautiful religious art work around you, the experience is one that will be hard to forget. Once back at the hotel, we relaxed for a few minutes, then went out to dinner. We went to an interesting restaurant called Anglomedo, and listenened to a selection of the best Beattles music while we ate pineapple chicken, and stewed beef and chinese vegetables over a "Lhasa" beer. This has replaced the "Everest" of Nepal. Then we checked our emails, went for a night cap with some of the group and bed. On our way back to the hotel, we were very aware of the military/police presence as we watched a line of about 8 - 10 police/soldiers in long trench coats lining the short street that leads from the Jokhang Square to our hotel. The "Bailey's" was interesting too. I am never sure that the liquor is legit. I had one in India and it tasted very strange. The one last night was OK, but I am not sure that it was the same Bailey's we get in Canada. Nothing is what it seems to be here!!