My Tibet trip – Part II

Touchable sky …

Tears won’t stop !!!

For every soul cell

There is a big drop of tears…

In line, in a rush to release

Stored for ages…

Still speechless I am

and lost…

with no desire to be found…

My Tibetan journey included the iconic landmarks of the Potala Palace, and holy Yamdrok Lake as well as countless opportunities to experience the Buddhist cultural touch.

Visiting

Tibet Museum

Sera Monastery

Drepung Monastery

Nechung Temple

Norbulingka Palace

Potala Palace

Jokhang temple

Barkhor street

Yamdrok Lake

Brahma Putra River

In Tibet

I like the pretty shining white shawl, a long rectangular piece of silk, Namgyal gave me when I entered Lhasa airport. Loosely worn over my shoulders and arms. The white shawl scarf, called Khada in Tibet was a welcoming gift of purity

Jokhang temple

It was a very hot day and I was worried about the dark spots and freckles coming out again dancing on my face so I took my cap with me. I was a bit early and waited there for Namgyal to join. As a foreigner, I was not allowed to enter the temple without my tour guide. The ticket cost 85 Yuan. Namgyal showed the police officer at the gate my permit letter. In the very beginning, I noticed some prostrating. Theirs were different from ours in the mosque. This was the first time I saw Buddhist people doing it. Some were distributing and offering some drinks to the prayers. I noticed the statutes of the 4 guardians of the universe on the walls when we stepped in.

We walked to the center of the temple. It was an open area where the monks in their red cloaks and robes were debating. One standing was asking a question, one sitting was supposed to provide a short response. One asked: “Does your body belong to you?”. It kept me thinking. The 18th-century paintings portraying the masters were on the wall.

Helena in Tibet

Potala Palace

Today is Wednesday, June 21st. It is 10 AM. The weather is almost chilly and I have a black jacket on. Namgel is holding an umbrella. we are standing in a long queue to enter Potala Palace. People with different clothes and different nationalities speaking different languages are in the line. Most of them are Chinese of course

It is cloudy. I like cloudy days. There is no intense skin-damaging sunlight to harm the face Skin.

Potala temple perches high above the town on a huge rock on a flat land. Its structure is awe-inspiring and spectacular. It stands elegantly high on the hill named red hill opposite medicine hill. The building is white in the peripheral and exterior parts and maroon red in the center. The small rectangular windows have red frames. There are 380 stairs zigzagging way up to the palace.

In front, many pine trees are planted. And one huge tree was planted in the center and I didn’t know the name. I can’t figure out how old the trees are and how many years of events here they have witnessed.

There is also a long row of souvenir shops on the right. I bought some traditional table fabrics, textiles, and rags to give my friends as a souvenir from Tibet

We finally walked through the security detector and entered. The entrance is in the front and the exit is in the back of the palace. My eyes could behold beautiful freshly trimmed plants and flowers in the vases along the path with different colors of yellow, pink, maroon, light yellow, and dark yellow. Nanshan Mountain, opposite the palace, is covered in clouds.

The scattered aura with a spiritual sensation instilled an abundance of vigor in me and I was feeling like an excited child loving to run through the whole passes.

Potala is in the Sanskrit language dating to the 7th century, the time of the 7th Dalal Lama. 32nd king constructed the red central palace. Later in the 17th century, the 5th Dalai Lama expanded it with the surrounding peripheral white palace for the administration of political issues, while the red part of the structure was dedicated to the supervision of religious matters.

Potala Palace, the home of Dalai Lama, was considered the winter palace; in summer he would move to Norbulingka Palace. From the 5th Dalai Lama to the present one used to live here

The structure is 115 meters high including 13 floors with 1600 chapels divided in red and white parts.

I was wondering if the present Dalai Lama wished to be here with his followers and remind them about the principles of peace in a world filled with rows, quarrels, fights clashes, and conflicts that would never resolve.

Helena  海伦娜博士: