Home » Tibet China » Tibet, part III

October 2003 - August 2004

Tibet, part III

Brett Voegele
2005-11-19 14:02:35

Displayed times (last time: )

to kick me off. I smiled and held firm, and they eventually gave up and started driving. I was headed to Samye, founded around 770 and thus the oldest monastery in Tibet. After 4 hours we neared Samye and I felt part of something big, with Tibetans arriving by buses, trucks, and tractors. The place had a carnival-like atmosphere. I, along with everyone else, was there for a festival and to see cham, which is a ritual dance performed over several days by monks and lamas. The dancing monks wear elaborate, colorful masks, and dance to the sound of trumpets, horns, drums, and cymbals.

After negotiating for a bed in a tent perched on a roof, I set out to do some exploring. I first climbed a small hill, Hepo Ri, near the monastery. It offered fantastic views down to the mandala-shaped monastic complex, as well as views of the surrounding river and countryside. I next wandered through the camping area, which was littered with Tibetan-style tents - white cloth with Buddhist designs. There were people selling all manner of goods, restaurant tents, the requisite gambling, and a stage for amateur song and dance performances. The entire event had a county-fair atmosphere to it, with everyone wandering from place to place to see what was happening. Of course everybody visited the various buildings of the monastery to make their offerings, walked the koras, climbed Hepo Ri to throw juniper into the various burners, and played pool on the requisite outdoor tables. Nights were spent sitting in tents with friends and family, drinking, playing games, talking, and staying out of the rain.

The following day everyone arrived early to stake out a prime seat in front of the main monastery. At 9 the ceremony began, to the excitement of the crowd. Monk performers in large, brightly colored masks entered the performance area to the sound of horns blowing and cymbals crashing. The performance that day lasted about 8 hours, though I only stayed for ...