The low temperature in the evening is truly chilling, and I shivered with the cold in my assault suit and down jacket. The clouds unconsciously occupied the sky, dense like a warrior's shield, and the plan to capture the starry sky of Mount Namjabaya had to be dashed. I didn't expect the weather here to be so unpredictable. Looking back on the clear sky for a whole day, it's a bit unbelievable.
After dinner, Nanjie wanted to try tsamba, but Lausanne's father didn't regard us as outsiders at all. He immediately squeezed a piece of it with his own Tibetan bowl for everyone to taste. Sister Nan didn't enjoy herself enough. Mother Lausanne cooked butter tea and distributed highland barley flour to everyone. Let's try to make tsamba by ourselves!
We kneaded it happily. Xiao Fei couldn't control the density well, kneaded it like feces, and couldn't even bear to swallow it himself. In the end, he threw it all to the cat to eat. But Abin pinched it the best, but it was still not as decent as Lausanne's father's
After playing tsamba, everyone sat around the stove and baked cow dung. Lausanne's mother prepared a snack of melon seeds and let us eat while talking. Lausanne's father only knew a little Chinese, but he still shared interesting Tibetan stories with us, which was very interesting. No one wanted to go to sleep
The journey of the Linzhi Ring Road has already been halfway through, and the next one will be the return journey. We have chosen to pass through the Shannan area and can pass through three important scenic spots. One is Ramlacso, who is said to see his past and present life through the reflection of the lake water. The second is Yongbulakan, the first palace in the history of Xizang. The third is the Samye Temple, the first temple in Xizang with complete Buddhism, which is the birthplace of Tibetan Buddhism.
Leaving Linzhi, the surrounding environment seems to have begun to deteriorate. The climate and environment in the Shannan and Linzhi regions are vastly different, with one being moist and cool, while the other is dry and hot. There are many mountains and few trees in the Shannan area, and the wind and sand are raging. When we had lunch in Lang County, we only walked a short distance and were unexpectedly hit by the sand blown by the strong wind, making us suspicious of our lives.
When we arrived in Jiacha County to stay, we received news that the mountains were covered in heavy snow during winter, and we were unable to enter the Qukojie Cong Mountains. As a result, we had to regretfully give up on Ramlaco. Looking at the snow covered mountains in front of me, my heart is filled with regret. The expectation and longing I had for to witness the mysterious and beautiful scenery of Ramlacso with my own eyes were blocked by the merciless heavy snow.
In the evening, we went to a Sichuan hotpot and had a big meal, hoping to fill our empty heart with a sense of fullness.
The next destination is Sangye Temple, whose full name is "Bezama Sangye Minjiulun Jibaizulakang". In Tibetan, it means "Auspicious Red Rock Thinks of Infinite Eternal Transformation into a Temple". It has a very long history and is a temple worth visiting.
At the end of the 8th century, Tubo reached its heyday. At that time, Chisong Tak, who was a Buddhist in Zanpu, welcomed two Indian Buddhist masters, Jihu and Lianhuasheng, to Xizang to promote Buddhism, and decided to build a temple for them. After the field survey by Lianhuasheng and others, the site was finally selected to be built on the north bank of the Yarlung Zangbo River near the Tubo Winter Palace, and the construction scheme was designed by Jihu. According to the "Sangye Temple Chronicle", in 762 AD, Chisong Dezan personally laid the foundation for the temple. After twelve years of construction under the leadership of Lianhuasheng, it was completed by the end of 775. Due to a legend that during the initial construction, Chisong Dezan was eager to know the scene after completion, so Lianhuasheng transformed from his palm into an illusion of the temple. Upon seeing it, Chisong Dezan couldn't help but exclaim "Sangye" (meaning "unexpected" or "unimaginable"), and later used this exclamation as the name of the temple.
After the completion of the Sangye Temple, a grand opening ceremony was held. Chisong Dezan also invited monks from the Tang Dynasty, India, and Khotan to reside in temples and translate scriptures, and announced that all people in Tibet followed Buddhism. In addition, he personally selected seven noble children to become monks, becoming the first generation of monks in the Samye Temple and the first group of monks in Xizang, known as "seven pre test monks" in history. Therefore, Sangye Temple is the first regular temple in Xizang with the three treasures of Buddha, Dharma and monk, and has a lofty position in Tibetan Buddhism.
In the mid-9th century, Tubo banned the spread of Buddhism, and Sangye Temple was also banned. After its reopening in the late 10th century, it became the central temple of the Ningma sect (Red Religion). During the reign of the Sakya sect, the temple was renovated and monks were dispatched to live there. This led to the coexistence of the Ningma and Sakya sects in one temple.
The highest and most magnificent building in the temple is the Wuce Grand Hall (Wuzi Rensong Lakang), also known as the Duojide Hall. The main hall faces west and east, with an appearance that seems to have five floors, but the interior actually only has three floors, with each floor height ranging from 5.5 meters to 6 meters. The lower level of the temple is a Tibetan style building, the middle level is a Chinese style building, and the upper level is an Indian style building designed and constructed by craftsmen from three different regions. Therefore, some people also refer to the temple as the "Sanxiang Temple".
Outside the main hall, there is a circular corridor with three main gates: east, south, and north. The roof of the east gate is decorated with scriptures, and a huge "fresh cloth" is hung under the eaves. The walls on both sides of the door are decorated with reliefs symbolizing auspiciousness, wealth, and prosperity called "Zaxi Pagoda Knot". The gatehouse is connected to the left and right corridors, and there are double rows of columns under the corridors. The walls of the corridors are painted with exquisite murals.
The lower level of the main hall is divided into two parts, with the front being the scripture hall and the back being the Buddha hall. The scripture hall has a width of seven rooms and a depth of four rooms. On both sides, there are statues of the pioneers of Tibetan Buddhism, known as the "Seven Preceptors". The temple is surrounded by thousands of Buddha murals, and there is a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha carved from a large stone in the temple, which is 3.9 meters high. It is said to have existed since the construction of the temple. On each side of the Buddha statue, there are 5 statues of Bodhisattvas and 1 statue of the Dharma Protector, which have been newly constructed in recent years.
On the middle floor, there is a Buddhist temple and the Dalai Lama's dormitory, which are Han Chinese scripture style buildings. There is a famous mural of "History of Xizang" on the corridor, which records the history from the ancient legend of the combination of the Luocha female and the god monkey to the ninth Dalai Lama's rule. Inside the hall, there are currently statues of Master Lotus Peanuts and copper statues of Shakyamuni Buddha and Infinite Light Buddha.
In the upper hall, there are double rows of circular columns, with the center dedicated to the Great Sun Buddha. On both sides, there are eight Bodhisattvas and many statues of joyful Buddhas, all shaped according to the appearance of Indians. The roof is Vajra throne style, with three eaves in the middle and single eaves at four corners, which is also Indian style.
In addition, there is a nine story exhibition hall in front of the east gate of the Wuce Hall. During the Tibetan Buddhist Festival, a huge embroidered statue of Shakyamuni Buddha is hung on the high wall. During the Cultural Revolution, the upper six floors of the hall were demolished, so only three floors remain.
On the south side of the east gate, there is a square pillar shaped stone tablet erected during the Chisong Dezan period, with an ancient style and no decorative patterns. This is the famous "Sangye Xingfo Zhengjian Stele", which is written in ancient Tibetan and contains the oath made by Chisong Dezan in 779 AD to support Sangye Temple. In the porch of the hall, there is also the big bell cast by Princess Chisong Dezan and Prince Chisong Dezan, which is the first bronze bell cast in Xizang. The bell body is engraved with Tibetan inscriptions, praising the deeds of Chisong Dezan in promoting Buddhism.
Outside the Wuce Hall, there is a temple symbolizing the four major continents. To the east lies Jiang Bailin, where the statue of Manjushri Bodhisattva is enshrined. To the west is Qiangbalin, where the statue of Maitreya Buddha is enshrined. To the south lies the Aya Bajin Forest, which houses the statue of the Infinite Light Buddha. To the north lies the Sangjie Forest, which originally housed the bronze statue of Shakyamuni, but now houses a thousand Buddha statues. Its murals mainly depict the Buddha's mother preaching scriptures.
The four corners of the Wuce Hall are adorned with red, green, black, and white towers, symbolizing the four great heavenly kings. The black tower is made of bricks, and its body is like three stacked pots. The Green Pagoda is built with green glazed bricks and has three floors. The lower two floors have niches on each side, and the top floor is a covered bowl style tower body. The body of the White Pagoda is square, and it shrinks layer by layer above the waist into a stepped shape. There are 108 small towers on the square walls around the base of the tower. The body of the Red Pagoda is earthy red and shiny, with a square and round shape that resembles a bell.
The wall of Sangye Temple is 1008 meters long and 4 meters high, with a red pottery pagoda every 1 meter on the wall, totaling 1008 Buddhist pagodas. A large gate is opened on each side of the wall, with the east gate serving as the main entrance. Inside the temple, there are also buildings such as the Qumulin Song (Three Concubines Palace), the palace of Empress Dowager Chisong Dezan, as well as scripture rooms, translation sites, warehouses, and monk houses. Not far from the wall, there is a circle of Ma Ni Lang Luo walls, and there is a turning passage between the two walls.
There are a large number of artworks such as clay sculptures, stone carvings, and murals collected in the Sangye Temple. On the walls of various halls, corridors, and corridors, there are murals and thangkas (Buddhist scroll paintings) everywhere, with themes mainly including Buddha statues, Bodhisattva statues, Buddhist stories, and panoramic views of the Sangye Temple. In addition, there are many historical records of Xizang, biographies of Lianhuasheng and paintings reflecting local customs and life of monks, which are rare in other temples.
Standing in the corridor of the Wuce Hall, we were surprised to witness a huge sandstorm created by nature! In the distance where heaven and earth met, a light yellow veil suddenly appeared and slowly attacked us. Everything between heaven and earth was enveloped by it, and soon we were also engulfed in the wind and sand
The sand mercilessly slapped my face, and I had no intention of visiting. I just wanted to get back in the car as soon as possible. Closing the car door, the sand crackled against the glass window, and the sky and earth turned yellow, completely a scene of the end. At this moment, I also want to shout "Sanye!" to express my amazement at magical things.
The sand on both sides of the road is blown away by the wind, and the sand piled up on the roadside looks ten centimeters thick. The driver who has been driving in Xizang for a long time also began to marvel that he had never seen such a big sandstorm before and was hit by us!
The visibility outside the car window was less than five meters, and we slowed down for over an hour before leaving the sandstorm area. The sandstorms along the way took away all our mental attention, to the point where we suddenly remembered Yongbulakang when we arrived in Lhasa.
This is undoubtedly another missed opportunity! Regretful feelings once again surged in my heart like a tide, and so many missed opportunities filled the entire return journey with boredom. The beautiful memories of playing in Linzhi were instantly erased, leaving only the dry valley and endless desolation in my heart