I returned to Lhasa again, and the seven day journey to Alibaba came to an end at the moment I stepped out of the car door. Xiao Li, Xiao Wang, Ye, and I have become familiar with each other after spending these seven days together. The four of us booked tickets together to leave Lhasa on the same day, so we no longer have to worry about who will leave first and who will leave later
Before leaving, I still have an important place to go, which is the Jokhang Temple. So I came to the Jokhang Temple Square again, but I can't remember how many times it was. I stood alone in the square in front of the Jokhang Temple, as usual, watching the worshippers worship and the incense burning
This time, I caught up with the new preferential tourism policy issued by the Xizang government, which allows me to enter the Jokhang Temple free of tickets and directly through the tourist channel without queuing up like Tibetans outside. Looking at the long dragon like Tibetans outside the door, I felt a bit ashamed and embarrassed, as if I had received nothing, but I still shamelessly rushed in. I invited a tour guide from the Jokhang Temple to begin my tour of this holy site.
The Jokhang Temple was first built during the heyday of the Tibetan Dynasty in the 7th century. It is said that the purpose of its construction was to enshrine a statue of Mingjiu Duoji Buddha, also known as the eight year old statue of Shakyamuni. The statue was reportedly brought from his hometown by Nepalese Princess Chizun, who was married by the Tibetan Zanpu Songtsen Gampo at that time.
According to the mural at the entrance of the main hall passage of Jokhang Temple, the location of the temple was originally a lake. With the efforts of Songtsen Gampo, people and goats worked together to fill it in and build it into a temple. In Tibetan, "goat" is called "Ra" and "soil" is called "Sa". In order to commemorate the achievements of the white goat, the Buddhist temple was originally named "Ra Sa" and later changed to "Zu La Kang" (scripture hall), also known as "Jue Kang" (Buddhist hall), and its full name is "Ra Sa Gaxi Chi Nang Zu La Kang", which means it was built by goats carrying soil. The name "Dazhao" is said to be related to the "Chuanzhao Dharma Society" that began in the 15th century.
There is a saying in Tibet that "there was Jokhang Temple first, and then Lhasa City". Jokhang Temple holds a central position in Lhasa City, not only in terms of geographical location, but also in terms of social life. The reason why Lhasa is known as a "holy land" is because the Jokhang Temple houses the statue of Shakyamuni Buddha. The Jokhang Temple was originally called RASA (also known as "Lhasa"), and later "Lhasa" became the name of this city and evolved into what is now known as "Lhasa". After the completion of the Jokhang Temple, it underwent multiple modifications and expansions during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, forming its current scale.
It is worth mentioning that the twelve year old statue of Shakyamuni brought by Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty is now enshrined in the Jokhang Temple, while the eight year old statue was transferred to be enshrined in the Jokhang Temple in the eighth century. According to the records in Tibetan books, Princess Wencheng left the statue of Jueya Buddha (a twelve year old statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, a twelve year old statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, and a statue of Jueya Shakyamuni Buddha) in Raomuqi (hot cut, provocative cut) in order to suppress the "gate of evil". Then, she built the Xiaozhao Temple (hot cut temple, provocative cut temple) in Raomuqi.
Turning clockwise from left to right, the first small hall houses Zong Kaba and his eight disciples, all of whom have made great contributions to promoting the Yellow Sect. The First Dalai Lama and the First Panchen Lama are both among the Eight Great Disciples. Among the six major temples of Huangjiao, Gandan Temple was built by Zongkhaba himself, while Zhebang Temple, Sera Temple, and Zhashilunbu Temple were all built by his disciples.
At the corner of the west and north walls stands a white pagoda, which is said to have appeared from Wotang Lake before the construction of the Jokhang Temple. The first small hall on the south side sits the Medicine Buddha, one of the Eight Great Masters of the Eastern Pure Glass World. Adjacent to the small hall, there is a statue of Milarepa, one of the founders of the White Cult, with his hands on his ear. The small hall houses the Third Buddha. The second hall that turns around is the Guanyin Hall. The way the locals offer sacrifices to the Buddha is very devout, and in the temple, they often encounter some local families painting gold powder on the face of Guanyin Bodhisattva. On the right side of this hall, there are statues of Songtsen Gampo, Chizun, and Princess Wencheng.
In the minds of the Tibetan people, Songtsen Gampo and Princess Wencheng are kings and queens transformed by Bodhisattvas to educate the Tibetan people. The two princesses had a dignified demeanor, and the typical Tang Dynasty woman with a high bun in the front was Princess Wencheng. At the bend between the south wall and the east wall, there are masters from Zongkhapa and other sects. The first Buddhist temple on the east wall is the Infinite Light Buddha.
Turning to the corner of the hall is a mural depicting a celebration organized by Songtsen Gampo and Princess in the 7th century, aimed at the opening ceremony of the completion of the Jokhang Temple. In fact, it depicts a scene of a traditional 7th century sports meeting. Including wrestling, yak dance, mask dance, archery, and so on. The mountain on the left side of the mural is Yaowang Mountain. On top of the mural is the original Tibetan Medical College, and the white pagoda on top is the Buddhist pagoda on the square side in front of the Potala Palace, which used to be the west gate of Lhasa City. On the right side of the mural is the Potala Palace, which was originally built by Songtsen Gampo with only two main buildings. There are a total of 380 prayer wheels surrounding the main hall, one next to the other. Pushing the prayer wheel while walking is a necessary task for many devout believers.
Near the main entrance of Jokhang Temple, you can enter a wide open-air courtyard in a clockwise direction. This was once the venue for the grand Lhasa prayer ceremony, the Merangqinmo. At that time, tens of thousands of monks from the three major temples in Lhasa will gather here, praying together for the happiness of all beings and social stability. At the same time, activities such as debating scriptures, exorcising ghosts, and welcoming Maitreya Buddhas will also be held. The "Merangqinmo" began in 1409 AD and was ultimately built by Master Tsongkhapa to commemorate Shakyamuni's great defeat of the six external sects through the method of divine transformation. He gathered monks from various temples and sects to hold a blessing ceremony in Jokhang Temple during the first month of the Tibetan calendar. The walls of the colonnades and corridors around the courtyard, as well as the murals on the walls of the winding corridors, are known as the Thousand Buddha Corridor due to their full depiction of statues of the Thousand Buddhas. The murals of the entire Jokhang Temple cover over 4400 square meters.
Coming out of the courtyard and reaching the ticket office at the side door, there is a staircase next to it that leads directly to the platforms on the second and third floors. The second floor is only open in the morning, and the Dharma King Hall of Songtsen Gampo is located in the southwest corner of the second floor. Inside, statues of Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo, Princess Wencheng, Nepalese Chizun Princess, and Minister Ludongzan are enshrined, all of which belong to early works. Between the second and third floors, there is the Bodhisattva Temple of Bandanlam, which is the protector goddess of Jokhang Temple and the entire city of Lhasa. There is a ladder at the northeast corner of the courtyard on the second floor, leading to the small door on the third floor. This is the entrance to climb the golden roof. The third floor of the main hall is not usually open to the public, and monks will meditate and practice here. The four huge golden roofs on the top floor were built in the mid-14th century and the 17th century, respectively.
Continuing to turn right, passing through the Yaksha Hall and Dragon King Hall on both sides, behind hundreds of lit butter lamps is the famous "Juekang" Buddha Temple. It is not only the main body of Jokhang Temple, but also the essence of Jokhang Temple. The Buddhist temple is in a closed courtyard style, with four floors high and a large scripture hall in the center. Tibetan Buddhist believers believe that Lhasa is the center of the world, and the core of the universe is here. This is the place where the monks of Jokhang Temple recite scriptures and practice Buddhism. From the Great Sutra Hall, you can see from a distance the exquisitely shaped statue of Guanyin with a thousand hands and a thousand eyes. There are also two Buddha statues on both sides, with the lotus flower on the left and the statue of Qiangba Buddha on the right. The Great Sutra Hall is surrounded by small Buddhist halls, except for the Shakyamuni Buddha Hall located in the center, which has a small opening but simple layout. Shakyamuni Buddha Hall is the core of Jokhang Temple, which is the ultimate destination for pilgrims. The statue of Shakyamuni enshrined in this hall is a Buddha statue brought by Princess Wencheng.
Walk around the "Juekang" Buddha Hall along the Thousand Buddhas Corridor and complete the "outline" to be considered complete. The main Buddhist scripture conversion activities in Lhasa are centered around the Shakyamuni Buddha of Jokhang Temple. Apart from the "inner circle", there is the "middle circle" around Jokhang Temple, also known as the "Eight Outlets", which is the ancient and bustling commercial street - Bajiao Street. Surrounding Dazhao Temple, Yaowang Mountain, Potala Palace, and Xiaozhao Temple is the "outer circle", also known as the "forest outline", which has already surrounded most of Lhasa City.
In Lhasa, Tibetans like to refer to the area around Bajiao Street, which is mainly composed of the Jokhang Temple, as "Lhasa". In Tibetan, it means "Buddha's Land". Here, worshippers can be seen everywhere kowtowing their heads at the entrance of the Jokhang Temple, and the scene is touching, demonstrating the high status of the Jokhang Temple in the hearts of Lhasa. So, in the hearts of Tibetans, the only place that can be called "Lhasa" is Jokhang Temple, not Lhasa City and Potala Palace.
After leaving Jokhang Temple, my trip to Xizang has officially ended!
Looking back on the journey in Xizang for more than 20 days, I am filled with emotion. There are too many indescribable excitement and happiness, as well as many regrets and reluctance. In the past twenty days, I have met all kinds of people and developed various emotions, which have deeply imprinted in my heart. Especially in the Alibaba region, it has had a profound impact on me, but I have only experienced the tip of its iceberg. This regret constantly drives me to come back here again in the future
Before leaving, I specially invited Xiao Li, Xiao Wang, and Ye to have a delicious grilled fish together. At the dinner table, everyone talked about their experiences and feelings in Xizang during this period.
Xiao Li sighed that he was fascinated by the magnificent natural scenery in Xizang. Whether it's towering snow capped mountains or vast grasslands. Xiao Wang, on the other hand, had a more profound reflection on the tremendous impact brought to him by the local religious culture. Ye is more fond of Xizang's folk customs. Those unique dances, music and traditional costumes all show the profound cultural heritage of this land, which makes her reluctant to part with it. And I, attracted by the mysterious charm contained in this land, hope to one day live on this magical land.
Although we are about to leave, we all know that Xizang has left deep marks in our hearts. The beauty, culture, and people here will always accompany us and become precious treasures in our lives.
I stepped onto the train home and gazed through the window at this newly familiar land for a long time. My heart was filled with nostalgia, as if I was about to run away from home again. Even with countless reluctance, I can only reluctantly let go and accept the farewell that must be faced. I waved my hand and whispered, "Goodbye, Xizang in the sky!"