Pilgrimage route
The car was traveling on the road to the Songzanlin Scenic Area.
Along the way, many vehicles were the same as theirs, all starting from Dukezong Ancient Town and heading towards Ganden Sumtseling along the South Ring Road.
The car wasn't going very fast, but the scenery outside the window flashed by so quickly that Sang Qi didn't have time to focus and see it clearly.
“Are there any things I should be aware of when visiting Songzanlin Monastery? I’ve heard that Tibetan Buddhist temples have certain rules, otherwise it’s considered disrespectful,” Sangqi asked.
Lu Min glanced back at him gently: "You're dressed very appropriately today."
"..."
"However, there is one thing you should know: you cannot take photos casually inside the temple, and you cannot browse counterclockwise."
Sang Qi silently made a note of it.
"By the way, how long are we going to stay at the Songzanlin Scenic Area?" Sang Qi asked again.
Lu Min calculated the time: "It should take about two or three hours to visit the entire Songzanlin area. We can get back to Dukezong around two or three in the afternoon. If you're tired, you can go back and rest in the afternoon."
"Oh, okay." Sang Qi nodded. "What time are you leaving tonight?"
Lu Min turned on his turn signal, then accelerated to overtake the car in front: "I'll leave after dinner."
"Oh, okay," Sang Qi replied.
"I'll be gone for about two days. During these two days, you can wander around the old town by yourself. If you need anything, just ask Zaxi. He'll help you. He's a really nice guy," Lu Min instructed her.
"OK."
"Also, I'll refund you for two days after this trip."
Upon hearing this, Sang Qi asked in surprise, "Why?"
"I was originally supposed to be your team leader, but I had to leave due to unforeseen circumstances and am now unemployed, so of course I have to refund your money."
Sang Qi said nonchalantly, "I don't need the money for these two days."
"Are you very rich?" Lu Min joked.
"I have no money, but I'm not short of money."
These words left Lu Min speechless.
The statement "I have no money, but I'm not short of money" sounds reasonable, but something seems off.
Finally, Lu Min chuckled and said, "People who can afford to study in Northern Europe are probably not from extremely wealthy families, but they also can't be poor."
Sang Qi raised an eyebrow and said in surprise, "Oh, you don't even know where Switzerland is, so how do you know that studying in Northern Europe is expensive?"
Do you think I don't know how to use the internet?
"You checked?"
Lu Min chuckled: "I even looked up your University of Zurich."
“Oh,” Sang Qi replied indifferently.
"You're a top student! Einstein was your classmate!"
"..."
…………
After entering the Songzanlin Scenic Area, the vehicles parked in the designated parking lot. Since we arrived early, there were plenty of parking spaces available.
Stepping off the bus, the first thing that catches the eye is a vast and desolate lake. Autumn-yellowed wild grasses grow freely along the lakeshore, making the lake even more beautiful.
Countless five-colored prayer flags lined the lakeside, dividing the vast, azure sky. The low-hanging flags fluttered in the wind, making a rustling sound.
This lake is called Lhamoyangtso Lake, which faces the towering Songzanlin Monastery. The monastery is reflected in the mirror-like water, making it a breathtaking sight.
Seeing the reflection in the water, Sangqi turned around and saw a Tibetan-style watchtower building with distinct colors. From a distance, it looked like a mysterious and sacred ancient castle.
Songzanlin Monastery is the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple complex in Yunnan Province and is known as the "Little Potala Palace".
It stands at the edge of a vast grassland, nestled among the mountains. At its highest point, the roof is covered with gilded copper tiles, and the temple gleams brilliantly in the highland sun.
Lu Min looked at the Songzanlin Monastery standing in the distance and said, "How would you like to explore? There are several scenic areas around the monastery and another one around Lake Lhamoyangcuo, but they are quite scattered. Which one would you like to visit first?"
“Let’s go to the temple, and then we can go to the lake on the way out.” Sangqi faced the direction of the Tibetan temple.
"good."
After responding, Lu Min continued to lead the way as always.
On the way to Songzanlin Monastery, Lu Min introduced the ancient Tibetan monastery to Sang Qi.
The Zhacang Great Hall and Jikang are the two main temples of the temple complex. Located at the highest point of the entire complex, they occupy the very center of the temple and are majestic, sacred, and solemn.
This large temple faces south and is a typical Tibetan-style tower building, five stories high.
Upon arriving at the temple, Sang Qi couldn't help but look up at the temple roof and the sky. Crows with outstretched wings sometimes soared under the blue sky, and sometimes circled above the gilded roof of the temple.
She thought of her deceased mother.
I still remember my mother holding my hand on her deathbed, saying that she met Sangqi's father at Songzanlin Monastery in Shangri-La.
Her mother described the scene that day to her, saying how blue the sky was and how bright the sunshine was. She described it vividly. Sang Qi cried and then laughed. She said that she would go with her mother again when she recovered.
This was also her mother's last wish in life. Her mother wanted to visit Songzanlin Monastery again, but unfortunately, she no longer had the opportunity.
Now that his mother has passed away, Sangqi, standing at the foot of Songzanlin Monastery, can be considered to have fulfilled his mother's last wish.
At that moment, crows overhead cawed hoarsely as they flew over the golden roof and headed deeper into the temple.
Sang Qi withdrew his gaze and walked calmly toward the main hall.
Upon entering the main hall, one is greeted by gilded copper tiles on the upper level and eaves adorned with animal-shaped ornaments at the corners, making it as exquisite as a timeless work of art.
Tourists watched and exclaimed in admiration.
Lu Min discovered that during the journey from Lijiang to Shangri-La, Songzanlin Monastery was the only attraction that Sangqi truly appreciated and explored. The others felt like mere checklist visits, something to be done once you've been there.
This aroused Lu Min's curiosity.
After visiting the main hall, Lu Min led Sang Qi into the secondary hall. The tourists accompanying them into the secondary hall were accompanied by a professional guide.
Lu Min glanced at it, then said to Sang Qi with a smile, "How about I explain it to you?"
Sang Qi glanced at him sideways: "You understand?"
"As the team leader, of course I have to do my homework."
“Okay.” Sang Qi nodded. “Go ahead, I’m listening.”
Lu Min raised his chin: "Look, the front altar houses a bronze statue of the Fifth Dalai Lama, and behind it are the stupas containing the remains of famous eminent monks..."
Sang Qi listened attentively to Lu Min's explanation and introduction, and spoke eloquently and professionally.
I originally thought Lu Min was an unreliable rogue and rough man, but I didn't expect that he had a different side that people could discover.
As I stepped out of the temple, a biting wind swept over me, its sound echoing in my ears, and the hanging prayer flags fluttered in the wind.
Sang Qi walked to the steps and sat down on the ground, his gaze fixed on the crows circling low in the distance.
"Tired?" Lu Min sat down next to her.
“No, I just wanted to sit for a while,” Sang Qi replied.
“This place must be related to someone very important to you,” Lu Min suddenly said.
Sang Qi looked at Lu Min, somewhat surprised: "You guessed right."
He just smiled.
Sure enough, Lu Min has many facets that she can explore.
"Alright, let's go to Lake Lhamoyangtso." Sangqi stood up and patted the dust off his backside.
After leaving the Tibetan monastery scenic area, the two walked around the sacred lake Lhamo Yangtso, which can be considered as circumambulating the lake.
In Tibet, faith and pilgrimage drive devout believers and travelers to travel thousands of miles around the mountains.
This pilgrimage around the mountain is too much of a test of willpower; Sang Qi thinks that circling the sacred lake is much easier.
There is a white stupa beside Lake Lhamo Yangtso. When Sangqi reached the foot of the stupa, he stopped.
In fact, white stupas can be seen everywhere in Tibet. The tops of the stupas are tied with prayer flags of varying ages, which flutter in the wind and make a dull sound as they move.
"What's wrong?" Lu Min turned to look at Sang Qi.
Sang Qi stood with her palms together, facing the white pagoda, as if in prayer. Lu Min stood not far away, squinting at her.
She prayed before the white pagoda, informing her deceased mother that she had set foot on this sacred land, thus fulfilling her mother's last wish.
After a long while, Sang Qi finished praying and jogged towards Lu Min, saying, "Let's go."
Lu Min gave Sang Qi a deep look but didn't say anything. He felt that Sang Qi was a woman with a story hidden in her heart.
Actually, that's not much of a story; it's just her parents' past.
Leaving the white pagoda and continuing to walk around the lake, we soon arrived at the sky burial platform.
Besides crows flying overhead, two vultures could be vaguely seen circling above the sky burial platform, their cries echoing through the air from time to time.
Do you know about sky burial?
Sang Qi paused for a moment and said, "I've heard of it, but I don't know the specifics."
Lu Min stared at the vultures circling in the sky and said, "Did you see the vultures flying in the sky?"
Sang Qi looked up: "I saw it."
"They come here specifically to eat corpses."
Sang Qi was taken aback, turned her gaze from the sky to Lu Min.
"Sky burial is the highest form of funeral in Tibetan areas. Not everyone can receive sky burial after death; only those who have not done anything wrong in their lifetime are eligible for it."
Lu Min gazed at the sky burial platform and continued, "After a person dies, the body is given a ritual of deliverance. Then, the naked body, wrapped in a white cloth, is transported to the sky burial platform. The sky burial master will then separate the flesh and bones, smash the skull, and after the decomposition is complete, the covering cloth is removed..."
At this point, Lu Min looked at Sang Qi and smiled, "At this time, the vultures circling overhead and eyeing the corpse will swarm up to devour it, and soon the bones will be gone."
Upon hearing this, Sang Qi's expression changed slightly: "Since sky burial is the highest form of funeral ceremony, why should the body be torn apart and devoured by vultures, such ferocious large birds of prey?"
“Tibetans regard vultures as auspicious and sacred birds. The reason they practice sky burial is that they hope to use vultures to carry the souls of the deceased to heaven, thus helping them to be reborn in a better realm in this unique way,” Lu Min explained.
After hearing Lu Min's words, Sang Qi couldn't help but ponder them silently.
When receiving traditional education, most people are influenced by Confucian culture.
The saying goes, "If you don't know about life, how can you know about death?"
When people are alive, they should be thinking about how to conduct themselves and handle affairs; there's no time to study whether or not they are dead.
Therefore, most people hold the idea of "leaving aside matters outside the six directions," and are quite reluctant to discuss death, often avoiding the topic altogether.
However, in Tibetan Buddhism, death is the starting point, and death is used to tell people how they should live.
Tibetan Buddhism often talks about life and death, and the cycle of reincarnation. It is said that life is the beginning of death, and death is the beginning of life. It is about seeing life and death clearly and taking it in stride, because life and death are just a cycle of reincarnation.
Thinking of this, Sang Qi suddenly thought of his deceased mother.
When her mother passed away, Sang Qi suffered an emotional breakdown and fell into depression, relying on medication to maintain her emotional stability every day.
At that time, she couldn't see through life and death, and always felt that her mother's departure had taken away all the joy and hope in her life.
Only now, standing beneath the sky burial platform, has she truly understood the meaning of life and death.
Just like the core of sky burial, it is about the immortality of the soul and the cycle of reincarnation. Death is merely the separation of the immortal soul from the old body, a different transformation in another dimension.
Perhaps, her mother's departure was, in a way, a completely new beginning.
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