Travelin Tibet
Crusty monks and mean dogs
Gyantze Fort
The fort is what you first see of Gyantze (Gyangse, Gyangze or Gyantse)
- rising sandy colored and ominous above the town. For a few hours it withstood
the British in 1903. I was less successful in penetrating its' secrets, foiled
by a small Tibetan lady who calmly spun her wool with a hanging top
like thing and had no interest in letting me in. It may have been after hours,
maybe not. Gyangze was like that.
Gyantse Gompa
The monastery (Gompa) was at the end
of town, the chapel on a direct line with the main gate. The Chinese try
to avoid straight lines when they build; the Tibetans prize them. Its' about
energy flow. The cultural revolution, a frantic attempt to erase the past
throughout China and Tibet, caused the destruction of much of the monastery
here. What remains, though, is the most important: the central hall with
its' chapel, an unusual large square chorten called the Kumbum, and sleeping quarters for the
few remaining monks.
The chapel here was my first link with old
Tibet. It was dark, a little mysterious, with butter lamps everywhere. The
patina of butter smoke over the centuries colored the many statues. What struck me most was the air: thick with the energy, the crackling
power that is Tibet. Devotion can mellow a place, a steady stream of pious
people seeking contact with Divinity can soften the space, bringing a peaceful
quiet. This chapel had something else: the fire to devotion's water. Tantra.
Bodhisattvas from Yemar, similar to Gyantze Chapel
A chorten (or stupa) is a dome shaped structure
usually built to house sacred relics. Many are round, some say the shape
comes from the bud of the lotus flower. Gyantze's chorten is a pyramid - square at the bottom, round at the top. There are nine
levels of statues and passages, it is all so complex it would take a month to map it.
Above the only door on the bottom level lived a fierce Tibetan
dog. The Tibetans believe the many temple dogs are reincarnated old monks
who have returned to their beloved monastery, many of them ornery and more than a
little dangerous. The human monk in charge of the place was pretty ornery
himself. He had the keys to the higher levels of the chorten and a reputation
of permitting only those with the proper bribe to ascend. That bribe was pictures
of the Dalai Lama, which have been forbidden by the Chinese. Dalai Lama photos are the thing nearly all Tibetans
want from foreigners, an eloquent plea for independence.
the Gyangze Kumbum
With the help of a small boy who somehow had
a key, I explored the first five floors of this maze. What relics it holds
I couldn't guess, it certainly had a lot of small rooms filled with statues.
Interesting. More interesting was the question of getting out past - or I
should say under - the dog who was now growling and barking, not at all pleased
that I had slipped in without his notice and determined to make up the oversight.
The cranky old monk just sat there polishing his butter lamps, not about
to make a move to help me.
Of course, the dog didn't hurt me and later
I realized that that monk had probably been the one who prevented
the mobs from destroying the chorten and chapel. Maybe I should have given
him a Dalai Lama picture.
Later another old monk talked long and emotionally
to me about the dismal state the monastery had fallen into. I couldn't understand
a word he said but his meaning was crystal clear.
Gyantze and the Kumbum from the back
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Lhasa