Uploads from reurinkjan, tagged tibetanethnicityབོད་རིགས།bodrigs

Labrang Tashikyil monastery overview in the morning, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:52:55 -0700

reurinkjan posted a photo:

Like to see the pictures as LARGE as your screen? Just click on this Slideshow : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157630983897338/s...

Labrang Tashikyil monastery is one of six great Gelukpa monasteries in Tibet and, although many small chapels have yet to be restored, it is amongst the handful anywhere in Tibet that survived the Cultural Revolution relatively intact. It was founded in 1709 by the First Jamyang Zhepa Ngawang Tsondru འཇམ་དབྱངས་བཞད་པ་ངག་དབང་བརྩོན་འགྲུས་ (1648-1721), who was revered as an emanation of Tsongkhapa`s teacher Umapa Pawo Dorje. Within the Gelukpa hierarchy, the incarnations of Jamyang Zhepa are superseded only by the Dalai and Panchen Lamas. During his studies in Lhasa, where he was a contemporary of Desi Sangye Gyatso, he received his title `Jamyang Zhepa`(laughing Manjughosa), when a statue of Manjughosa (Jamyang) laughed at his prostrations. Returning to his homeland, he then founded the most powerful monastery in Amdo, under the patronage of Chahan Tendzin Ponjunang, a prince of the Qosot Mongolians.At its high point Labrang Tashikyil monastery housed 4000 monks, and when the Fifth Jamyang Zhepa passed away in 1947 there were 300 geshes, 3000 monks and 50-100 incarnate lamas. The precent incubent, the Sixth Jamyang Zhepa, who lives in Lanzhou, presides over a much depleted monastery where there are barely more than 1000 monks.
www.footprinttravelguides.com/c/2848/tibet/&Action=pr...

Conch shell with engraved silver wings / horn instrument " dung ", Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:08:12 -0700

reurinkjan posted a photo:

Like to see the pictures as LARGE as your screen? Just click on this Slideshow : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157630983897338/s...

Young monk looking down at the Thanka unveiling ceremony.

Kumbum Jampa Ling is a very spiritual place for Tibetans…and very important. It is the birthplace (1357) of Tsongkhapa the founder of the Gelugpa yellow hat sect and also near the home of the current Dalai Lama and where he studied for several years. Today Kumbum has 4 monastic colleges and around 400 monks in residence…mostly students from the Amdo and Mongolian areas. There are about 30 temples and hundreds of small brick and mud houses for the monks and students. The holiest place is the birthplace of Tsongkapa which is covered by a gold roof monastery.
www.dharmatraveler.com/dharmatraveler/?p=372

Shaman Festival, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Sun, 19 May 2013 01:06:57 -0700

reurinkjan posted a photo:

Like to see the pictures as LARGE as your screen? Just click on this Slideshow : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157630983897338/s...

During the Shaman festival, the women performed first, carrying long khata scarves in their hands. Afterwards, the men came forward, dancing while beating drums. A few men climbed on to the roof of the entrance of the temple grounds and lit sang, or juniper branches, as an offering. Next, one man with a long braid emerged from the temple, shaking and spitting. As the oracle, he served as a medium for the mountain god. He emptied bottles of alcohol on the ground as an offering and other men stood around him, clearing his way. Then, two boys on stilts came out and danced while beating drums.
blog.snowliontours.com/2012/06/shaman-festival-in-rebkong...

Local man and boys take part in the Shaman Festival, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Sat, 18 May 2013 02:25:16 -0700

reurinkjan posted a photo:

Like to see the pictures as LARGE as your screen? Just click on this Slideshow : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157630983897338/s...

The Shaman Festival in Tongren (Repkong) is a large-scale sacrificial performance activity prevailing among the local Tibetan and the Tu villages in Repkong area, which is held annually between June 17th and 25th of the lunar calendar.
Shaman Festival is a grand and festive occasion for local people to show their devotion and gratitude to the Mountain God. The Tibetan and Tu ethnic minorities in Tongren County worship the Mountain God as the immortal who protects them. The belief is believed to date back to the ancient worship of totems in the pre-civilization era of this part of Tibet.

Enjoying the Shaman Festival, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Mon, 13 May 2013 21:08:30 -0700

reurinkjan posted a photo:

Headmasters of Sertri Gompa at Taktsang Lhamo, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Sun, 12 May 2013 00:08:27 -0700

reurinkjan posted a photo:

Like to see the pictures as LARGE as your screen? Just click on this Slideshow : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157630983897338/s...

The Monastery "Sertri Gompa" belonging to the Gelukpa order. It was founded in 1748 by the 53rd head priest (Ganden Tripa) of Ganden Monastery. Sertri means "Seat of Gold".
Sertri Gompa was totally devastated during the Cultural Revolution. In 1981 reconstruction began, so that this monastery now houses about 400 monks.
www.footprinttravelguides.com/asia/tibet/?Action=product&...

Tibetans call Nomads "Lord of Cattle", Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Fri, 10 May 2013 23:36:44 -0700

reurinkjan posted a photo:

Like to see the pictures as LARGE as your screen? Just click on this Slideshow : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157630983897338/s...

Photo: It was very quiet, only the yak was grunting.

Contrary to popular belief, yak and their manure have little to no detectable odor when maintained appropriately in pastures or paddocks with adequate access to forage and water. Yak wool is naturally odor resistant.

Yak physiology is well adapted to high altitudes, having larger lungs and heart than cattle found at lower altitudes, as well as greater capacity for transporting oxygen through their blood due to the persistence of foetal haemoglobin throughout life. Conversely, yaks do not thrive at lower altitudes, and begin to suffer from heat exhaustion above about 15 °C (59 °F). Further adaptations to the cold include a thick layer of subcutaneous fat, and an almost complete lack of functional sweat glands.
Yaks are highly friendly in nature and can easily be trained. There has been very little documented aggression from yaks towards human beings, although mothers can be extremely protective of their young and will bluff charge if they feel threatened.
Domesticated yaks are kept primarily for their milk, fiber and meat, and as beasts of burden. Their dried dung is an important fuel, used all over Tibet, and is often the only fuel available on the high treeless Tibetan plateau.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yak

The icon of the local mountain god at the Shaman festival, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Thu, 09 May 2013 01:37:32 -0700

reurinkjan posted a photo:

Like to see the pictures as LARGE as your screen? Just click on this Slideshow : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157630983897338/s...

In Tibetan-inhabited areas, people have long believed that deities live at the top of high mountains and there are many legends regarding them. In the eyes of the Tibetans, these mountain gods have their various special roles. Older people worship them and make offerings in the hope of living a long and healthy life, while young men hope they will become more handsome and girls more beautiful; herders pray for the possession of large numbers of cattle and sheep while farmers seek bumper harvests.
An old herder in North Tibet said: “Mountains god are worshiped because they can control the forces of nature such as wind, rain, snow and hail, can protect us and ensure our good health and ensure our livestock prosper; but, they can also cause disaster and so endanger us. But, mountain gods are easier to be enraged than any other deity. Don’t enrage them. Mountain gods always live in the mountains and high valleys in the image of hunters on a horse. It is easy to meet them face to face. If you offend them, you will get sick and even die.”
The early predecessors of the present Tibetan race thought that there were gods on each mountaintop who controlled the wind, rain, thunder, as well as the hunting, and harvesting.
Today, there are still some Tibetan taboos related to the moods of the mountain gods. For example, when people pass by high mountains, valleys, cliffs and original forests, they shouldn’t make much noise; if offended the mountain gods can cause violent storms with lightening, or even mountain torrents and avalanches.
In the period of Tsampo Zhigung of the Tubo Kingdom (ca AD200), the Bon religion was introduced from Zhangzhung, and the mountain gods that formed part of the original natural worship of the predecessors of the Tibetans expanded. From then on, the gods were said to control the order of nature, human birth and death, and even the spread or elimination of plague.
Tibetan people think that in the Tibetan-inhabited areas there are four great holy mountains: Yalhashangbo in U-Tsang areas, Nyangqentanglha in the north, Kulharigyi in the south and Wodegonggyi in the east.
2007.tibetmagazine.net/en/20056-p40.htm

Nomad at home, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Sun, 05 May 2013 21:02:02 -0700

reurinkjan posted a photo:

Like to see the pictures as LARGE as your screen? Just click on this Slideshow : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157630983897338/s...

Settling nomads
Government policy aims to settle more and more nomads. It says that this is aimed at improving the economic viability of animal husbandry and lessening the effects of natural disasters on the livelihood of Tibetan herdsmen.
This allows the government to manage the nomadic population as it gives them fixed addresses.The Chinese government is removing the nomads from their traditional grasslands, sometimes forcibly, to exercise more control over the Tibetan population.

Culture shock

For most nomads, the transition to a more urban lifestyle is difficult.
They are often settled in featureless blocks of housing by the side of roads or in newly created urban areas, and face the problem of creating an entirely new and sustainable livelihood.

Approximately 40% of the ethnic Tibetan population is nomadic or semi-nomadic.
www.humanrightshouse.org/Articles/11820.html

The Arrows Shop, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Sun, 05 May 2013 00:57:31 -0700

reurinkjan posted a photo:

Like to see the pictures as LARGE as your screen? Just click on this Slideshow : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157630983897338/s...

Latse (Tib: ལ་རྩེ་།/ la rtse) is a large bundle of weapons (fake rifles, swords, arrows and tree branches) that is positioned on a high place, usually mountain peaks. Once a latse is created, locals insert more arrows and tree branches to it annually, on the same day when it was first created. In doing so, according to local belief, the locals seek good luck and protection from natural disasters such as storms and floods. A latse is a seat of a mountain god or a local deity from whom people get assistance.
www.flickr.com/photos/8538663@N06/3873536379

From generation to generation the Tibetan tradition "lives on", Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Thu, 02 May 2013 20:48:46 -0700

reurinkjan posted a photo:

Like to see the pictures as LARGE as your screen? Just click on this Slideshow : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157630983897338/s...

Shaman Festival is a grand and festive occasion for local people to show their devotion and gratitude to the Mountain God.
Every summer, the Shaman Festival is held in Rebkong, Amdo. This important ceremony honors the local mountain god and requests that he bestows good health on the villagers and a successful harvest on the local community. All of the local villagers participate in the ceremony: women dance, men beat drums, boys perform dramas, and girls show off the traditional dress of the region. The festival is lively and colorful, with everyone dressed in colorful robes. The local mountain god is even invited to join the ceremony, and an oracle serves as his medium.

Offering tea to the horse at the Thanka unveiling ceremony, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:54:37 -0700

reurinkjan posted a photo:

Like to see the pictures as LARGE as your screen? Just click on this Slideshow : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157630983897338/s...

Special to take this picture are the monks and there rituals, the horse that gets offered tea and more over that astonished me is seen on the left corner of the photo the "fuchsia house plant".

Kumbum Jampa Ling is a very spiritual place for Tibetans…and very important. It is the birthplace (1357) of Tsongkhapa the founder of the Gelugpa yellow hat sect and also near the home of the current Dalai Lama and where he studied for several years. Today Kumbum has 4 monastic colleges and around 400 monks in residence…mostly students from the Amdo and Mongolian areas. There are about 30 temples and hundreds of small brick and mud houses for the monks and students. The holiest place is the birthplace of Tsongkapa which is covered by a gold roof monastery.
www.dharmatraveler.com/dharmatraveler/?p=372

Facing the shaman oracle, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 20:48:11 -0700

reurinkjan posted a photo:

Like to see the pictures as LARGE as your screen? Just click on this Slideshow : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157630983897338/s...

In the beginning of Shaman festival Tibetan people made offering to the locals gods. They climbed to the mountain above the village, performed ritual dances and lighted sang (natural incense made from juniper), throwing lungta (“wind horse”, colorful papers, which represent good luck and life force) to the air, loudly chanting mantras and prayers.
Shamans, or “Lhawa” in Tibetan, are average individuals whose bodies are inhabited by a god at specified times of year. Through the medium of the shaman, the god then advises local people on how to maintain safety and good fortune. Special shaman's festivals are held at which villagers gather to hear the advice of the shaman.
blog.snowliontours.com/2012/06/shaman-festival-in-rebkong...

He also is enjoying the Shaman Festival, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 21:03:41 -0700

reurinkjan posted a photo:

The Nyingma buddhist lesson, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 01:27:20 -0700

reurinkjan posted a photo:

Like to see the pictures as LARGE as your screen? Just click on this Slideshow : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157630983897338/s...

Photo: Child monk studying in the courtyard of the monastery Hor Gön Temchok Trashi Ling.

The Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism (the other three being the Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug). "Nyingma" literally means "ancient," and is often referred to as Nga'gyur (Tibetan: སྔ་འགྱུར།, Wylie: snga 'gyur, ZYPY: Nga'gyur, school of the ancient translations) or the "old school" because it is founded on the first translations of Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit into Tibetan, in the eighth century. The Tibetan script and grammar was actually created for this endeavour. In modern times, the Nyingma lineage has been centered in Kham in eastern Tibet.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyingmapa

Shaman Festival, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 21:03:47 -0700

reurinkjan posted a photo:

Shaman Festival, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 20:55:46 -0700

reurinkjan posted a photo:

Like to see the pictures as LARGE as your screen? Just click on this Slideshow : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157630983897338/s...

Every summer, the Shaman Festival is held in Rebkong, Amdo. This important ceremony honors the local mountain god and requests that he bestows good health on the villagers and a successful harvest on the local community. All of the local villagers participate in the ceremony: women dance, men beat drums, boys perform dramas, and girls show off the traditional dress of the region. The festival is lively and colorful, with everyone dressed in colorful robes. The local mountain god is even invited to join the ceremony, and an oracle serves as his medium.

Horn players at the Thanka unveiling, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 01:53:14 -0700

reurinkjan posted a photo:

Like to see the pictures as LARGE as your screen? Just click on this Slideshow : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157630983897338/s...

Tibetan reed shawm or oboe (Tib. rgya gling/ saying "gyaling" རྒྱ་གླིང༌). This shawm is made from a hardwood bore, such as teak or black rosewood. It is highly decorated with an eloborate, gilded copper, bel-shaped trumpet end, and a reed mouthpiece with a small resonator made of beaten metal. Its wooden bore has six or seven holes with an upper back-hole for the thumb, similar to the Western recorder. however, unlike the Western recorder or oboe, it is played with the hands reversed, the left hand fingering the lower notes and the right hand the upper.

The Tibetan oboe or gya gling derives from the north Indian shenai, which in turn is of Arabic origin. The gya gling has a variable pitched tuning, and is very difficult instrument to master. Like the long horns (dung chen) and the short horns (kang gling), the gya gling are always played in pairs.
www.shambhala.com/the-encyclopedia-of-tibetan-symbols-and...

Full body-length prostration, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 00:49:48 -0700

reurinkjan posted a photo:

Like to see the pictures as LARGE as your screen? Just click on this Slideshow : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157630983897338/s...

This is very hard to do, more so for this woman of age, normally she walks with stick who she drags on a rope behind her during the prostration.
The actual prostration is performed by dropping the body forward and stretching it full length on the floor, the arms outstretched in front.... Again, with hands in the lotus bud mudra, bend your arms back and touch your hands to the top of your head (forehead touching the ground), a gesture that acknowledges the blessing flowing from Guru Rinpoche. Then stretch your arms out once more and push yourself up.... Bring your hands into the lotus bud mudra for the third time and touch your heart in a gesture of reverence. Then, walk forward in body length, with a smooth motion, bring your hands to your crown and perform the next prostration...........
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostration_(Buddhism)

High above the monastery at the Latse, Tibet 2012

nobody@flickr.com (reurinkjan) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 23:54:23 -0700

reurinkjan posted a photo:

Like to see the pictures as LARGE as your screen? Just click on this Slideshow : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157630983897338/s...

In the beginning of Shaman festival Tibetan people made offering to the locals gods. They climbed to the mountain above the village, performed ritual dances and lighted sang (natural incense made from juniper), throwing lungta (“wind horse”, colorful papers, which represent good luck and life force) to the air, loudly chanting mantras and prayers.

Shamans, or “Lhawa” in Tibetan, are average individuals whose bodies are inhabited by a god at specified times of year. Through the medium of the shaman, the god then advises local people on how to maintain safety and good fortune. Special shaman's festivals are held at which villagers gather to hear the advice of the shaman.