Gedan Sumtse Ling Monastery
cctv.com 12-17-2003 11:07
The largest ethnic group in Diqing is Tibetan. So You' will find white pagodas, colorful prayer flags dotting the landscape as almost all Tibetan people are Buddhists.
Although every aspect of daily life bears the religious marks, monastery is always the best place to experience firsthand how essential Buddhism is to Tibetan people.
Gedan Sumtse Ling Monastery, also known as Sumtseling si, is a typical Gelug sect, or yellow hat sect Tibetan monastery and the largest of its kind in Yunnan Province. Just five kilometers north of Shangri-La County town, the monastery was first built in 1679 and has since been rebuilt many times.
Occupying an area of 33 hectares, the place is dubbed the little Potala as the architectural style is a faithful imitation of the Potala palace in Lhasa, Tibet.
A five-story Tibetan-style building serves as the main hall in the monastery. The lower level is supported by 108 giant pillars, an auspicious number in Buddhism.
It can hold 1600 people for meditation or scripture chanting. The main hall is open to Visitors most time of the day. Here you can make offerings to Buddha and listen to lamas chanting scriptures.
The monastery is one of the 13 grand monasteries in the Tibetan areas that were constructed following an edict by the fifth Dalai and Emperor Kangxi centuries ago.
The monastery houses many treasures. The most famous are the eight gold-plated sculptures of Sukyamuni, fashioned between the time of the Fifth and Seventh Dalai Lamas. In the early Qing Dynasty, the rulers of Lijiang, presented the monastery with dozens of bronze sculptures, the "Ganzur" scriptures hand-written in liquid gold, and many exquisite silver incense burners.
On the front walls, you can find artful murals depicting classical Buddhist stories and doctrines.
The 16 colorful Thankas, hanging high in the hall are said to have been painted by renowned lamas with liquid gold given by the Fifth Dalai Lama.
Don't worry. These lamas are not fighting. It is a practice of Tibetan Buddhist education called scripture debating. The particular practice first appeared in 11th century. Supervised by seniors, the monks divide into small groups and take turns asking questions and debating various topics. They are required to speak out loud, and clap hands to emphasize their points.
Debating skills are highly valued as instruments to sharpen the mind as well as for preparing monks to answer questions from students in the future.
Tibetan Buddhists all believe that turning these praying wheels three times clockwise can bring them happiness, good fortune, and longevity. Guess the number of praying wheels here? 108!
Many grand religious activities are held at the monastery. It is said that on the fifth day of the first month in the Tibetan calendar, The ceremony of Welcoming Buddha will attract over 10,000 spectators.
There are three living buddhas in the monastery. To believers, they are the messengers of Buddha and command paramount power. Many Tibetans travel long way to bring their kids here for the blessings of the living Buddha.
The monks here are refreshingly natural and alive. They found our camera a novelty. Not only posing for us, one of them even got some hands-on experience. Pretty amazing for a beginner, don't you think?
The main hall is surrounded by the living quarters of the lamas. Currently Sumtse Ling Monastery houses about 700 lamas. Most of them are from Diqing and neighboring areas.
Editor:Han Ling Source:CCTV.com
