Volume 4, Issue 4, May 2006 THE TIBET ISSUE Trekking in and Around Lhasa From Lhasa to Everest Base Camp The Tibetan Kama Sutra & Tantric Sex Positions The Tibetan Book of the Dead Tibetan Film & Music Reviews
May
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Hi, I’m Lucy Lu and welcome to the May issue of ChinaExpat.com – and in this issue we feature Lhasa and some Tibetan trekking and culture ! For the adventurous there is a piece on getting to the Everest base camp, and for the Buddhists amongst you a review of the classic “Book of the Dead” – plus a couple of films and music reviews. We also feature an extensive piece on Lhasa itself as it’s pretty much the starting point for many Tibetan adventures and there is a lot to see there.
We also follow up on the rock singer Stings much publicized Tantric sex practices and bring you a piece on Tibetan Tantric sex positions, descriptions, and the history of the Buddhist Kama Sutra.
Enjoy this issue and see you next month !
Best wishes
Lucy
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All materials © 2006 China Briefing Media Ltd. ChinaExpat is a brand registered with and belonging to China Briefing Media Ltd. All rights reserved. No reproduction, copying or translating of materials without prior permission of the editor. Contact : [email protected] China Briefing Media Ltd : 12/f, VIP Commercial Centre, 120 Canton Road, Tsimshatsui, Hong Kong. Lhasa
– By Chris Devonshire-Ellis
hasa has long been well known as a sort of mystical Shangri-La sited “on Lthe top of the world” but only now is beginning to develop into userfriendly business and commerce. LHASAIt is worth mentioning that it is not like anywhere else in China and certain precautions need to be taken, even for the fit and healthy - altitude is a problem when visiting here - during the summer oxygen content this high is 75% of that at sea level and in the winter just 50%, so beware of Tibetan Jazz Altitude Mountain Sickness (AMS) - it will affect you. AMS basically has to be put up with for the first three days - do not drink any alcohol, have plenty of water to hydrate, be aware you will be short of breath and have a few sleepless nights. Take some panadol with you - headaches are common for the first few days. Take it easy, and do not rush about. This makes it an ideal time to visit the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and wander around the Barkhor market - relax, and take it easy. After three days your body will have adapted and you will be Fine. Hotels? For business, we recommend the Lhasa Hotel (previously the Holiday Inn; tel 0891 6832221, email: [email protected]), which is expensive but has all the facilities you need. Otherwise the Yak Hotel (0891 6323687) is better located in the Tibetan quarter near to the Potala Palace, the Barkhor Market and a variety of ethnic shops and bars. Smaller and cheaper hotels and guest houses of the backpacking variety are also located here. For bars and cafe’s, Lhasa is slowly starting to develop, internet cafes are appearing and are relatively cheap. The Dunya Restaurant next to theYak Hotel has an excellent selection of food and beer (Tibetan Barley “Qingke’” beer is superb), as does the “Chang Lha Metok” Bar just across the street, which also houses an art gallery and tattoo parlour, we can also recommend the “Tibet Traveller” bar - turn right out of the Yak Hotel, first left and it is 100 yards on the right - other bars in the vicinity also offer internet access, beer, western and Stupa Wall near the Potala Palace local snacks as well as a variety of travelers reading material and souvenirs.
THE RAILWAY ON THE ROOF OF THE WORLD Additionally, the 1,956km, RMB26bn Qinghai-Tibet railway the world’s highest and longest plateau railroad and also the first railway connecting the Tibet Autonomous Region with other parts of China begins scheduled passenger Eco-Tourism opportunities are vast in this enigmatic country services on 1 July 2006. There will be daily services from Beijing (taking 48 hours), Chengdu and Xining and departures every other day from Shanghai and Guangzhou. Tickets for the first trains are already sold out, according to officials from the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Company. Some 960km of track are located 4,000m above sea level, and the highest point is 5,072m, at least 200m higher than the Peruvian railway in the Andes, formerly the world’s highest altitude railway. The line runs across the frozen tundras of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, and links Golmud in Qinghai with Lhasa, capital of the Tibet AR. The railway s engineers faced many challenges, not least as the line runs through an area where the earth, although frozen, is unstable owing to strong sunshine and a high ground temperature. The tracks were laid on a so-called slab-stone railbed , invented by an engineer working on the project - the one metre thick slab-stone layer keeps the rails a safe distance from the frozen earth. The railway carriages will have two oxygen-enrichment systems on trains to combat the effects of altitude sickness. The oxygen level in the carriages will be about 85% of that in low-lying plain areas, and oxygen masks will also be installed near seats for passengers in case they are affected by the high altitude. The railway is expected to bring an additional 800,000 visitors annually to Tibet, and is expected to be further extended from Lhasa to Xigaze City in the southwestern part of the region by 2010. Freight trains are already running on the line, which will open up new business opportunities for Tibet, too, allowing the import and export of more goods. We will cover this journey in a future issue of China Expat. CE CHINA EXPAT | Volume 4, Issue 4, May 2006 3 Tibetan Buddhist Kama Sutra and Tantric Sex
– Achieving spiritual orgasm though Meditation – By Chris Devonshire-Ellis Tibetanantra, by that name,Buddhist derives from Vedic/HinduKama Sutra and Tantricdrawing representations Sex of Treligions, and was most common in Northern India, the shakti. Over the years although it became mixed together with Southern Indian she was drawn smaller and local religions such as the worship of Kali. A strange smaller, however. In the offshoot of it - is in the Tibetan mixed-religion sometimes Vedic (Hindu) Tantra sects, called Tibetan Buddhism, but also referred to as Tibetan the shakti is represented Lamaism. by a woman of normal size, or perhaps a little smaller-than-average. In the Tibetan In ancient times, Tibet had a native local god/goddess tankas, the shakti is smaller-than-average on down to religion, parallel to the Indian local/regional god/goddess little more than doll-size. She is always there, though, systems. Around the time of the Aryan invasion of India, in the Bodhisatva's lap. Asking about this from a Pokara Aryans consolidated the triple-god concept (Brahma, Monk, China Expat was told: "Well, without his shakti, Vishnu, Shiva) by absorbing the various Dravidian local the Bodhisatva would not be enlightened." So they are goddesses as "shaktis" (originally the word meant "power" acknowledging this ancient tantric (for lack of a more but it came to imply "female consort") for their triad. universal word) union as a prerequisite for what they now Meanwhile, the Tibetans were left on their own, hence (being nominally Buddhists) call "enlightenment." their "Lamaism" does not resemble classic Hinduism. Tibetan Buddhists, who are, more properly speaking, Buddhism then swept in and the Tibetans really took practicing a Buddhist veneer over their native nature-sex to it in a big way, but rather like the parallel example religion, have come up with ways of allowing the Buddhist of the Mayans in Mexico adopting the Catholic religion search for "nothingness" and the "absense of desire" to but warping it to fit their own local religions (viz. The meld with their earlier sex-worship religion. Virgin of Guadelupe) - the Tibetans never abandoned their ancient god/goddess pairings, so suddenly you The way it used to work (pre-Chinese Communist have these big Buddhist tankas (religious paintings) invasion, of course) was that they would take young male showing the 108 Bodhisatvas (108 is a sacred number for candidates for the monastery at about the age of 17 and mathematical reasons in many cultures, most notably give them a good two years training in Tantric sex with a Asia, while Bodhisatvas are nearly enlightened monks female teacher (generally a woman in her 30s or 40s, who who could achieve nirvana ("nothingness") but choose taught many men - nice work if you can get it) and then as good Samaritans to reincarnate and help other souls they gradually weaned them from actual physical sex into evolve to the point of nirvanahood) -- and each of these spiritual sex, so that they could experience the same sort 108 Bodhisatvas is shown with a naked woman, his shakti, of sexual-spiritual bliss through imaginative meditation. in his lap having sex with him… In accounts written by travellers to Tibet during the 19th The 108 Tibetan shaktis are the remnants of local and early 20th century, it was said that these young goddesses, and they still bear the mnemonic attributes men were treated as hermits, made to dwell in isolated (colour, sacred objects they hold, mudras (gestures) they caves, their food brought to them twice a day, and the are making with their hands, accompanying animals or sexual teacher coming to them at intervals. They were to flowers, etc.) of their former status. meditate upon sexual union with her while she was away, and eventually they achieved a state of protracted sexual Now, just as the Catholic church took "The Song of union bliss in the absence of any physical entity. In short, Solomon" from the Bible and said, "This is not about having they were aiming to become Bodhisatvas themselves, with sex with a woman, folks, this is about the Church's longing their shakti reduced from a real woman to a kind of holy for Jesus," so did the Tibetan Buddhists explain away the spirit memory of their teacher. Their lover in her spiritual sexual congress between these 108 Bodhisatvas and their guise (not physical) was called a tulpa. shaktis as a kind of ephemeral spiritual congress. Apparently this is still practiced in Nepal and in the more Judaism does this in a similar way: the Shekinah (sounds remote areas of Tibet. like Shakti, probably from the same proto-Indo-European root) is a female principle representing light or god's holy By the 19th century, when Western reports of it became spirit, and is known by Judaic scholars, even those who common, the Vedic form of tantric sex - especially in are devoutly monotheistic, to represent an indigenous Southern India - seems to have degenerated to a kind goddess-worship system that was absorbed into the of glorified temple prostitution. Women in India were worship of the male god Jehovah. socially and culturally so devalued that even tantra could not enhance their lost status. In Tibet, Northern India The major difference between the Judaic system and the and Nepal, women were treated with greater dignity, Tibetan Buddhist one is that the Tibetans never stopped
4 CHINA EXPAT | Volume 4, Issue 4, May 2006 Tantric Sex Positions
so the type of tantra for "caress") which was promulgated in the U.S. by a practiced there was less woman named Alice Bunker Stockham circa 1880 or so. opportunistic. Even in Karezza flourished in the era prior to World War One and India, however, there were found adherents around the world. It was not presented splits between the "left as a religion, but appeared to be popular in the social hand" and "right hand" circles of the time where one also encountered interest Tantric sects. The left hand in Theosophy, female suffrage, occultism, dress reform, ones were more orgiastic temperance, and Christian Socialism. and the right hand ones Either way, the practice of tantric sex – and the gradual were more devotional. substituting of physical sex for achieving a mental state of An offshoot also appeared orgasm – nirvana – still lives on and is practiced by many in the 19th century followers in the West, Sting and Richard Gere being just Westernization of Tantra two examples, as well as a few, carefully secretive, monks called Karezza (Italian in remote Tibetan monasteries. CE
– FOURTEEN STEPS TO ENLIGHTENMENT aving looked at the history of Buddhist tantric sex and yoga, here we provide one of the HTANTRICclassic texts from Buddhist Yogi’s SEXwriting about 3,000POSITIONS years ago. This text is specifically for the sitting position, and takes in 14 positions from the Tortoise to the Victory.
TORTOISE POSITION while you mirror her actions: nipples, Seated, mouth to mouth, this is "Yugmapada" (The Feet Yoke). her feet press your chest arms against arms, thighs against thighs: and you make love holding each other's THE SWASTIKA this is "Kaurma" (the Tortoise). hands If, with left leg extended, it is "Kaurma" (The Tortoise). TURNING POSITION she encircles your waist with her right If the lovers' thighs, still joined, are leg, THE PEACOCK raised, laying its ankle across her left thigh, Seated, the lady raises it is "Paravartita" (Turning). and you do the same, one foot to point vertically over her head it is "Svastika"* and steadies it with her hands, MONKEY POSITION offering up her "yoni" for lovemaking: If within the cave of her thighs (* The Swastika is an ancient good-luck this is "Mayura" (the Peacock). you sit rotating your hips like a black bee, talisman based on the symbolism of it is "Markata" (The Monkey) a cross whirling sun-wise. The Nazis THE LOTUS used it the wrong way round, whirling If, sitting facing her, CRUSHING SPICES widdershins, and the Indian pundits you grasp her ankles and fasten them like And if, in this pose, you turn away from always said this was sacrilegious and a chain her, would doom them). behind your neck, and she it is "Marditaka" (Crushing Spices). grips her toes as you make love, Sitting face to face in bed, it is the delightful "Padma" (the Lotus) THE STRIKING POSITION her breasts pressed tight against your The Knot of Flame She sits with raised thighs, chest, Sitting erect, grip your lover's waist her feet placed either side of your waist; let each of you lock heels and pull her on to you, "linga" (penis) enters "yoni" (vagina); behind the other's waist, your loins continuously leaping together you rain hard blows upon her body: and lean back clasping one another's with a sound like the flapping of this is "Kshudgaga" (Striking). wrists. elephants' ears: this is "Kirtibandha" (the Knot of Flame). THE FOOT YOKE THE SWING When your mistress sits Now, set the swing gently in motion, VICTORY with both knees drawn tight to her body your beloved, in pretended fear, Kneeling between her thighs, and you mirror this posture, clinging to your body with her flawless tickle her breasts and under her arms, it is known to experts in the art of love limbs, call her 'my lovely darling' as "Yugmapada" (The Foot Yoke). cooing and moaning with pleasure: and print deep nailmarks around her this is "Dolita" (the Swing). THE FEET YOKE nipples: thus "Jaya" (Victory) is expounded. CE Seated erect, the lovely girl THE TORTOISE folds one leg to her body If, seated face to face, and stretches the other along the bed, your toes caress the lovely woman's
CHINA EXPAT | Volume 4, Issue 4, May 2006 5 Lhasa To Everest Base Camp
– By Chris Devonshire-Ellis
LHASAn this article weTO quite literally EVEREST go to the top of the world andBASE explore what is CAMP where. Most Itravelers to Tibet will head straight for Lhasa, but there is much more and we’ll try and show you some of the more unusual destinations en route to Everest Base Camp. Here then is a rough guide to traveling the journey and experiencing a unique culture that deserves to be preserved. We haven’t gone into much detail about specific places as a lot has already been written about them and there are many obvious places to go and see. But to give a few pointers, this is our guide to traveling in Tibet from Lhasa to Everest.
ALTITUDE MOUNTAIN SICKNESS out of the city, the Drepung Monastery. Lonely Planets Guide to Tibet will have all the details and we won’t include the obvious here. Tibetan food – tsampa (ground roasted barley) and a variety of vegetables, mushrooms and maybe some Yak meat is hearty enough, but you will find westernized versions and Yak Burgers on sale too. Tibetan barley beer is good and the wine – also made from barley rather than grapes at this height – was originally produced by French Trappist monks, and actually, suits AMS affects everyone when they arrive in Tibet. The the cuisine quite well. But Chateau Pommerol is a long oxygen levels this high up are significantly lower than way away. at sea level – 75% during the summer, dropping to 50% during the winter months – and your body, especially if After three days, it’s time to move on and see what Tibet is you fly in, needs time to recover. Generally, if you’re fit really all about – it’s countryside and wilderness, and you and healthy it’ll just manifest itself with a minor headache can only do that by hiring a 4WD or taking a bus. and possibly a couple of sleepless nights, and certainly shortness of breath as you wander around – so just take it NAM-TSO LAKE easy those first three days, after which you’ll be fine. Some people though, especially if they are heavy smokers or have other respiratory ailments, can be seriously affected. Doctors in Lhasa are of course well used to the symptoms, but on average 1 in 20 visitors need to be flown out and back down to lower altitudes to recover. Tibet requires stamina and fitness – and ideally a non-smoking habit.
LHASA Prayer flags at Nam-Tso Lake The Potala Palace, Lhasa Tibet is actually a very wet place – water just cascades down from here and forms some of the worlds mightiest rivers. One of the best places to visit to see the majesty of Tibet, it’s lakes and mountains is to Nam-Tso – a stunning turquoise blue / green lake set with fantastic mountain views. Walking around it is a three-four day journey and is considered good karma by Buddhists. You can visit here in a day trip from Lhasa but try and do the walk – There is a lot to do in Lhasa, so it makes an excellent place entertaining as well as spiritually refreshing. Laying out the Buddha to relax and get used to the altitude for a few days. The Thanka at Xigaze city itself is divided into two sections, the Chinese, and And yes, Buddhist Monks the Tibetan, divided generally either side of the Potala eat the local fish too. Palace. Needless to say the Chinese area is utterly devoid of charm – white tiled buildings and expensive hotels. XIGAZE Ignore it. Head off to the Tibetan end of town, home to Driving out of Tibet, guest houses, back-packer joints and internet cafes, nearer one follows the Tibet to the Jokhang Temple in the Barkhor area. Best of the River – a massive body bunch is the Yak Hotel, but otherwise just turn up and find of water – and heads a suitable place to crash out. Must sees of course include West for Xigaze. It’s wise to check the weather – it rains the Potala Palace, the Jokang Temple itself, and further a lot (Tibet is very wet) and consequently landslides can
6 CHINA EXPAT | Volume 4, Issue 4, May 2006 Lhasa To Everest Base Camp
wreck the road for a few days until the repair men sort it MOUNT EVEREST out, and Xigaze can and does get cut off for a few days. Known locally as Qomolangma, Everest lies on Tibet’s Xigaze is the seat of the Panchen Lama, the second most southern border with Nepal, and is best reached from senior cleric in Tibet, and is Tibets second largest town. either Latse or Shegar. It’s a four day trek, or a whizz up Boasting the tremendous Tashilhunpo Monastery, Xigaze to base camp in a Landcruiser, but that rather defeats the really should be on your itinerary – the journey here from object and leaves your body prone to AMS as you struggle Lhasa being just as fascinating as the town itself. The to keep up with the ascent. The best village to head for place to stay is the Tenzin Hotel (882 2018), although is Chay, which has a spectacular sweeping vista of the backpacker joints also exist. The main Tibetan market – Himalayas on a clear day, taking in the peaks of Everest, with plenty of souveniers, is also just outside the Tenzin Makalu, Lhotse, Gyachung & Cho Oyu. From there, Hotel, while the backpackers favorite and purveyor of accommodation can also be obtained at the villages of excellent breakfasts, Greasy Joes café, is close by. From Peruche, Chodzom and Rongphu, basic, but clean. Rhongpu Xigase, you head further west to Lhatse. Permits to travel has a large monastery, established in 1902 and is Tibets to the Everest area need to be obtained also in Xigaze so highest, entrance is available and highly recommended get these before you depart from the local travel agency – the interior paintings are quite superb and it makes for a in one of the hotels. Landcruisers can also be hired here fantastic photo with Everest just behind. for the trip onto Everest. From here as you head towards Everest, permits will be checked and you will be turned away of your documents are not in order. BASE CAMP This was first used in 1924 by the British Everest Expedition, and is sited at 5,200 metres. Hot water springs bubble all SHEGAR & TINGRI around, but otherwise there is not a lot here – and it is You’ll also need to visit cold. Photo opportunities by the prayer flags, while the Shegar en route to Everest Rongphu Glacier is a brisk 15 minute walk away. This is a to obtain your permit for working camp, not a tourist resort, so respect the climbers the regions nature reserve, and keep out of the way. A tea room and snack bar make (ten day pass) but that’s OK, up the rest of what’s on offer – there is no accommodation as the drive is spectacular unless you bring your own tent and cold weather gear and the town itself quite – but hey ! you’ve made it to the starting point of the interesting, with the ruins worlds most gruelling journeys. of Shegar Dzong, the Crystal Fort, still watching as a sentinel over the town, with NYINGTRI - THE INDIA BORDER the walls snaking across the For a different perspective, as an alternative, you can terrain like a giant snake. The instead head South East out of Lhasa and make tracks Shegar Chode Monastery for Nyingtri, lying to the south and bordering India. Both is also a working home the Bramaputra and the source of the Ganges River flow of worship and education nearby, with a confluence of both marking the border and can be visited. From between the two countries. Access can be restricted, but Prayer flags at Nam-Tso Lake En route to Shegar Shegar, the best stop over the Nyingtri Hotel is decent enough, and the countryside is at Tingri, a few miles further south. Tingri has better superb. The famous Buchu Monastery is also nearby. views of Everest – the Kangjong Hotel being the place to CE crash out, although other guest houses and hotels are also Enjoy your travels ! available.
Looking at Northern India from Nyingtri
Tingri Village
CHINA EXPAT | Volume 4, Issue 4, May 2006 7 BOOK REVIEW
“The Tibetan Book he Tibetan Book of the Dead, which is more correctly Treferred to by its actual title, The Great Liberation ofupon HearingThe in theDead” Intermediate State (bar do thos grol chen mo), is traditionally regarded as the work of Padmasambhava, the eighth century founder of the Living contemplation Nyingma-pa Buddhist order and one of the first to bring Buddhism to Tibet. Padmasambhava is believed to have bring into the world with us at the very moment we are hidden many of his esoteric teachings as literary “treasures” conceived. Our lives run up against death at every step. or terma (gter ma) in unusual and remote locations so However, even the seeming finality of death need not be that they would later be recovered at a time when their strictly negative; rather, in the religious traditions of Tibet, spiritual message would have the most beneficial impact. death is said to provide a unique opportunity for spiritual The remarkable people who discovered these sacred terma growth. In fact, the ultimate aim of Tibetan religious texts were identified as “treasure revealers” or tertöns practice is the transformation of death into an immortal (gter ston). Among the most famous of these discoverers state of benefit to others. Among Tibet’s many and varied of hidden teachings was Karma Lingpa (Kar ma gling pa, religious traditions are found certain esoteric teachings b.ca.1350), who is said to be the revealer of the so-called that address the art and science of compassionate death. Tibetan Book of the Dead. According to his biography, To these traditions belong the wisdom of the Tibetan Karma Lingpa was born in southeast Tibet as the eldest Books of the Dead. In many respects, these popular texts son of the great Tantric practitioner Nyida Sangye (Nyi are manuals of practical instructions for the dying, who zla sangs rgyas). At an early age, he engaged in esoteric are immediately facing death; for those who have died, practices and was said to have achieved numerous yogic who are wandering in the intermediate state between powers. When he turned fifteen, Karma Lingpa discovered lives; and for the living, who are left behind to continue several hidden texts (terma) on top of Mount Gampodar. without their loved ones. From among these texts he found a collection of teachings Tibetan writing reads from left to right in horizontal lines. entitled The Self-Emergence of the Peaceful and Wrathful It does not employ ideograms like the Chinese, but uses an Deities from Enlightened Awareness (zhi khro dgongs pa alphabet derived from a variant of the Devanagri script in rang grol), which included the texts of the now famous which Sanskrit is written, consisting of thirty consonants Great Liberation upon Hearing in the Bardo. and four vowels. The script, which is certainly one of the In Tibet it is commonly held that death is not something most exquisite forms of writing in Asia, is believed to have that awaits us in some distant future, but something we been created by Tönmi Sambhota (Thon mi Sambhota) in the mid-seventh century A.D. According to Tibetan tradition, Tönmi Sambhota was a minister of King Songtsen Gampo (Srong brtsan sgam po, c. 609-650 A.D.), the first Tibetan ruler to be converted to Buddhism. This King had two wives, Wen-ch’eng, the daughter of the Chinese Emperor T’ai-tsung, and Bhrikuti, a princess from Nepal. Both women were devout followers of Buddhism, and at their insistence Songtsen Gampo agreed to invite a number of Buddhist teachers from different parts of Asia. At the same time, he sent his Tibetan script is sacred and revered
8 CHINA EXPAT | Volume 4, Issue 4, May 2006 The journey of life to death to rebirth The Miracle of Xinjiang Wines
Returning along a path well-trodden minister Tönmi to India with instructions to enroll in one of through a process of intense training, involving the radical the famed Buddhist universities so that he might learn the manipulation of physical and psychological energies to scribal arts and devise an alphabet suitable for the Tibetan bring about transformative and extra-ordinary states of language. After a long and harrowing journey, Tönmi consciousness. finally arrived in India and for more than a decade sat at By at least the sixteenth century, the many traditions of the feet of several Indian Buddhist masters, two of whom dam-ngak circulating throughout Tibet had been uniformly gave him the name Sambhota, “Good Tibetan.” While classified into an eight- fold scheme. Of these eight sets, studying in India, Tönmi Sambhota designed the letters two are represented in the texts chosen for this section of of the Tibetan alphabet and compiled the first grammars the exhibit: the traditions derived from the teachings of of the Tibetan language, thereby providing the Tibetan the Indian supermen (siddha, “perfected ones”) Tilopa and people with a means for translating Indian Buddhist Naropa, which were transmitted to Marpa Chökyi Lodrö scriptures and for recording their own oral traditions. Here (Mar pa chos kyi blo gros, 1012- 1097); and the lineage it should be stressed that even after the introduction of drawn from the teachings of Khyung-po Nenjor (Khyung writing, these oral traditions continued to be a significant po rnal Îbyor, d.ca.1135). element in the transmission of Tibetan culture, in part due to the Buddhist assumption that authentic religious truths are most profoundly conveyed not through writing, but in Having Once Died & Then Returned To direct communications between master and disciple. Life The Tibetan script is considered sacred, since it was created The de-lok (Îdas log) is a figure in the literature of Tibetan especially for the translation of Buddhist scripture. Over popular religion who Îdiesâ (Îdas), enters the intermediate the centuries several forms of lettering have developed, bardo state, tours the netherworld, and Îreturnsâ (log) but the two principal types are the block letters, known as to report his or her afterlife experiences and to convey u-chen (dbu can, “headed letters”), and the cursive, called messages about the importance of moral conduct and u-mé (dbu med, “headless letters”). The block letters are religious commitment. Biographies of these individuals commonly employed in books and printed documents, generally emphasize three points: the Buddhist principles while the cursive is used in more popular or personal of suffering and impermanence, the fluctuations of karma, formats. It is not unusual, however, to find printed material and the means by which suffering can be eliminated. As in Tibetan cursive. For titles and ornamental purposes such, the de-lok accounts are in accord with the basic other scripts are also employed, such as the high elegance teachings of Buddhism. Unlike the more formal texts of the seventeenth century Lantsa lettering. included in the genres of Tibetan death literature, such as the Tibetan Book of the Dead, which are meant to be The Art Of Dying used primarily as guides for the deceased, recitations and readings of the de-lok biographies are aimed exclusively at Tibetan literature devoted to the topic of death and dying a living lay audience. While parallels can be found between in the context of Buddhist meditative practice is immense. these popular texts and those of a more technical nature, This literature can be organized into several related genres the de-lok biographies rarely contain all of the details that comprise not only those texts that came to be treated described in the advanced theoretical works. In addition, as canonical but also include the instructional advice, it is interesting to note that recent comparative and dam-ngak (gdams ngag), on yogic and contemplative cross-cultural studies have demonstrated that the death- practice derived from the esoteric experiences of advanced related events recounted in these Tibetan biographies Tantric Buddhist teachers. Characteristically, these are remarkably similar to the personal accounts of near- instructional systems provide important insights into death experience (NDE) reported in the United States and how the ordinary dying experience, and the subsequent Europe. CE intermediate bardo period, can be altered and purified
CHINA EXPAT | Volume 4, Issue 4, May 2006 9 FILM & MUSIC REVIEW “The Saltmen Of Tibet” – Directed by Ulrike Koch, 1998
his widely admired film, a 1999 entrant into the Sundance TInternational Film Festival, and shot under extreme conditions in Tibet, is without doubt a work of sublime beauty and epic scale. Documenting the ancient traditions and daily rituals of a Tibetan nomadic community, filmmaker Ulrich Koch transports us into a realm untouched by the tides of foreign invasion or encroaching modernity. Observing age old taboos and steadfast homage to the deities of nature, four men meticulously plan their grueling three-month yak caravan to fetch the “tears of tara” – the precious salt from the holy lakes of Northern Tibet. This film is a breathtaking collage of image and sound – and a tribute to the purity of a landscape, people and tradition facing extinction. Strongly recommended. CE (Tibetan language, English subtitles)
Dadawa “Sister Drum”
ith this release in 1996, WDadawa came from nowhere to provide the first million-selling CD in Asia and comparisons with Enya, yet not without controversy. Recorded in China and Tibet with composer He Xuntian, the CD is an up-lifting, ambient take on Tibetan traditional music, and doesn’t pull punches about China either, where it was also given a full release much to the surprise of many. To some, the posturing of the singer in Buddhist costume on the cover Lama Gyurme “Rain of was an outrage, to others the material was ‘badly advised’ and pretty much cheesed off the “Free Tibet” crowd. In essence, the Blessings – Vajra Chants” fact that Dadawa is originally from Guangdong and is Chinese eeping with a Tibetan theme to match James Hilton’s – yet has the temerity to sing about Tibet – and using Tibetan Kbook, and also to inject some Shangri-la spirituality into musical influences to create this work had the do-gooders up your life, this CD combines classic monastic Tibetan chants in arms. Well stuff them, is it not OK for Chinese singers to be with the textured keyboards of French musician Jean-Phillip influenced by Tibetan culture? Some people just want Tibet Rykiel to provide some musical depth. Lama Gyurme spent to stay as it is. Dadawa offers up a modern, poignant mix of several years in both Tibet and France studying music and Chinese and Tibetan cultures quite literally, in harmony, and was awarded the honorific “Oumza” (Master of Music) by his it’s hardly her fault she was born in Guangzhou! The reality sect for his achievements. Possessing a rich baritone, he leads is that it was and remains a brave statement about modern us through a series of Buddhist chants and prayers, starting life in Tibet and is a successful marriage of modern electronica with “Rain of Blessings”, moving through the centuries old and traditional music. Tracks such as “Home Without Shadow”, “Offerings Chant” and a number of other traditional chants “Sky Burial” and the title track all make good use of monks from high in the hallowed halls of Tibet’s monasteries. chanting and weave Dadawa’s enchanting vocals seamlessly Peaceful, meditative and relaxing, this is the perfect antidote to into a Himalayan blend of the mystical and modern. “Sister a stressful day. Lie back, light those candles, and contemplate. Drum” is a fine, ground breaking CD, elegantly delivered, You don’t have to be new age to enjoy this, and we all need and should have a place in anyone’s CD collection who is into a bit of tranquility in our lives. Lama Gyurme delivers, and ambient, or new age music with a Tibetan Enya style twist. It’s maybe it’s the laid back approach that induces such serenity widely available in all good stores, as is her follow up “Voices into Buddhism that makes monks of 250 years old look about From The Sky”. CE 49. This is Shangri-La in a CD. CE
10 CHINA EXPAT | Volume 4, Issue 4, May 2006 REGIONAL CITY GUIDE CHINA REGIONAL CITY GUIDE
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