THE HIMALAYAN REGIONS
The Himalayan Regions are those countries as stated below, surrounding
Tibet to the south. This article shows how Tibet remained isolated
and free of outside influence or contact up until as late as the
1950's.
For centuries,
Tibetan culture spread beyond the boundaries of Tibet due to the practice
of Buddhism in that country. So strong and determined were the holy
people of Tibet to keep the Buddha's teachings pure, that a powerful form
of Buddhism arose, which is referred to as "Tibetan Buddhism",
although strictly speaking it is Mahayana or
Vajrayana. It is important to
understand that these countries were linked by something far deeper than
trade, family and money: they were linked by one of the most profound
spiritual practices on this earth - Tibetan or Vajrayana Buddhism which
had flourished in Tibet and had been kept completely pure and unchanged
over centuries. As the Tibetan school of Buddhism also embraced Bhutan, Sikkim, Ladakh, Nepal,
Mustang as well as other surrounding areas, the language of Tibetan Buddha Dharma was
used widely in these countries as well, changing very little. The
Tibetan scholars also read, write and speak Sanskrit, the ancient Indian
language the Buddha taught in, to pay respect to the country where the
Dharma was first taught. Since Vajrayana Buddhism is now firmly in
the west, the language chosen it to teach in is English, but many Buddhist
practitioners will do prayers and so on in Tibetan, paying homage back to
Tibet, just as Tibet does to India by still using the ancient Indian
Sanskrit for some prayers, texts and so on.
The Himalayan
Region is filled with
sites of holy pilgrimage for Buddhists from all over the world. Even
to this day many people make pilgrimage to the Potala Palace in Lhasa the
home to so many Dalai Lamas, the Lake at Mt. Kalaish, monasteries and famous stupas
or chortens all over Tibet and many more places.
Westerners and Easterners alike make these holy pilgrimages.
However, the last historical Buddha, Guru Shakyamuni was born in Lumbini
in Nepal and showed his fully enlightened state at Bohd Gaya in India,
later teaching at the park in Sarnath, India - these are also popular pilgrimage
sites for many people. These places are so enriched with spiritual energy
that one does not have to be a "Buddhist" to feel it and people
of all faiths enjoy these journeys!
MAP OF THE
HIMALAYAN REGIONS
THE SILK ROAD
Many people mistakenly believe that Tibet was part of the great "Silk
Road" that gained its fame through the travels and trading begun with
Marco Polo. As you can see in the above map, Tibet is a vast
country, but its capitol Lhasa is right down nearer to Nepal and Bhutan.
The Silk Road began near Iran and
India, went south of the Caspian Sea, and then took one of two routes,
along the borders of the dreaded and highly dangerous Taklamakan desert.
The two routes joined in North Western China.
Central Asia, (sometimes referred to as Turkestan) is a landlocked
continent, an area of desert wastes encroaching on fertile oases, enclosed
by huge mountains and steppes. This vast tract extends from the Caspian
Sea to the oasis of Dunhuang in northwestern China, straddling the snow
covered peaks of the Hindu Kush and Afghanistan. To the EAST, lies Chinese
Turkestan or Serindia, with close historical ties with both India and
China. To the NORTH lies the T’ien Shan range and the steppes of
Siberia. The SOUTHERN boundary is farmed by the Karakorum, SEPARATING
Serindia from India and Tibet. To the eastern Chinese side is the
end of the Great Wall of China. Locked within these natural
ramparts, is the great Taklamakan Desert, an almost unbroken expanse of
sands bordered by stretches of soil and stone deserts, a formidable place
at any time of year but particularly during the scorching summer months.
Despite its awesome and seemingly impenetrable fortifications, passes
opened through the encircling ranges, forming the gates of trade routes
now known as "the Silk Road".
The
Silk Road even as early as the 3rd. Century BC linked China with the west
or Europe. Through these trade routes Buddhism entered China and,
Serindia became a market hub with routes dividing into northern branches
leading through Sogdinia by way of Bokhara and Samakrand through
Uzbekistan to Kashgar. Southern routes by way of Bactria led through
passes to southern Afghanistan and ultimately via the Khyber and Bolan
passes to India. So we can see that Tibet was completely isolated
and left out of this trade route and 'western connection'.
The route was arduous, crossing huge deserts, treacherous mountain passes
and steep valleys. A well organized expedition relied on camels and a good
knowledge of local watering holes. Bandits were common and many traders
perished on the journey.
COUNTRIES
OF THE HIMALAYAN REGION
TIBET is a
vast country of deserts, lush valleys and of course the greatest mountains
on earth. For centuries it has been the centre of Vajrayana and
Mahayana Buddhism in the Himalayan Region and kindly teachers, both male
and female shared their "Dharma
understanding"
with surrounding countries. Steeped in mystery and culture spanning
centuries, it is the home of the famous Potala Palace, Mt. Kailash and of
course Kham in East Tibet is renowned for its monasteries and famous
enlightened beings.
The famous
Potala Palace, Lhasa, Tibet
BHUTAN is a
Buddhist kingdom in the eastern Himalayan Region, unsurpassed in its
scenic
grandeur and vibrant culture. It shares with Nepal the world's
greatest concentration of mountains and has a living Buddhist heritage.
Bhutan was until recently closed to the outside world. As a result, its
rich cultural tradition and fragile environment remain almost totally
pristine. The King of Bhutan has GDH (Gross Domestic Happiness)
instead of GDP (Gross Domestic Production) as the country's aim!
This tells us a lot about Bhutan! It's ability to keep a perfect
environmental balance is a source of study to the western world.
Boymonk
with prayer flags over valley, Bhutan
NEPAL offers a
unique atmosphere with the
physical, cultural and religious diversity which exist in this small
plateau country, 4,000 feet above sea level and nestled in a ring of the Himalays. From the ancient animist Bon religion of the western
mountains, the Tibetan Buddhist culture of the Sherpas of Everest to the
rich Hindu tradition of the heartland of the kingdom. The last
historical Buddha, Guru Shakyamuni was born at Lumbini on the border of
Nepal and India - it was a kingdom of its own and he was born a prince,
but renounced all worldly pleasures as the cause of suffering and
commenced his journey to enlightenment, discovering "the middle way",
being of no extremes.
Boudanath
Stupa, Nepal.
SIKKIM
is a tiny state in India's remote north-east corner and is today, a state
of the Indian
Union, which is steeped
in Tibetan Buddhist culture. It has abundant wildlife, notably the elusive
snow leopard and rare flora such as rock orchids and the blue poppy.
The famous British
Raj hill station of Dharjeeling, famed for its tea and wealthy private
schooling, sits tucked into the hillside
overshadowed by some of the highest of the Himalayan mountains.
Dharjeeling, Sikkim
LADAKH is
situated on the south-western edge of the vast Tibetan Plateau. It has
maintained its unique culture and its faithful understanding of traditional Tibetan
Buddhism to this day. Often known as "Little Tibet", it is only
accessible at certain times of the year, perhaps to its advantage, as it
has remained clean, pure and is still like stepping back in time. It
has many great monasteries and a large monastic community.
Ladakhi women in regal, traditional dress.
MUSTANG is an
ancient Kingdom in Western Nepal and one of the few regions of the great
Himalayan Region to remain relatively untravelled. Only a handful of foreigners
have crossed the high passes to the valley of Tholung, wherein lies the
palace of Lo-Manthang, the seat of the King of Mustang, who is still in
residence. Mustang bears little resemblance to the rest of Nepal -
its landscape, culture and traditions being more like traditional Tibet.
Monasteries and Prayer Flags dot the landscape ...
Not until the Chinese
invasion of Tibet in 1959 did the Tibetan culture and lifestyle become
known to a world that believed it to be "Shangri-la", a heaven on earth.
Even to this day, there is a certain mystique surrounding Tibet and its
people - there is a saying in the East, "if you want to keep a secret, you
can tell it to a Tibetan"! They will never "tell" anything to anyone
if they have promised not to do so. They also live by the Five
Buddhist Precepts of:
No Lying, No Stealing, No Killing, No
Sexual Misconduct, No Intoxicants.
They kill nothing, not even an insect as they believe we are all on the
Wheel of Life together, all living, sentient beings who should have an
equal chance of a better rebirth in order to achieve liberation
(enlightenment) from sorrow - the only way to do this is to have
compassion for all living beings, equally, especially one's enemies.
The Lhasa Apsos were very much a part of Tibetan daily life, both in
monasteries as well as homes. The changes for the Lhasa Apso in
coming to the west have been many, as they were not fed meat very often,
no 'toxins' of any sort got near them - for example, due to the "no
killing" precept, fleas are picked off manually, placed in a jar and taken
down a valley away from the house and then released. So these dogs
lived with totally environmentally pure people for centuries, never
knowing chemicals or anything but natural, raw foods and of course never
being immunized.
Tibetans live throughout the world now as the Buddha Dharma has spread
rapidly throughout the western world, it's popularity ever increasing and
the call for Lamas and monks to teach, reaching new heights annually.
The Lhasa Apsos have died off a lot in India due to the climate, but some
still thrive in Nepal and "little Tibet" or Dharamsala in the Himalayas of
northern India, where H.H. Dalai Lama resides. Naturally, many
Tibetans were taken into surrounding countries such as Bhutan, Sikkim,
India and so on - with them went the Lhasa Apsos.
by Sarah Cash
