Tibet--Where the World is an Illusion

Tomorrow we go to see the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. The fact is however, we’re already in a palace. The Saint Regis Hotel in Lhasa offers a palatial place to camp out for the next three nights. The mountains here, part of the Himalayas, are among the highest in the world. For the last two weeks in China the sun never broke through the fog. Here the sun burns with a blinding intensity that begs for gallons of sunscreen. The sky is a deep cobalt blue bordered by spectacular sunlit snowy peaks. This city lies 13,000 feet above sea level, and some of our group are already experiencing altitude sickness. Some are claiming to feel light-headed, nauseated or short of breath. We have been taking it easy since we arrived around 3:00 pm, and we feel fine. Of course we did start taking diamox twice a day two days ago.

Shortly after the Communist Chinese came to power in 1949, they invaded this theocratic kingdom. The Dalai Lama, who is both the religious and political head, fled to India, where he set up a government in exile. Now in his nineties, he travels the world to give messages of peace, and to seek aid for his estranged kingdom. No longer seeking a military victory here, the Chinese are simply sending millions of new college graduates here every year to fill new jobs the state creates. The result is that the native Tibetan culture is being diluted in a Chinese sea.

Tibetan Buddhism holds that all human experience in this world is merely illusion. Nothing perceived by the senses is important, only the spirit. Perhaps this belief explains why some Tibetans can be so poor, yet have a smile on their faces. Everyone here smiles all the time. They are a very gentle people from whom we in the west might learn something.Les mer