Zhongdian, Yunnan Province, China is home to one of the most important Tibetan monestaries outside of Tibet. Over 600 monks call it home and welcome visitors into their and sacred temples.
While much of it was how I would expect it based on documentaries, articles and paraphenalia floating around Free Tibet concerts, there were some surprises...
Monks sell curios inside the temples - No, not just insense and prayer beads, but also trinkets and necklaces (some in plastic wrapping labeled "fashion wear")
Monks use cell phones and carry them around in their robes - We saw one whip out his silver Motorola v700 right after leaving a prayer session
Monks take diet pills - Yes, that's right, diet pills. The monk who welcomed us into the main temple (shown above) communicated with us through our crude sign language. In addition to making us hold our hands to the fire, take pictures with him and tell him if we were married, he commented that Dave had some extra meat on his arms and offered him a variety of pills to remedy the situation. (He claimed to use himself through comparison to his arms)
1 comment:
Just missed a typhoon, eh?
Post a Comment