Read through the ancient and modern tibet, face the soul of the plateau, and identify the mysteries for all those who love Tibet.
Song Ci, China's first reader to ride a bicycle into Tibet, takes you all the way to experience Qinghai-Tibet 32 years ago.
The Sky of Tibet (Net Map)
If one day you ask me, "Song Ci, you went to Tibet, what is your deepest impression of Tibet?" "You certainly can't imagine how I'll answer.
"Sky!" I would say, "There's the sky there!" ”
You may laugh and say, "Where is not the same sky." ”
At this time, I asked you in turn, have you also been to Tibet? If you don't, have you seen the photos taken by friends who have traveled to Tibet? If not, you've at least seen one or two photographs of Tibetan scenery on the cover or back cover of a magazine, right?
Have you noticed what those photos have in common? They always carry large swathes of the sky, even when photographing the world's tallest Mount Everest. In some photos, even the ground, scenery, snow peaks, etc. only occupy a small slip, while the sky accounts for most of the picture. You know why? I didn't pay attention to it before, but I just thought the photos were magnificent and tall, thinking that it was just the photographer's composition and aesthetic taste.
I would also like to ask you, did you notice a feature when listening to Tibetan songs? The song was compressed thinly, shouting a few octaves high, high-pitched like a paper kite or a sharp thin cloud, flying high in the air, circling the clouds. In particular, the soprano of the old singer Caidan Dolma is simply a sound of clouds. You know why? I didn't know much before, I just thought it was special, both lyrical and very tall, and I always thought it was just a special pronunciation method of Tibetan songs.
Old singer Tseten Dolma (net image)
In addition, Tibetans generally adopt the custom of heavenly burial, which is known to everyone. But I, including me, have never studied the reasons for this before, and even if I ask the Tibetans themselves, they are only making a general explanation of The Buddha's teachings.
In addition, it is well known that the famous Potala Palace was built on the top of a high red hill. Moreover, it is recorded that long before the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet, the first royal palace built by the first king of Tibet, Nie Chi Zangpu, was built on the top of the mountain. Built more than 200 years AGO, this building still exists on the top of the Yongblag Hill near Zeidang. Moreover, it is said that the houses at that time were also built on the top of the mountain, but during the period of the Buddha's religion in Tibet, that is, about 1,200 years ago, the sage Guo. Chi Sang Yao La persuaded the people to move their houses to live on flat land to facilitate agricultural reclamation and irrigation. Even so, until now we can see that the ruins of the residences of some of the local authorities in the old days were still built on the top of the mountain. There is a shortage of water in that kind of place, and it is difficult to go up and down the mountain, why do they like to live in such a high place?
At this time, I walked on the snowy plateau, and through the observation and feeling of the sky here, I finally realized the true meaning of this series of phenomena.
The sky on this plateau is too close to people, too magnificent and vast. Not only is she pressed against your head, she is everywhere. Walking on the tall and open mountain plains, you don't have to look up at all, the sky is always following you. And those huge bald ridges and snow peaks on the mountain plains, under such a sky, like a herd of yaks and aries, let your eyes easily ignore them and see the sky first.
In the tibetan sky, she not only forces you to face her inessibly, but she also stages one thrilling "absurd play" after another above and around you. She is unpredictable, mysterious and mysterious, just like the ancient legendary king of the demon kingdom in the local area, sitting high on the top of the snow peak, blue and quiet, looking down on everything with strong daylight and bright moonlight; at the same time, the wind and clouds, thunder and lightning, swallowing mountains and mountains, pouring storms, obscene rain, hail, and flying snow, whether it belongs to the same season or not, at any time pouring into this plateau. Even when she has nothing to do, she will lay out a scene of grotesque scenes in mid-air, making you frightened, suspicious, and unsure of what kind of catastrophe you will endure.
I have seen her suddenly pull up a black curtain from the open horizon, throwing half of the sky into the night in advance, and then gilding the other half of the sky like a glittering copper, or like the bright lights in the theater, and then staged some strange windmills and clouds, ghost *flag demon* soldiers, Xiafan fireships, and dragon fights, just like the reappearance of "Fengshen List" and the Chibi War. I have also seen her casually raise a few angry eagle-like black clouds from the top of a bald ridge, stretch out her huge wings, and with a long and sharp beak, quickly skimming over my head, and only a few pecks tore the sun fleeing westward and threw it behind the mountain, and suddenly it was half a day of blood. Usually, she also often likes to set up a trance array in mid-air in the east piece of light, a dark piece of the west, a fire in the front, and a zeal in the back, so that you can walk underneath and feel uneasy, and you don't know where to go.
Old hilltop buildings in Tibet (net map)
When this sky staged and laid out everything about her, she simply ignored the existence of the human beings below, she only did what she wanted according to her own will and interests, no matter what disasters were poured down, this mountainous land could only bear in silence, just like the tyrant who carried out tyranny and waged war, never considered the fate of the common people, just like the old serf owner in Tibet never thought of his serfs.
The beings living under such a sky, including me, who were walking on the mountain plains at this time, seemed to be completely ignored stones and dust, helplessly harboring small sorrows and fears.
Because of my talent and pen and ink limitations, I have a thousand omissions in the expression of this sky, but at this point you can at least understand the essential reasons for the phenomena of "photography", "singing", "architecture" and so on that I said earlier. That is to say, in this snowy plateau, the sky will always be the eternal master of the "heavenly position", and it is not like in the lowlands, especially in the cities, as long as you don't look up and deliberately look, you can ignore her existence for a long time. On the contrary, here she will always dominate people's vision, and even dominate people's thoughts, emotions and sense of survival.
When you lift a camera on this plateau, you are powerless to block the sky from occupying your lens, just as a journalist is powerless to stop a policeman or a bodyguard from obscuring his lens. When she suddenly poured out a disaster of all sizes, the creatures on the mountain plains were powerless to resist and had nowhere to hide.
This perpetual disregard, helpless resignation, makes human beings feel uneasy, small and sad at all times. So humans find ways to express their hearts and feelings. For example, use singing to shout out the awe and sorrow in your heart, shout high-pitched to the clouds, hoping to reach the heavens to hear, and arouse the attention of the sky to yourself:
- There are beings below you, I hope you can give it care; you don't act on your own will, ignoring the suffering of the earthly beings; I hope you can hear this song, so that the living beings can get mercy from now on!
That's why I say that the Tibetan songs were definitely not sung to mankind themselves, but to heaven.
That's why I say that the tibetan custom of heavenly burial is not only like the "ascension to heaven after death" as explained according to the general religious philosophy today, but it also obviously carries a layer of consciousness of the primitive sky unique to the snowy plateau -- before death, the ground was suppressed and ignored by the sky and helpless, and after death, it hoped to rise to the sky through the wings of the eagle vulture to complain, and to win the love and compassion that the beings on the plateau deserved.
Similarly, the Hongliu Xiangsha Palace and residential houses built in the period when the Buddha* religion in BC were far from being introduced, the Potala Palace built at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty Buddhism and tibet, and the later local government offices, the most original motivation for choosing a high mountain top to build is undoubtedly to regard it as the most ideal place for human beings to communicate with the sky and express themselves to the sky.
In summary, I further believe that the reason why the Tibetan Buddhism* religion, which is mixed with all-encompassing myths and the concept of animism, can be deeply rooted and long-lasting on the snowy plateau is that this special sky plays a fundamental role.
Nianqing Tanggula Mountain Snow Mountain (net map)
For example, in the ancient local myths and legends, at least hundreds of tall snow-capped mountains have been named the protectors of the Tibetan people. This clearly shows that when people feel small, ignored by the sky, and powerless to resist the disaster she has brought, they hope that the "giants" who are close by will stop the sky from doing whatever they want and protect their neighbors, the weak humans. Among them, the Nianqing Tanggula Snow Mountain on the Qiangtang Grassland in northern Tibet is not only revered as one of the four sacred mountains in Tibet and the head of the protector god of northern Tibet, but also entrusted with special duties of "guardian god of wealth" and "eighteen palm hail gods", which is obviously because it is located in the north of the center of the Weizang region, and with its tall body it has blocked natural disasters from the northern plateau, protecting the rich northern Tibetan grassland, the beautiful lhasa city and the original cause of post-Tibetan agricultural production. Among them, hail is the most common natural disaster in Tibet, due to the obstruction of Nianqing Tanggula, the hail disaster in these areas has been greatly reduced, and Nianqing Tanggula has naturally become a well-deserved "hail god".
In addition, the stupid religion, which takes the sky, the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers and lakes as gods, as the primitive indigenous religion of Tibet, has declined in a very large way after the entry of the Buddha*, and even the Tibetan* people themselves have been supremely respected to protect the sacred mountain, and soon after the introduction of the Buddha*, they have been reduced to the "servants" of the Buddha, and have been included in the formation of the Protector gods of the Buddha*. In addition to the fact that the stupid religion and mythology are far less complete, grand, and profound than the Buddha's religion, I think there is another important reason, that is, in the face of the sky and disasters high above, the stupid religion and myth only provide its followers with a way to awe and desire, but do not fundamentally solve the uneasiness, smallness and sorrow in people's hearts.
After the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet, people finally found a way out of the predicament of the sky, and the soul was completely comforted. The life that was ignored, ignored, feared, helpless, small and sad when facing the sky, saw the ladder of freedom that human beings could sublimate, and became infinitely tall with the help of the power of the sect, not only in this life through scriptures, mantras, etc., to prevent and change the disaster she fell on according to her own will (the most obvious example is that among the lamas of the Tibetan *Buddhist* temple, there is a permanent "hail exorcist" who has a full-time division. It is said that the hail cloud can be driven away or dispersed with magical powers), and at the same time, it can also be reborn in the world of Elysium in the next life. Therefore, their faith in the Buddha's teachings was never shaken again.
Some people may interject that where the sects and myths are related to heaven! Then I swear to you that nowhere is the concept of "heaven" that has been culturally and religiously indoctrinated, there is no "sky" in the Tibetan plateau that is closer to human beings, more directly and primitively involved in people's lives and spirits.
Of course, if it were not for walking alone on the mountain plains like me, without fear and anxiety about the various disasters she contained, without feeling her indifference, but only as a general tourist, this part of the snowy plateau sky is undoubtedly the most magnificent and vivid scenery.
"Walking Around" Song Ci/Author, Oriental Publishing House.
The 61st chapter of the series - Qinghai-Tibet Line
Author's curriculum vitae
Song Ci was born in Mishan City, Heilongjiang Province. His original surname was Zhao, the 33rd grandson of Zhao Kuangyin, the grandfather of the Song Dynasty. In 1979, he was admitted to the Chinese Department of Heilongjiang University, and after graduation, he was assigned to Mudanjiang Daily as a literary supplement editor.
He began to write poetry in middle school and entered the "campus poets" and "third generation poets" group in China in the 1980s and 1990s.
In 1989, he spent a year traveling the country by bicycle alone. He is the author of the travel culture essay collection "Walking Around" and "Selected Short Poems of Song Ci".
In 1993, he was transferred to Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, and served as deputy editor-in-chief of Pearl River Evening News and secretary general of Zhuhai Journalists Association.