Chapter 7 It's not a cycle, it's a rebirth

We slept until we woke up naturally in the morning. After getting up and going downstairs, we took a deep breath, greedily sucking the clear air.Overhead was a cloudless blue sky.The faint morning sun shines on the roof, the earth and passers-by like Buddha's light. The steward of the inn is a Thangka painter.After we went downstairs, we saw him sitting alone on the big rock in the courtyard, chanting the Tibetan scriptures without any evil thoughts. The color of Labrang Monastery in the morning light is clear, and the slightest mist floats between the mountainsides.People with white gas have already started to go to the temple or worship.In a corner outside the temple, people burn pine branches, highland barley and dried fruits in a special way as incense.

To turn around the temple is to walk clockwise along the periphery of the temple. People line up and walk through the corridor of the prayer wheel, chanting the six-character mantra in their mouths, and their eyes are pious and persistent.They dress up every day and repeat this path, no matter what rumors about them are circulating in the city outside the mountain, and no matter how the world outside the mountain is changing with each passing day. The six-character mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum", each character has its unique meaning in Tibetan Buddhism.Om is white, representing the Three Vajras, the wisdom body, speech and mind of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, which can remove arrogance.Well, it’s green, it’s the Mani orb, inexhaustible, inexhaustible, whatever you want, and everything you want, if you pray to it, you will get spiritual needs and various material wealth, and you can get rid of jealousy.It is yellow, which symbolizes the body, mind, and merit of the deity, and can get rid of greed.The trumpet is blue, and it is a lotus flower that emerges from the mud and is not stained. It means that although modern people are in the samsara of the five turbid worlds, by reciting this mantra, they can get rid of troubles, get clean, and get rid of ignorance.The microphone is red, which can remove the stingy heart.Hum is black, which means praying for success. Only by relying on the power of Buddha can we progress step by step, practice diligently, save all living beings, achieve everything, and finally reach the realm of Buddha.

In addition to the people walking in the promenade, there are also Tibetans holding prayer wheels, chanting secret mantras and spinning large prayer wheels at the same time.After visiting the temple, the local people will go to bask in the sun and drink tea. On the short grass nearby, there are many worshipers from afar.They took all their belongings, knelt on a piece of coarse cloth, and prostrated themselves.Next to it, there is a small bag of dry food cakes and a small pot of water.Because of the long time of eating and sleeping in the open air, their faces could not see the original skin color, their hair was disheveled, and their clothes were extremely worn out.There is concern in their eyes, although intricate, but not heavy.I think it is probably because they have an extremely sacred belief deep in their hearts that they can live so simply.

It was past ten o'clock in the morning when we arrived at the Great Sutra Hall.It happened that after class, lamas in red came out in groups to bask in the sun.They are very young, like all young people, walking lightly, chatting and laughing; or full of curiosity, with bright eyes.The only difference is that they look simple and content. The arrival of Sensen Yuanyuan caught their attention, and many young lamas came to catch them and play with them.Children are not afraid of Samoyed dogs.The harmony between man and nature has been perfectly interpreted in this Gannan town. Here, we met the girl who ate noodles at the same table yesterday.She nodded slightly to say hello, still chanting the six-character mantra in her mouth, and waited until she had finished turning around ten times before she came to sit on the stone next to us.

Guan Yuan handed her a cigarette and asked, "What's your name?" The girl said lightly: "Poetry Yan." Just two simple words, but Guan Yuan's hand holding the cigarette began to tremble.She stared blankly at the empty space, not daring to look back at the girl next to her. I looked at the shining golden tower top of the temple, and felt that the coincidence was a bit outrageous.Then he asked: "Shiyan, did you stay in Dali before?" Seeing her shaking her head, Guan Yuan and I let out a breath and relaxed. I said that there is no such coincidence in the world!Shi Yan said: "I have been living in Beijing."

Guan Yuan then turned his head and smiled, and the tension just now dissipated like a dream. There is a mysterious atmosphere in Labrang Monastery, as if inspired by God, people from all over the world gather here, whether they are believers or tourists, once they are here, they are inexplicably devout. The New Year's film Labrang Monastery is widely known.The character played by Rene Liu decided to wash her hands because of her pregnancy.She knelt in front of a temple to pray for blessings, which was the Labrang Monastery in Gannan. In the face of faith, all people look the same, whether it is a traveler in rough and ragged clothes, a Buddhist man in a red coat, or a slim beauty like Shiyan.

When I touched those stone slabs that have been faced by believers thousands of times, my heart suddenly felt distant.Years of wind and rain have not affected the power of people's hearts at all. In my daily life, my understanding of Buddhism is only nuns and monks who stop passers-by on the street and ask for at least 20 yuan under the pretext of giving trinkets.The jokes we heard were that the monks were driving BMWs, using iPhones, eating delicious food and drinking spicy food. When I said that, Guan Yuan and Shi Yan Qiqi objected.Shi Yan said: All external things are floating clouds, and faith is a spiritual force that is firmly held in the heart and cannot be replaced by anything.Guan Yuan also agrees with this concept, thinking that some things are with you in the dark, lingering.

The Great Sutra Hall starts at 11:30.Although I don't know much about Tibetan Buddhism, but looking at the serious faces of Guan Yuan and Shi Yan, I decided to go in and listen. Labrang Monastery has many majors for advanced training in Tibetan Buddhism. For example, the young lamas we saw at the beginning are students of the Gelug Sect.Gelug translated into Chinese is a good rule, and the purpose of this school is to advocate strict observance of precepts.Because the mitral hat is yellow, this school is also called the Yellow Sect. In 1402 AD and 1406 AD, Tsongkhapa wrote "The Broad Theory of the Path to Enlightenment" and "The Broad Theory of the Path to Esoteric Buddhism", which laid the theoretical foundation for the establishment of the Gelug Sect.

Shiyan seems to know the teaching quite well. She told me about the Buddhist theory of the Gelug Sect, which advocates dependent origination and emptiness.At that time, I didn’t remember anything, and later I checked the information to find out: Dependent Origination, that is to say, there is a reason for the emergence of all dharmas; Self-nature arises from conditions, and this is conditioned emptiness.The practice of this sect adopts the practice method of "smooth and insight", and emphasizes both tranquility and insight. It is said that a large monastery has a complete management organization with clear levels, a good division of responsibilities, and a sound study system.

All the little lamas took off their long boots and put them at the door, walked barefoot to their seats, and sat down cross-legged.Guan Yuan asked the young lama next to him about the content of this class. He told us by the way that in addition to Buddhist education and degree system in large monasteries, there are also subjects such as grammar, rhetoric, craftsmanship, medicine, and calendar. When the master walked into the classroom, we smiled at each other and became quiet.