Chapter 18 Vachetalin: Flying prayer flags, who do you pray for

From a distance, you can see the flying prayer flags of Tallinn waving in the air, as if welcoming friends from all over the world.The prayer flags of Vache are very special, they are surrounded by a circle, like a huge tent.Vache Taling means "big tent" in Tibetan. We still pretended to be students and spent ten yuan to buy a ticket to enter.The sky is gloomy, and tourists can hardly be seen in the Tallinn, only the prayer flags praying for safety are the company. Here, there are also beautiful legends spread among the people.According to legend, after the Tibetan hero King Gesar conquered all countries, he went all the way east to the location of Vache, where he was blocked by two demons.King Gesar then started a fierce battle with the monsters. During the battle, King Gesar knocked down the two monsters to the ground and stepped on one with each foot.Of course, it is not to kill the demons, but to call the tortoise general who will rule the demons.In order to suppress the demon and prevent it from turning over, the Heavenly General used two turtles, one big and one small, to hold down one demon respectively. As time passed, the tortoise turned into two mountains.Because the shape of the mountain bag is similar to that of a tent, people call the big mountain bag Waqie and the small mountain bag Waqiong.Gradually, Waqie became a place name.

Later, the leaders of Tibetan Buddhism, with pious hearts, built a pagoda here, hoping to find the reincarnated soul boy of the master as soon as possible.It is said that this is also the place where the tenth Panchen Lama chanted scriptures and prayed for blessings. The buildings in Tallinn are all stone and wood structures, in an inverted triangle shape, with layers like ladders, a total of thirteen floors.The pointed towers are made of metal or wood, and the golden color has not faded after years of wind and rain. In the pagoda forest, there are statues and Thangkas such as Avalokitesvara, Shakya Ten Buddhas, Infinite Buddha, Padmasambhava, Tara, etc. There are also various types of pagodas, but I can't name them.

Between the deserted White Pagoda and the prayer flags, there was a drizzle again.We walked into the monastery and found that there were still quiet Tibetans guarding the wooden prayer wheel.Guan Yuan walked in and walked around the prayer wheel three times.The Tibetan smiled and nodded towards us. Guan Yuan and I took our steps lightly, and even Sensen Yuanyuan stopped calling. Go to the hut on the left, the door is closed, and the wooden window bars are covered with dust.We saw a dilapidated and yellowed Huihe scripture book on the window sill, and the damaged pages were rolled up in the wind and rain.

I touched the incomprehensible characters and symbols on the book, turned a few pages, and felt a sense of peace in my heart, which was amazing.Looking back, I fell in love with this peaceful place with no one, and I fell in love with the colorful sutra flags swaying in the wind and rain. Inside the tower, there are still blue flowers blooming, and the slender waist is straight up, like a girl with her head held high. We wandered around at will, but unexpectedly, we met Ali and Jin Yi. The people I met during the journey are like relatives when we meet again.We hugged each other in surprise, smiled and asked each other about the itinerary and experience.

They stayed at Langmusi until this morning before heading towards Hongyuan.Ali said: "The journey should not be passing by, but living. Eat the food of the local people, listen to the songs of the local people, and learn the language of the local people." Guan Yuan and I looked at each other in blank dismay. I didn't expect the prodigal Ali to say such philosophical words.However, we don't have so much time, otherwise we would also want to wander in places with different customs from north to south. I remember that a few years ago, Qi Lan and I planned a route that traveled all over China without turning back. It was a long journey, but we never set off.Each has its own ties, each has its own helplessness.

Ali said that in fact, he didn't have much time. After visiting Sichuan, he had to go back to live in the city. After all, his parents were old, and he was always uneasy about leaving them behind.No matter how many misunderstandings and incomprehensions there are, it is after all my parents who gave birth to me.In this world, no one is more important than them. I don't know what happened in Langmusi. Ali is different from when we first met. He seems to be more mature and less annoying.Journeys can always change a lot. As for us, we went to Huahu Lake in the past few days, stayed for a while under the blue sky and white clouds, and paid tribute to our first love; we had lunch in Ruoergai and met the Kampot family; we went to Tangke twice, but we didn’t see it as a sunset; Hongyuan, who foolishly broke into the gate of the camped troops, was driven away; turned back to Vachetarin, and encountered a super beautiful double-layered rainbow on the way.

Ali and Jin also laughed when they heard this, saying that we were simply performing a funny show. funny?Isn't life made up of such and such accidents? As we talked, we fell silent again, each looking at the continuous prayer flags and thinking about different things. The clouds gradually rose, the rain stopped, but the sun did not come out.We walked between the white pagodas, stroking the prayer flags within reach.I don't know who is this beautiful scripture floating around every day, praying for? After one lap, there was no more language, and we all went on our own way.This time, it's going in the opposite direction. In the future, maybe we won't see each other again!

I have always been unaccustomed to leaving contact information on the road.The people who meet are fate, and when they leave, they should return to their own lives, without bringing anything or taking anything away. On the road again, we are on our way home.Back to Lanzhou, we have to say goodbye to everything in Gannan. Guan Yuan continued her life, and I went to Dunhuang. I planned to walk around the Sichuan-Tibet line before returning to the small town in the south of the Yangtze River. Until I got on the train in Dunhuang, I still missed the lamas wearing the red robes, the marmots flickering on the grassland, the eagles soaring in the sky, the friendly Tibetans and the beautiful Gesang flowers.I still think about Shiyan I met in Labrang Monastery. I wonder if she is doing well, and when will the hole in my heart be filled?I still miss Ali and Jinyi who I met at Langmusi. I wonder if Ali will be able to face life optimistically when he returns to the city after going to Sichuan?I miss Ruoergai's Gongbu family. I wonder if the rat plague in the grassland will affect his family's life?I miss my dear Guan Yuan, and her friends Ye Yu and Cai Cai. After parting, I don’t know how many years will be the chance to see each other again. I hope she can live happily.

The tranquility of Langmusi, the light clouds and wind in Gahai, the shyness of Huahu Lake, the distance of Tangke, the prayer flags of Tallinn... I think, no matter how many years have passed, as long as I recall the scenery at that time, my feelings will be like yesterday .