Lhasa Things to Do

The monks in the Sera Monastery were very friendly.This older monk in the monastery let us watch and listen when he played the cymbals and gong.

The religious Tibetan music is essential to rites. When you hear it for the first time, it may sounds disconcerting or even cacaphonous. The point is that this music has not to be in tune with this world, but has to break away. This is music to unmake harmonies and to lose the self in its illusions. This religious music is purgation by sound as the mandala is purgation by sight.

In this Gelukpa Monastery we saw wonderful wall-paintings and statues. Special things we saw here, were the preserved cham-masques for the mystery performances and very holy applies as the magical dagger (phurbu) of the founder of the monastery, Xiajia Yixi, disciple of Tsong Khapa.

As the Sera monastery was the first monastery we visited in Tibet, we were overwhelmed by the very colourful interior with red pillars and bright coloured and embroidered hangings and seeing the monks, making the conical tormas. It was really impressive to be there.

On our first day in Lhasa we visited the Sera Monastery, the first one in Tibet. When we arrived at the monastery, the young monks were very curious. They welcomed us friendly and showed us the way in the direction of the temples. It was a really nice first encounter with the life in the monasteries.

It was a pity we lost so much time in Chengdu, waiting for our plane to Lhasa. So we could stay only for a short time at this monastery and did only visit one of the temples and not the rockpaintings up the mountain behind the monastery.

The Sera Monastery is built in 1419 and is situated 4 km from Lhasa at the foot of the Tatipu mountain. The Sera Monastery is known as a monastic university. The tantric mysticism, the secret study, was teached here.The monks of Sera were seen as clever and ''dangerous'' for the organisation of the uprising. Only 100 monks remained of the 5.000 once.

At the Sera Monastery are four main temples with many chapels dedicated to Tsong Khapa, Sakyamuni, Dharmapala and others.

The temple at the medicinal cave with surroundings is a very peacefull place to visit. When we visit, only a few Tibetans were around burning herbs and turning the prayerwheels. 

At many places in Tibet near temples and chortens you can find wooden prayerwheels or manichorkors of smaller or very huge size, containing prayers and holy formulas, which the Tibetans turn endlessly. By spinning the wheels they can release several million prayers or mantras to the heavens.

At the medicinal cave we saw also these Tibetans, burning their herbs, juniper and other offerings for purification in a special burner.

Not far from the Potala is a small temple with a medicinal cave. This place is situated at the lower slopes of the Chagpori, meaning "Iron Mountain'' opposite the Potala. this was the site of a famous college of medicine. The views from Chagpori at the Potala are marvellous.

During our visit the atmosphere around the small temple and the cave wasvery peacefull. It's was nice place to fly from the crowds of the Barkhor area for a while.

The Norbulinka summerpalace is situated in a beautifull garden. Many Tibetans visit this garden for a picnic or just a walk. Also there are performances of Tibetan dances and opera in this garden at the end of July. We were just one week too late.

In the garden you have a great view at the colourful architecture of the palaces. In one of the courtyards you can also find the remnants of an old dodge and two austins. These first cars in Tibet were brought there in pieces by yaks over the Himalayas.

The Norbulinka, meaning ''precious jewel island'', was the summerpalace of the Dalai Lama. In comparision with the Potala this palace is small. The Norbilinka has three palaces, stuated in a beautifull garden.

You can visit the rooms of the Dalai Lama, for example the bed- bath- and living room, in which you can see the old Philips radio of the Dalai Lama. Further we visited the meditation room, the reception room and the throne room.