Drepung Monastery

It feels good to be healthy again! I rented a bike and rode out to a couple nearby monasteries. It was my idea of the perfect day of traveling.

Drepung was my first stop, amazingly once the largest monasteries in the world, with a population of 10,000 monks! It was also where the Dali Lamas lived before the fifth one built the Potala. The site was large indeed, like a small town on a hillside, with confusing, narrow passages and stairs between the buildings. The buildings were filled with chapels, all housing a huge array of deities. Tibetan Buddhism is so interesting because of its huge pantheon.

Drepung was an interesting place, but it was like a museum. There were hardly any pilgrims, and very few monks, most of whom were playing with their mobile phones. I believe, with a few exceptions, monks aren’t supposed to own anything, let alone an expensive mobile phone.

Wheel of law

Then I headed over to Nechung Monastery, which I found pretty interesting. This was the home of the state oracle, whom the Dalai Lama would consult every year. The oracle would go into a trance, and then make his predictions. Of course the oracle is long gone, but the monastery was interesting because of its fascinating pre-Buddhist murals depicting wrathful deities, gruesome flayed human skins, severed heads, and skulls. There were also some pilgrims, whom I followed, and monks chanting. It felt like a living place.

The relentless engine of Chinese progress was in full view on this little trip. I don’t know how many military bases I passed on the way. The Lonely Planet says the road up is dirt, but it’s now paved. It wasn’t very peaceful because of all the construction everywhere, including more roads. And from Drepung, the view of the modern, sprawling city of Lhasa was quite hideous, and the noise from the city was quite loud.