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Two Mad Explorers tour Tashilunpo Monastery in Shigatse, a major Tibetan Buddhist site founded in 1447 by the First Dalai Lama. They discuss the Yellow Hat sect, the monastery's architecture and the lives of its monks, and see the Maitreya Buddha statue. The visit includes a kora around stupas, prayer wheels, juniper incense, local customs, and the preserved tombs of Panchen Lamas. They also observe the monastery's scale and different routes for sightseeing and prayer.
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Tashilunpo Monastery and its traditions
Two Mad Explorers visit Tashilunpo Monastery in Shigatse, Tibet's second-largest city. Founded in 1447 by the First Dalai Lama, the monastery is associated with the Yellow Hat sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The travelers describe its architecture, including whitewashed walls and decorative champo cloths at the windows. They also see tombs of several Panchen Lamas and note that more than 800 monks live at the monastery.
During the visit, they learn about practices and beliefs associated with the site. A kora is the circumambulation of stupas, and the route also includes prayer wheels and items used by pilgrims. They see a large Maitreya Buddha statue and discuss how prayer is understood at different levels of spiritual practice. The travelers explain that beginners may pray to Buddha, while advanced practitioners embody enlightenment and pray for self-awareness rather than to an external deity.
Local customs and monastery life
The tour includes a fragrant tree that local people rub against, believing it can ease pain. They learn about the use of incense and juniper wood, and they discuss the phrase “Tashi Delek.” They also talk about the preservation of holy lamas' bodies. One account says some preserved bodies have no smell weeks after death and that people believe the lamas are still meditating, so the bodies are not moved immediately.
The monastery is large enough to feel like a city within a city. The travelers describe separate routes for sightseeing and prayer and note how easy it can be to get lost. Their visit also covers the monks' daily life and the immense scale of the complex, while the video ends with reflections on the different character of monasteries they have visited in Tibet and the value of spending time in local settings.
FAQs (From the traveler's perspective)
- Q: What is the significance of the tree that locals rub against?
- A: The travelers say people believe the fragrant tree can ease pain in the body. Someone with a headache may rub their head against it, while someone with back pain may rub their back. They describe this as a local custom tied to the site's spiritual setting.
- Q: What is special about the way some holy people are preserved?
- A: The travelers say that some holy people's bodies have no smell even weeks after death. According to the belief they describe, the people are still meditating, so their bodies are not moved immediately. The video presents this as a spiritual belief about preservation.
- Q: What do the red and white markings on the walls mean?
- A: The travelers explain that the red and white markings are not religious or symbolic. They say they are simply something people who work at the monastery do, rather than a meaningful religious feature.
