Lamas daily life in Chode Monastery

Recource from Zhang Mingyu,Guangzhou Daily



Lama Wangchug, a boy serving Tibet's Chode Monastery smiles in front of the camera.
The Chode Monastery, one of the famous monastery of the Sagya Sect in the Tibetan Buddhism, lies in the mountains along the Brahmaputra River.

On an early morning of September,an aged lama carrying two buckets of water was tottering on the front square of monastery. The sound of reading Buddhist scriptures lingered in the air above the Main Hall of the red-and-white religious architecture. The kitchen in a dim light from a filament lamp teemed with a fragrant smell of butter tea.
Having washed his face carefully with a soap, another boy lama put a thick layer of scream on his skin, that can protect strong sunshine in Tibet. The teenager of 16 years old named Wangchug came from an ordinary coutryside Tibetan family. He was interested in singing and playing football.
Pasting on the wall of his dormitory were Buddhist image and a big poster of David Beckham. Except wearing a red cassock, he looks like other teenagers of his age. 



The young Abbot Pasang stands on the top of the Chode Monastery, Gonggar County, Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.
    "I'm honored to be sent by my parents to study Tibetan Buddhism in Chode Monastery," said Wangchug, who considered lama an ideal profession for him. Each time when the monastery begins a vacation, he will watch TV or play football like other boys, Wangchug added. "I hope to have a lap-top, so that I can learn more and much more quickly. "
    According to Abbot Pasang, the monastery, founded in 1464, features frescoes and traditional Tibetan religious drum dance, both of which are regarded as precious cultural heritages.
    For Tibetans, the blue and white represent the sky and cloud respectively. The blue dropping onto the ground has turned into the holy lakes; while, the white falling to the ground has been accumulated into snow mountains and glaciers.
    Pasang had his own wishes: one is to expect the monastery to get stronger and stronger in terms of influence and to perform its duty in blessing the country with prosperity and people with a happy life. He also hoped to study in a senior Buddhist college for better self-cultivation.  
    Photo shows Tibet's Chode Monastery, a renowned monastery of the Sagya Sect in the Tibetan Buddhism, under the sun. (Photo Source: Guangzhou Daily)