People in the Tibetan-inhabited areas are often
seen in groups trudging around a holy mountain or a holy lake.
They are doing ritual walks believed to bring them good luck
and blessing. They live by begging or the exchange of things
they have brought with them for food. At the end of the ritual
walk, they purchase tea for self-consumption or as gifts to
relatives.
Ritual walkers and Buddhist artists have created
many Mani stone mounds by the roads. Stones used to pile up
the mounds are painted or carved with figurines such as Buddhas
and eminent monks, animals such as fish, snakes and cats,
and holy things such as sea conches, the sun, the moon and
stars. These add further mysteriousness to the existing mystery,
and encourage ritual walkers to persist along the road to
the Paradise.
Prostrating all along the road for the tea-horse trade was
a common scene then.
Today, there are still numerous Mani stone
mounds piled up along the ritual roads. We once saw how pilgrims
took pains to crawl along rugged mountain slope paths. Some
of them prostrated themselves full length all along the way,
with all four limbs bleeding, but their eyes shining with
peaceful calm and ardent love for a beautiful tomorrow.
Introduction
