Tibet
The History of Tibet:
Tibet, Tibetan Bod, in full Tibet Autonomous Region, Chinese (Pinyin) Xizang Zizhiqu or (Wade-Giles romanization) Hsi-tsang Tzu-chih-ch’ü, historic region and autonomous region of China that is often called “the roof of the world.” It occupies a vast area of plateaus and mountains in Central Asia, including Mount Everest (Qomolangma [or Zhumulangma] Feng; Tibetan: Chomolungma). The name Tibet is derived from the Mongolian Thubet, the Chinese Tufan, the Tai Thibet, and the Arabic Tubbat.
Before the 1950s Tibet was largely isolated from the rest of the world. It constituted a unique cultural and religious community, marked by the Tibetan language and Tibetan Buddhism.
Although Chinese Buddhism was introduced in ancient times, the mainstream of Buddhist teachings came to Tibet from India. The first Buddhist scripture may have arrived in the 3rd century CE, but active promulgation did not begin until the 8th century.
There are four mosques in the Tibet Autonomous Region with approximately 4,000 to 5,000 Muslim adherents,although a 2010 Chinese survey found a higher proportion of 0.4%.There is a Catholic church with 700 parishioners, which is located in the traditionally Catholic community of Yanjing in the east of the region.
Before the 1950s Tibet had no modern industries. There were small handicraft centres that were owned either individually or collectively and that produced scroll paintings, metal images, wooden block prints, and religious images. For these crafts the lag-shes-pa, or craftsmen, had to be well versed in literature and mathematics. There were also carpet weavers, tanners, potters, gold- and silversmiths, carpenters, tailors, and incense-stick makers—all of whom learned their trade through apprenticeship. Because the government rewarded outstanding artists and craftsmen with official titles, estates, and money, the arts and crafts of Tibet were well preserved.
Tibet is most renowned for its religious scroll paintings (thang-ka), metal images, and wooden block prints. There are three categories of images, representing the peaceful, moderate, and angry deities, and three schools of painting, the Sman-thang, Gong-dkar Mkhan-bris, and Kar-ma sgar-bris, which are differentiated by colour tones and depicted facial expressions.
The first day of the first month of the Tibetan calendar (February or March of the Gregorian calendar) is marked by New Year (Losar) celebrations throughout Tibet. Monasteries, temples, stupas (outdoor shrines), and home chapels are visited at dawn, and offerings are made before statues and relics of deities and saints.
The New Year celebrations are almost immediately followed by the Smom-lam (“Prayer”) festival, which begins three days after the New Year and generally is celebrated for 15 days, though the length of the festival varies from place to place.
Festivals are both national and local in character. The many local celebrations are varied; national festivals, though fewer, are marked with a spirit of unity and lavishness.
Why is Tibet so mysteries?
Because of its geographical position , unique topography and terrain ; unknown but existent original customs and unique national culture ; and various propagandas brought back by foreign explorers, all these render people possible to form a mysterious picture of Tibet.So Tibet has always been regards as a mysterious place. Tibet's most elusive mysteries:
- Savage
As the "four greatest mysteries in the world", the savage in Tibet has provoked much discussion.
As early as 1784 there were records about Tibetan savage.
In recent years, many claimed they had witnessed the savage in the vicinity of the Mt. Himalaya. Many investigations have been launched in eastern Tibet, but no one could interpret the mystery of savage so far.
- Red Snow
The red stain is made up of the highland algae, which is able to endure extreme coldness to survive 36C below zero. It appears blood red because it contains blood red pigment.
- Flag Cloud
In sunny days, the peak of the Mt.Qomolangma is shrouded with moving milk-white clouds and fogs, seeming as if a flag with the mast of the peak was swinging.
It is formed by the convective cumulus. Judging from the location and height of the clouds, the expert could tell the speed of head wind on the peak of the mountain. The higher the height, the smaller the speed of wind is. When the height parallels with the peak, the speed of wind is estimated at nine degree. Hence, the flag cloud on the top of the Mt. Qomolangma is also known as "the highest vane in the world".
- Honghua
Honghua (become a rainbow) is an occult phenomenon formed when the enlightenment great monk passes away. It is said when the enlightenment monk who has obtained a certain degree of Buddhism passed away, his body will convert into a rainbow and enter the Amita World of Buddhism.
- Wizardry
Mightily influenced by the aboriginal religious belief, Tibetan people believe that everything, either flying in the sky, running on the earth or swimming under the water, has deity, who dominates over the world.
In the evolution of human being, people has never stop longing for a superhuman power to influence or even control the objective reality or some natural phenomena, thus engendering the fete and wizardry along with a group of people who lived on it-necromancer.
However, people know nothing of the necromancer, for example the title, ways of inheritance, clothes, religious wares, altars, curses and so on.
Perhaps, somewhere in the world the most primitive wizardry rituals were still more or less keeps, and the mystery of necromancer still remains a mystery and needs to be further studied.
- Terma
The Bon religion and Tibetan Buddhism believers hided or buried their Buddhist scriptures somewhere secluded when their religious belief were undergoing a disaster. Those Buddhist scriptures being dug out in later years is called Terma, translated in English as "treasure" or "revealed teaching".
Terma is divided into "Shuzang", "Shengwuzang" and "Shizang". Shuzang means scriptures while Shengwuzang refers to religious ritual implements or things used by the great monks.
The most wizardly is "Shizang". When the Buddhists had difficulty in keeping the Buddhist scriptures or paternosters in the face of calamity, the God would "put" them on someone's consciousness to make sure that those classics be passed on successfully. When the right comes, the "scripture receivers" will read out or write down the scriptures under some unearthly instructions. This is the mystery of Terma, which has been absorbing a great number of experts to explore its secret.
- Tibetan YinYang
The doctrine of Yin and Yang is one of the basic teachings of Tibetan Buddhism, and a guide for Tibetan Buddhist practice.
Negative energy and wisdom are the sources of the real world, so a Tibetan Buddhist practitioner must strive to achieve the so-called "Yin essence" in order to discern and apprehend the real world and achieve a Buddha mind.
To obtain this kind of primitive energy, Tibetan Buddhist practitioners must master the corresponding "method".
There are many mysterious legends about Tibet, the distant place is the mystery that the world has always wanted to explore.In addition, there is a long religious culture history with the mystery of Tibet.
