Tibet: Arrival and Sera Monastery

The Tibetan Autonomous Region of the PRC is an immense and sparsely populated area consisting mainly of an arid, high-altitude plateau and a few scattered towns and settlements. It covers more than 460,000 square miles and is home to a mere 2 million people. Lhasa, the capital city, has a population of only 140,ooo. (By way of comparison, Texas has an area of 260,000 square miles and a population of 24 million.) Lhasa, a city of thin air and bright sunshine, is situated at an altitude on 13,000 feet. To the southwest, Mt Everest soars to just over 29,000 feet.

Tibet is a land of very stark contrasts, embracing modern development and renovation alongside ancient monasteries and nomadic yak herders. Tourism, which was drastically curtailed following violent disturbances in March 2008, is now an important source of economic growth.

This is not the appropriate place to discuss the complex and intractable issues surrounding Tibet's political status. Suffice it to say after the introduction of Buddhism into this remote part of the world, Tibet became an isolated feudal theocracy. By 1950, when the People's Republic of China reasserted its centuries-long claim to Tibet through an act of "peaceful liberation," the Tibetan people were suffering from abject poverty, disease, and a 98% illiteracy rate. In the words of one very balanced account, "the country entered the modern world without an army, without lay education or roads, and with few technologies more advanced than the prayer wheel." The Cultural Revolution of the late 1960s inflicted new anguish on this long-suffering people. Today, the PRC seems about as likely to relinquish sovereignty over Tibet as the United States would be to return Arizona to the Navajo. We have read official government reports that list the numerous investments the PRC has made in Tibet. The PRC refutes claims of "cultural genocide" by detailing the undeniable progress that has been made in education, health care, economic development, transportation, religious freedom, and the protection of the Tibetan art, language, and culture. Ironically, perhaps the greatest obstacle to continued stability and progress in the region is the massive influx of Han Chinese who, while they have contributed greatly to Tibet's progress, now outnumber the population of native Tibetans.

Our first destination was Sera monastery just north of Lhasa. It was founded in 1419 and once housed more than 5000 monks in its three colleges. Today, about 700 monks reside there. It is a popular pilgrimage site, especially for parents who line up for many hours in order to present their children to a Buddha whose blessing brings special protections to the very young. We were not permitted to photograph the interior of this sacred spot, so you will see only pictures taken outdoors.
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