"Lin Kuo" is a big circle connected end to end. There is no clear head and tail. It's just that people start from their own homes, walk to the nearest Linkuo Road, start from there, turn clockwise, finally return to the starting point, and then go home from the starting point. Generally, the transfer can be completed in about 3 hours.
"Outline" means circle. Lhasa has three concentric "profiles". The smallest and central circle is called "capsule outline", which means there is "capsule" inside. This circle in Jokhang Temple is a turning point around the statue of Sakyamuni. The circle in the middle is called "eight mouths", and "eight" means the middle. The center of this circle is Jokhang Temple. Now it is generally called "Bajiao Street", but it is not because there are eight corners, but a Chinese transliteration; The outermost and largest circle is called "Lin kuo", which means garden or mainland. This circle includes not only "Bakuo" but also Potala Palace, almost including the whole old city of Lhasa. In addition, some people visited the main temples and palaces in Lhasa, such as Potala Palace, drepung monastery, Sera Temple and Gandan Temple. In particular, the circle around Gandan Temple is the most colorful, and each scene has a vivid story, which tells the story of the process of building the temple and the deeds of the monks in the temple to cast spells and demons. Turn around and you will have a new and profound understanding of this temple. Tibetan Buddhism attaches importance to sutra transfer, which may be related to the concept of reincarnation of Buddhism, and some people say that it is learned from the rituals of this religion.
Generally, the old people transferred to Linkuo have nannies to do housework, and the old people have nothing to do. Staying at home is not good for their physical and mental health, and it has become a burden to others in the family. As a believer, turning back the classics is the greatest satisfaction. At the same time, it can also play a role in exercising and relaxing. At the same time, they will make many new friends, and these old people will gradually become parishioners. This relationship is very important for retired people, so as long as the elderly in Lhasa are in good health, they generally like to flip the silhouette of the forest. They meet in groups at a certain time and place every morning, go to Linkuo together, eat and drink tea in a restaurant specially prepared for the elderly who transfer to Linkuo at noon, and chat with people in restaurants and teahouses. It is very relaxed, comfortable and happy.
When I was young, I liked to follow my grandmother around in the forest, but I didn't know what it meant. Grandma, many members of her congregation are turning "Lin Kuo". After a week, I can make many acquaintances. Most of them bring candy. When they see me, they will give them some sweets to eat, and they will eat and drink tea in a restaurant at noon. The taste can't be made at home. So, at that time, I liked to turn "Lin Kuo" mainly because of the greed of children.
After coming to the mainland to study, you can only go home once every three or four years. At an early age, I studied in a strange environment and had no relatives around me. When I turn to the forest, I often see interesting scenes. So every time I go home from the mainland to visit relatives, I have to follow my grandmother several times. At this time, I am not tempted by candy, but reliving my childhood memories, and more importantly, I want to feel the religious atmosphere. After studying or working in the mainland for a long time, there are fewer opportunities to get in touch with Tibetans, and even fewer people get in touch with Tibetan religion and culture. The more you understand the spiritual pursuit of mainland society, the more you want to feel the deep-rooted influence of Buddhism on Tibetans and the spiritual peace brought by this piety. However, I went to school in the mainland since I was a child and received a science education. Especially after I accepted atheism, I couldn't be as devout to Buddhism as the old people at home without any distractions. This makes it impossible for me to really understand the inner feelings of a Buddhist in the process of turning over the scriptures.
Go home to visit relatives this Tibetan calendar year. On the third day after I got home, I accompanied my mother around. At 6 o'clock in the morning, my mother and I set out from home in the dark. The first stop of "Linkuo" is the famous post and telecommunications building. This building is only four stories high, which is not the tallest among the surrounding buildings, but in the late 1970s and early 1980s, it was the tallest building in Lhasa and a symbol of advanced technology. At the same time, it also becomes the coordinate to identify the orientation. The music of' Dongfanghong' from the big clock on the roof is the only concept of time in my childhood.
I remember one winter, my cousin Ge Sang told me that the uncle who rang the doorbell on the post and telecommunications building accidentally fell down and died while sunbathing on the windowsill. He is going to ring the bell for his uncle. I believe. Every time I hear the bell, I proudly tell my friends that this is my cousin ringing the bell.
The post and telecommunications building is one of the relatively fixed starting points of the "forest profile". When we got there, the road was already crowded with people, with no head in front and no tail in the back. There are old people, middle-aged people, young people and children aged five or six, and even babies on their backs. Some people turn the prayer wheel with their right hand, twist the prayer beads with their left hand and keep chanting in their mouths; Some are chanting while holding the released sheep; Some of them silently recite the scriptures with their heads down, and the puppies follow them before and after; Others carry bags to Lhasa for pilgrimage. All kinds of people on the "Linkuo" road are a unique scenery in Lhasa in the morning. ...
My mother and I walked on. The road under my feet is still the one I used to take when I was a child, but now it is not as scary and mysterious as when I was a child. Street lamps were installed on both sides of the road to make the whole road as bright as during the day. In addition, as Lhasa pays more and more attention to environmental protection, it is not so mysterious to ban mulberry stew on the "Linkou" road in the city center. In addition, there are many shops on both sides of the road, and it is not clear who is turning to Linkou. Who is the shoplifter? The feeling of turning "Lin kuo" in this section of the road is much less.
A few hundred meters south along the "Linkuo" East Road is a T-junction, and the largest flea market in Lhasa is on both sides of the fork road. Most of the products sold in the market are old articles for daily use, old furniture or labor instruments. Many people who like Tibetan antiques wander there, and maybe they will meet some valuable and cheap antiques one day.
The southwest corner of the flea market is the largest mosque in Lhasa. There are many Muslims in this area, and there are Muslims wearing white hats everywhere. This is also one of the changes in Lhasa in recent years, that is, the floating population has increased. On the one hand, they have greatly promoted the development of commodity economy in Lhasa, on the other hand, they have also brought the pressure of life and the sense of competition to the local people.
I remember when I was a child, I had to turn around the mosque at Linkou, but this time I followed my mother to Linkou. When I went to the flea market, I turned into a fork in the road and put the mosque outside Linkou. Later, I heard from a member of Mother's Church that before liberation, the mosque was placed outside the "forest profile" as it is now, and was once pulled into the "forest profile".
After the mosque, walk west along the fork in the road, and you will arrive at Anizan Ancient (nun) in Lhasa. The temple has a history of more than 530 years and has 120 nuns. It is the only nun in Lhasa. The nun is located in the downtown area, but as soon as she enters the gate, she has an indescribable tranquility and serenity. It turns out that the boundary between the two worlds is only one step away. Colorful flowers are blooming around the yard and on the balcony, and the air is filled with pure Tibetan incense. From time to time, there was a faint sound of musical instruments ringing and musical chanting. Standing in the middle of the yard, I forgot everything around me, and felt as if I had been far away from this world, unwilling to leave for a long time. Two steps forward is Risong Kampot, a branch of Gandan Temple. Both temples are small in scale, but due to their unique geographical location, the incense is quite strong.
Out of the fork in the road, it is now the best highway in Lhasa-Jiangsu Road. The project was completed and put into use in August 1999, with a total length of 3.237 kilometers and a width of 30 meters. There are all kinds of automobile lanes, bicycle lanes, sidewalks, sewers and street lamps. Go west along Jiangsu Road, and when you reach Lhasa River, you will see lingering mulberry smoke and prayer flags fluttering in the wind. Thousands of Buddhists walked westward along the Lhasa River, chanting and stewing mulberries. Between the lingering mulberry smoke and the clear Qinghe River, the procession of prayers is vast, like a dragon winding between the blue sky and white clouds. This scene makes Lhasa, a Buddhist holy place, more solemn and sacred.
Because this area belongs to the suburbs, you can burn incense and simmer mulberry, and a mulberry stove has been specially built. Mom bought a bag of mulberries there, and I bought a stack of wind flags and a prayer flag. From here, we began to stew mulberries.
Walking along the Lhasa River, on the left side of the road is the Zhonghe International Entertainment City, which was developed by filling the river. Its scale is quite large, and its architectural style is mainly Tibetan and Chinese. Small commodity wholesalers have formed a large-scale market here, but the commercial houses with huge investment have not been well utilized, and most of them are still empty.
Turning north, Zhonghe International Entertainment Center is a long and narrow passage with a width of more than 3 meters. The Panchen Palace is on the east wall and the compound of troops stationed in Tibet is on the west wall. This corridor is very distinctive, and the walls are covered with Tibetan in various fonts. At first glance, it seems that a Tibetan calligraphy contest has just been held, which is very spectacular. Look carefully, the content of each sentence is roughly the same, and all the words are written to resolve contradictions. For example, pigs and snakes collide, monkeys and tigers collide, dogs and dragons scream at each other, and so on. Therefore, if there are two people in a family who are pigs and snakes and think that they have territorial conflicts, they will come here and write the words to ward off evil spirits on the wall: "Resolve the conflict between pigs and snakes."
The northernmost end of the passage is connected with Wang Yaoshan, where there is the Tibet TV Tower, the tallest building in Lhasa. Walking along the steps at the foot of the mountain, the handrails on both sides are hung with prayer flags printed with scriptures. A few steps are a man carving Mani stone, and a few steps are a simmering mulberry spot. People will sell prayer flags and wind horses from time to time. I hung the prayer flag I just bought on it and threw the wind horse flag into the sky. The wind and horse flags all over the sky float into the distance. The higher it flies, the better your luck will be. This step is relatively narrow and steep, and people who turn the warp line go up. The people behind can only look at the back of the people in front and move forward step by step. The mumbling chanting is mixed with the flapping sound of the breeze blowing the prayer flags, and there is a strange feeling against the backdrop of mulberry smoke. It seems that this step has always led to heaven.
Down the steps is the famous cliff stone carving, which is a stone wall with a height of more than 20 meters and a width of more than 30 meters, covered with colorful and lifelike Buddha statues. On the east side of the stone carving is a tower made of Mani stone, and on the south side is a prayer wall composed of hundreds of prayer flags. The prayer flags on the top are floating in the breeze, and the mulberry smoke on both sides is misty. The people who turn "Linkuo" kowtow to the Buddha here. It is said that the earliest stone carvings in the Cliff Stone Carving Buddha Group appeared in the period of Songzan Gampo, the king of Tibet in the seventh century. Now, it has to be cleaned and colored every few years, so its color is always bright and bright.
I remember that in the past, because people's living standards were low, there were few opportunities to eat in restaurants, so people who transferred to "Lin Kuo" usually took the food they ate on the road. When we arrive at Cliff Stone Carvings, we should stop to have a rest and eat something. At that time, there was a meadow and several willows, and there was a small pond in front of the meadow. The water is very clear, and there are small fish and ducks in the water. A group of children are playing on the grass, and adults are talking about their homes not far away, which looks like a painting from a distance. Now, with the expansion of Lhasa's city scale and the increase of population, houses have been built in this area, leaving only a small piece of concrete land in front of the cliff stone wall, which is bare and incompatible with the Buddha statues on the stone wall.
Go north after the cliff stone carving, and there are many Tibetan restaurants and teahouses on both sides of the road. Most of these restaurants are people who turn to the "forest profile", and the food pays more attention to the tastes of Tibetan elderly people. In April of the Tibetan calendar, that is, during the Sagadawa Festival, some believers are vegetarian only during this month, while on April 15 of the Tibetan calendar, most believers will be vegetarian for one day. On this day, the food in the restaurant is almost non-meat, but green vegetarian. The customers in these restaurants are basically "Lin Kuo" people who come every day, so many customers will put a cup they like in the restaurant and use their own cups every time, which is clean and convenient, and also feels at home. In addition, the old people's family conditions are different, and it is often the case that church members subsidize each other's tea and rice. Old people with good family conditions give the restaurant some money at one time, so that the restaurant can provide several cups of hot tea and a bowl of noodles or a plate of curry rice to old people with poor family conditions every day. Here, the relationship between the elderly is a simple friendship of harmony, friendship and equality without a trace of fame and fortune and distractions, which is a unique interpersonal relationship of the Tibetan people. My mother and I also had a rest in a restaurant here, and ordered a pot of 3 kg butter tea and two bowls of Tibetan beef noodles, which tasted as expected. My mother met some old acquaintances here. After chatting for a while, I can hear that they are all living well and are very satisfied with their present life. Two of them even made an appointment to play mahjong in a certain house in the afternoon. This is a way of life for the elderly in Lhasa. In the morning, I usually like to turn over scriptures or go to temples to burn incense and worship Buddha. In the afternoon, a few friends chatted and played mahjong together, and the day was so easy to pass.
Continue our "Lin kuo" after dinner. After these restaurants, turn right at Beijing Middle Road. There is a sign on the roadside tree that says Gesar Temple. The entrance is a section of earth slope, which is the northern slope of Palmari Mountain. Gesar Temple is located on the Palmari Mountain. It is called Gesar Temple. When you look inside, you will know that it is Guandi Temple, where Guan Yu is enshrined in the middle, and there is a small statue of Gesar next to it. From the structure of the house to the design of the whole yard, it is Chinese. Judging from the piers on both sides of the gate and a stone tablet erected during the Qianlong period, it may be an early China building in Lhasa.
Out of Gesar Temple, continue to the east, which is the financial district of Lhasa. Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Foreign Trade Department of the autonomous region and TV stations of the autonomous region are all concentrated at this crossroads. In the middle of the road is the famous golden yak in Lhasa. Lhasa people made up many interesting stories about these two yaks. It is a symbol, and the golden yak symbolizes a golden age.
From Golden Yak to the north, the left side of the road is Lhasa Middle School, and the right side of the road is the famous Longwangtan Scenic Resort Scenic Holiday Park. The environment here is beautiful. The ancient willow in Longwangtan Scenic Area is a wonder, which looks like a unique left-handed willow, mostly hundreds of years old; The water in the park is another feature. You can row boats here in summer and skate here in winter. There are many ducks and red fish on the mainland now. And its big lawn is the favorite place for Tibetans to go. People sit in groups on the grass, have some beer and chat casually. Some people like to play poker, dice and mahjong there, and wine vendors play some pop music. The atmosphere is very relaxed and natural.
In the past, the old people who regulate menstruation came here in twos and threes to find some secluded places, sit under ancient willows to enjoy the cool and eat, and some fed fish by the pool to let their pets play here. With the development of society and the increase of urban population, houses and entertainment facilities have been built on many original open spaces, and lawns have been replaced by cement. Longwangtan Scenic Area has now built the largest playground in Lhasa, as well as a mahjong hall and a tea garden, all of which are surrounded by iron fences. The route of the forest outline has also been pushed outside the fence, and the natural paradise of the old people is occupied by various entertainment places and toys. The old man who turned over the scriptures walked on the hard cement road, looked at the green land, clear water and ancient trees that once belonged to him, shook his head and continued to pray for Purdue people. I always think that the elderly are the spiritual wealth of society, especially for Tibetans, the elderly are the spiritual core of the family and the most respected. This is a fine tradition, handed down from generation to generation. I remember shooting birds with slingshots or fighting with my classmates when I was a child. Sometimes some old people who don't know me will scold us on the spot when they see us We feel that we have done something wrong, and it is right to be lectured by old people, and we never dare to talk back.
From Longwangtan Scenic Resort Scenic Area to the east along Linkuo North Road, back to the starting post and telecommunications building, a complete Linkuo route is completed. Linkuo Road is a colorful route. As long as you walk around with the old people in Lhasa, you will experience the most substantial part of Lhasa Old People's Day. At the same time, you can also feel the great changes that have taken place in Lhasa in recent years and the religious beliefs in the hearts of Tibetan believers. If an old man tells you stories along the way, you will know a little-known side of Lhasa, a sacred place that you can't feel from other places. Only in this way can you understand Lhasa, a thousand-year-old city.