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Buddhist Ceremony Held in Tibet
Thousands of Buddhists in Tibet gathered at the Zhebung Monastery, one of the biggest in Tibet, to watch the unveiling of a 40-meter-long silk portrait of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism.
People went to the monastery in throngs early this morning. The ceremony began at 8 am. A number of lama musicians blew horns and "Suona," a kind of traditional Chinese musical instrument, while 33 lamas chanted Buddhist scriptures.
Five minutes later, the huge scrolled silk portrait bearing the image of Sakyamuni, who clad in a red robe, was slowly unveiled. All Buddhists knelt down to the ground to pray and presented Hada, a piece of white silk as a token of respect, to the Buddhist image.
Chinese and foreign on-lookers were amazed at the grand ceremony. An Australian woman named Catherine said, "I have never seen such a magnificent religious activity before. Though we have different religious beliefs, the Tibetan people are very friendly to us. We've had big fun here."
Zhebung Monastery, Sheltered in the mountains in the western suburbs of Lhasa, was built in 1416 during the reign of Yongle(1403-1424) of the Ming Dynasty by the disciples of Zong Kaba, founder of the Yellow Sect of Tibetan Buddhism.
The lamasery holds many Buddhist classics and cultural relics. It became the residence of the Panchen Lama in 1650. The monastery now has more than 600 lamas in residence.
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