Brief Introduction£º
A famous Tibetan saying goes: "Circle a mountain
in the Year of the Horse, circle a lake in the
Year of the Goat." Since 2003 is the Year
of Goat on the Tibetan Calendar, this show is
about a lake. Circling just once around the lake
during the Year of the Goat is said to produce
spiritual benefits equal to those attained by
circling the lake 12 times in any other year.
Therefore, Nam Co Lake has become among the most
popular of holy sites for pilgrim worship. There
are two very special groups of pilgrims who come
to the lake for worship. In one group, there are
monks and nuns led by two living Buddhas. This
group is different from common worshippers. Not
only do they walk around the lake, but they also
perform ritual ceremonies, hang sutra streamers,
build pagodas, and perform charitable and pious
deeds. The other group is even more special. This
group includes three people: Yangpei, Revolution,
and Dunzhu. They are the leather-raft pilgrims.
They use handmade yak-leather rafts that are built
to circle the highest lake in the world. The whole
rafting process is so dangerous that it is sometimes
considered a narrow escape from death.
The pilgrimage experiences of these two groups
are linked in a parallel montage. This program
details their walk to the Heavenly Lake and fully
explains their unique theories about life and
religious devotion.
|