Shangri-La

Shangri-La in Tibetan means beautiful and peaceful place. Originally this place was not known as Shangri-La. Only until James Hilton, the author of Lost Horizon, came here did it become known as Shangri-La. Hilton uncovered this place’s beauty and peace. He called it a place where the people live forever, and suffering doesn’t exist. I felt the same way. On the drive to Shangri-La I saw the countryside where the Tibetan farmers live in harmony with nature. They give offerings to the spirits that protect each plant and flower. When they die, their ashes are thrown into the river, and then evaporated into the sky. Then, they come down as rain, are absorbed into the soil, and grow into a tree as part of nature. In other words, they live forever!

First, we go to the Songzanlin Monastery. We can see the golden dome of the monastery touching the sky from our hotel. This monastery is two times as old as America! It is the largest monastery in the Yunnan province. As we walk around the monastery, we go past villagers and monks doing pilgrimages around the monastery. I hear the clicking of the 108 prayer beads and the voices of the monks chanting Om Mani Padme Hum. The 108 beads represent the 108 bones of Buddha after he was cremated. Om means the mind of Buddha, Mani means the compassion of Buddha, Padme means the wisdom of Buddha, Hum means invisibility of Buddha; all together it means “the path to enlightenment.”