We passed a lot of ruined monasteries – destroyed during the Cultural Revolution and came at last to the central plateau and the palace of the Dalai Lama.  An interesting story: the India sage composed a lot of texts – and he used the local Tibetan dialect – writing it in a Sanskrit script.  He buried the texts just before he died, saying that they would be unearthed when they were needed.  One of these was found, many centuries later and it’s called the Bardo Thotrol.  In the West, we know it as the Tibetan Book of the Dead.

It’s a series of chants to be read over a person as they die (and for the 24 hours afterwards) to ease them into the next incarnation (it’s apparently a bit of a worrying time).  The discarded body, meanwhile, is given a sky burial.  It is taken to a sacred spot and chopped up into pieces with an axe.  Then the birds of prey carry off the bits and pieces, scattering them to the winds.  

My video podcast of the Tibetan Book of the Dead is now on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/user/PilgriminthePalace

Or, even better.  On itunes:

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=344689204

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7TwKWeO_6g

And check out the ROM museum’s display if you haven’t already. I managed to see them just kilometres from where they were found… especially the amazing Copper Scroll.

Glenn Dixon
www.pilgrim-in-the-palace.com