Chapter 718: Beauty Lost, Coffin Carrying Expedition (2)
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
This was also the most difficult thing about these ascetic monks. They never accepted the offerings of money and only accepted the food provided by their believers.
If the person providing the food was a female benefactor, they would not reach out to take it directly. Instead, they would ask the female benefactor to place the food on the ground before taking it away.
It was also because of this quality that such a group of people would be respected and loved no matter where they went. They would always return to the top of the mountain after a parade and stay away from the mortal world to meditate and comprehend the Dao.
This was the charm of Tibet. There was not much noise in the mortal world, just like a pure land. Most of the people who came here were pursuing the bottleneck of their minds or wanted to escape the chaos of the mortal world.
In short, there were thousands of people who came, but there was only one destination, and that was the Potala Palace on the mountain peak.
The exterior of the Potala Palace has a total of 13 floors and is 110 meters tall. It rises from the foot of the mountain and points straight at the top.
The entire Potala Palace was formed by the Red Palace of the White Palace. Therefore, before they reached the entrance of the Potala Palace, they could already see many Buddha statue tapestries hanging on the white towering walls.
Soon, the driver placed Su Yun and Xu Jiajia at the end of the road where the car could reach. The next mountain road would have to rely on the two of them to walk.
After getting out of the car, Su Yun and Xu Jiajia saw many pious people worshiping on the mountain. However, it had to be known that there was more than just a physical test here. Under the effect of altitude sickness, even if he did nothing, he would feel abnormally uncomfortable, let alone such high-intensity physical activity.
These people were clearly exhausted, but they still knelt and kowtowed after every step of the stone steps, chanting Buddhist proclamations sincerely. Anyone who saw this would be unable to help but sigh with emotion at the piousness in their hearts.
When he walked along the stone steps to the front of Potala Palace, he saw a majestic building standing there. Under the sunlight, it was as dazzling as a holy domain. All the roofs and window eaves here had been preserved with wooden structures. The eaves were tilted out, and the corners of the houses were raised. They were copper tiles and gilt.
Even the roof was decorated with gold banners, treasure bottles, Capricorn Fish, and golden winged crows. The shiny roof was built in the style of Xieshan and Qianjian, and the walls under the eaves were gilt copper.
In short, the building in front of him was filled with Buddhist Dharma artifacts and Eight Treasures. It had a strong Tibetan Buddhist color.
Looking up, what greeted his eyes was the place where Buddhists were chanting. There were lamas sitting quietly everywhere and chanting Buddhist proclamations. Even though there were people coming and going around him, he was not disturbed at all.
Xu Jiajia was also shocked by the spectacular scene in front of her. She looked around in front of her, but Su Yun only quietly watched her back.
The reason why he came here was because he had long set a destination, which was the Ninth Dalai Lama’s Spirit Tower Hall in Potala Palace. This place could be considered the most important place in the Tibetan area, and it was also a resplendent symbol of Tibetan culture.
If the Potala Palace was known as the temple closest to the sky, then this Spirit Tower Hall was the place closest to God and Buddha. There was even a rumor in the local area that if one sat quietly in the spirit tower hall, they could even hear Buddhist chants.
Soon, Su Yun and Xu Jiajia stepped onto the perfect convergence path. This was a zigzag mountain path that they had to pass to enter Potala Palace. There were a total of more than 900 steps on this road. Be it tourists, believers, eminent monks, or high officials, if they wanted to enter Potala Palace, they had to climb these 900 steps obediently.
Like many tourists, Xu Jiajia could not handle it. She had no choice but to walk and stop. From time to time, she had to rest. When she saw the expressionless Su Yun, Xu Jiajia even complained helplessly, “Su Yun, there are many times when I seriously suspect that you’re not human!”
“Hey, why are you still scolding me?”
Although Su Yun knew what Xu Jiajia meant, he still teased her with a smile, making Xu Jiajia laugh.
Xu Jiajia needed to rest, but Su Yun was not in a hurry. The reason why he was minimally affected compared to others was because he had always been in a supernatural state. This was because only in this way could he sense the existence of the supernatural aura in time to avoid missing it.
With great difficulty, the two of them stepped onto the last stone step. After passing through the dazzling door, they saw one of the most unique buildings, the White Palace. This was the place where the past lamas held political and religious activities. In the simple white tone, it was actually a different world.
After entering the east gate, they saw many gorgeous and colorful murals. On this mural were lifelike Buddhist protectors. They had green faces and fangs, making people unable to help but feel reverence.
When they passed through the corridor, they saw the performance in the square.
Along the way, Su Yun and Xu Jiajia had some experience.
They had seen the famous painting of Princess Wencheng entering the Tibetan Region, had seen the dazzling techniques of the carved beams and painted buildings, and had also admired the golden plaque that the Tongzhi Emperor had appointed to shake the Xi and Sui Border.
Finally, Su Yun, who was patient, arrived at the Spirit Tower Hall of the ninth Dalai Lama, Lungtok Gyatso. As soon as he entered the hall, a familiar aura assaulted his face.