The Loneliest Monk in Tibet Lives Alone in This Isolated Temple
Located on top of a small mound, on a sliver of land stretching into the serene Yamdrok Lake is Rituo Temple, the home of just one solitary monk who spends his days chanting sutras and meditating. Rituo, which means “the stone on the mountain” in Tibetan, is often referred to as Tibet’s loneliest temple. It […]
The Ancient Art of Tibetan Butter Sculpting Is Melting Away
For the last 400 years, Tibetan monks have been using butter from yak milk to create large and intricate sculptures inspired by stories of Buddha, animals or plants and putting them on display during the annual Butter Lantern Festival. Unfortunately, the long and difficult process of making these exquisite works of art has led to a […]
Tibetan Sand Mandalas – The Sacred Art of Painting with Colored Sand
Demolishing sand castles can be great fun. But what if you had spent weeks creating it painstakingly, only to have it destroyed at the end? Heart breaking, isn’t it? But for the monks of Tibet who create exquisite sand paintings, dismantling their work is the only way. This is said to signify the impermanence of […]
Tibetan Sky Burials Are Super-Creepy
All funerals are sad and creepy, but they’re way better than feeding the corpse to a bunch of hungry eagles. Sky burials are often practiced in the mountains of Tibet, both for religious and practical reasons. Basically, the corpse is placed on a mountain top and sliced open in various places, to attract the birds […]